Before you start drinking, you want to be hydrated. You want to make sure that you're drinking plenty of water before you start drinking alcohol. And while you are drinking, if you intersperse the water between your drinks, that will decrease the hangover severity. Before you drink, it's also important to eat food. Having food like a steak, potatoes, whatever in your stomach before you drink, maybe even some fruit or some honey, some fructose. This all slows down the absorption of alcohol into your body. And the fruit and the fructose can actually improve your liver's ability to metabolize alcohol.