So Larry's family recipe was not entirely without merit. It had sugar and protein to wake up my metabolism, plus a little hair of the dog to ease my withdrawal symptoms. But I'd have been better off just to drink less. According to Shoemaker, it might help a little. Drinking on an empty stomach is the most potent way to increase blood alcohol quickly, and the speed of consumption is related to the severity of the hangover.
Shoemaker agrees that alcohol is dehydrating.
Your body is losing more water than it should. He doubts, however, that drinking water before bed will do much good. Most likely, you'll just be going to the bathroom a lot. A wide awake drunk. Concentrations of cogeners are higher in whiskey, rum and brandy than they are in, for example, vodka and gin, which are clear and filtered.