Best hangover cure: to abstain

AS a DT (dedicated teetotaller), I read your cures for a hangover with great interest ("How to avoid the holiday babalaas", December 16). Although the cures are as interesting as they are varied, I was surprised that you neglected the sure-fire way to avoid the dreaded babalaas, to wit, don't drink.

This ensures that you can have a good laugh at the antics of those who make asses of themselves, wake up bright-eyed the next morning and still have money in your pocket. One can have much more fun with out drink than with it, as Will Shakespeare said of the demon drink, "It provokes the desire, but takes away the performance".

Derrick Fellows, Port Alfred