A great night out shouldn't cost you the entire next day. Yet some drinks practically guarantee a brutal morning of pounding headaches, nausea and regret.
The truth is, it's often not just how much you drink, but what you drink. Three popular choices are far more likely to leave you wrecked than others — and once you know them, you can sidestep the worst of it.
Dark drinks are loaded with congeners
You've probably noticed it yourself: certain drinks leave you feeling far rougher than others, even in the same amounts. The reason comes down to congeners — compounds produced during fermentation that intensify hangover symptoms.
Dark drinks like whiskey, red wine and rum are especially high in them. They tend to fuel the next-day headache and queasiness far more than their paler counterparts.
Those same congeners give dark spirits their rich color and complex flavor, but they also influence how hard the alcohol hits you. If you want to dodge a miserable morning, reach for lighter options like vodka or white wine instead.
Alcohol plus energy drinks: a risky mix
Combining alcohol with an energy drink is another fast track to a serious hangover. The caffeine and other stimulants mask alcohol's sedating effect, so you feel less drunk than you actually are.
The result? You keep drinking — and that extra intake makes the next-day crash far worse.
It's not just that you drink more. The mix is hard on your heart, too. Together, alcohol and caffeine can trigger heart rhythm disturbances, which makes this habit genuinely risky.
Sugary cocktails: sweet temptation, harsh payback
Sugar is the other big factor that ramps up a hangover. Sweet cocktails like piña colada or margarita are packed with added sugar, and that combination can hit your system hard — sugar is absorbed quickly and speeds up the effects of alcohol.
Sugar is dehydrating on its own, and alcohol only makes it worse. In excess, the two together can leave you with headaches, dizziness and an all-over sense of feeling unwell.
To stay ahead of the misery, choose drinks with less sugar — ideally plain spirits, or alcohol with a splash of soda water. And try to drink water between your alcoholic drinks to cut down on dehydration and the hangover that follows.
Which alcoholic drinks cause the worst hangovers?
Dark, high-congener drinks like whiskey, red wine and rum, alcohol mixed with energy drinks, and sugary cocktails such as piña colada or margarita are the most likely to leave you feeling rough the next day.
Why do dark drinks cause worse hangovers?
Dark drinks contain more congeners — compounds formed during fermentation that give them their color and flavor but also intensify hangover symptoms like headaches and nausea.
Why is mixing alcohol with energy drinks risky?
Caffeine masks alcohol's sedating effect, so you feel less drunk and tend to drink more. The combination can also strain your heart and trigger rhythm disturbances.
How can I reduce the chance of a hangover?
Choose lighter, low-sugar drinks such as plain spirits or alcohol with soda water, and drink water between alcoholic drinks to limit dehydration.
