These hangover prevention tablets have been a game-changer for me - here's how they work

• Nothing ruins what should be a productive workday or relaxing weekend morning like a head-splitting hangover.
• With HangOn hangover prevention tablets ($20/10-pack), I get to enjoy my night out and wake up with a clear head.
• The portable, chewable citrus tablets contain antioxidants and amino acids to support liver function, enhance electrolyte absorption, and help your body metabolize and flush out toxins.
• They're not an excuse to drink irresponsibly, but they give me the peace of mind that I won't feel terrible the morning after a fun happy hour or social event.

The morning-after-happy-hour hangover: It's an adulthood rite of passage that creeps up on you and takes you by surprise. Once upon a time, you were able to have a spontaneous night out, crawl into bed past midnight, and wake up feeling fine. Now you have two beers or glasses of wine and stomp grumpily into the office the next day with a nasty headache.

There are a variety of ways you can avoid this reality, from making sure you drink enough water to going to sleep early, but these methods aren't always guaranteed to work. One hangover prevention solution that I've tried and has consistently worked is HangOn chewable tablets.

The HangOn tablet

The idea for a convenient, effective way to prevent hangovers was conceived by two attorneys who were living and working in South Korea, where the work culture tends to involve heavy drinking. They found many of the hangover prevention drinks available in convenience stores there contained dihydromyricetin (DHM), an extract from the Japanese raisin tree that supports alcohol tolerance.

Drinking alcohol suppresses glutamate, a neurotransmitter in the brain. In an attempt to balance out this suppression, your brain produces excess glutamate, which is what leads to headaches and a poor night's sleep. DHM works by limiting that initial suppression of glutamate. So they wanted to figure out how to package DHM, along with other antioxidants and amino acids, into a discreet, portable, and shareable product.

Ultimately, they came up with HangOn, a chewable tablet that tastes like citrus and contains a variety of powerful ingredients to ensure the drinks of tonight don't become the regrets of tomorrow. Here are some of the ingredients in HangOn and what each one does:

• Dihydromyricetin (DHM): Helps body metabolize and flush out toxins
• L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine: Enhances electrolyte absorption
• N-Acetylcysteine: Promotes liver detoxification
• L-Theanine: Reduces histamine release and can improve sleep
• Milk thistle: Supports liver function

How to take HangOn

The tablets come in a pack that resembles that of chewing gum. There are 10 tablets in each pack ($20).

The company recommends taking two tablets at least 30 minutes before you have your first drink. These two tablets should cover up to three alcoholic drinks. For every three additional drinks you have, you should take another two tablets.

Does HangOn really work?

I used HangOn tablets on multiple drinking occasions, and they really did prevent hangovers for a variety of drinks - beer, wine, and cocktails.

From experience, I know how much I need to drink and at what rate for me to wake up with a fuzzy head and an intense appetite for a greasy bacon, egg, and cheese. I was both surprised and very relieved when I woke up with neither of these symptoms. I was also able to sleep more deeply.

These were a major game-changer for midweek happy hours, PR events, and other social events. I like drinking for recreational and business purposes, and HangOn let me enjoy the best of both worlds: the pleasure of drinking, and the clear head and energy to be productive at work the next day. Even for non-work nights, I still took them because it meant I didn't have to waste an entire Sunday morning attempting to recover.

I loved that the tablets were easy to carry around. They fit in small purses, and no one batted an eye when I took them out because they just looked like gum or mints. This design also made them easy to pass around to fellow hangover-prone friends.

However, you may need to write reminders to yourself to take them. I sometimes forgot to take my two pre-drink tablets on time, if at all, and you should still count your drinks to make sure you continue taking the tablets throughout the night.

HangOn tablets aren't a free pass to drink irresponsibly. But if you enjoy drinking and want a reliable way to prevent the dreaded morning after, they're a proven and convenient fix.

Shop hangover prevention tablets for $20/pack (10 tablets) at HangOn