Joyful nights bring sorrowful days and a pounding headache -- a queasy stomach and frayed nerves are all classic signs of a night on the town.

Tonight thousands of locals around the Island will `ring out the old and ring in the new' with a `spirited' toast.

And in their attempts to make New Year's Eve 1998 a night to remember, a number of revellers will make a few too many toasts resulting in a night they might not remember and a morning they may never forget.

Family doctor, Dr. Steve Sherwin, said the simplest way to avoid a hangover was to drink in moderation or avoid alcohol altogether.

Old wives' tales, such as building a tolerance to alcohol, can only be taken to a point, he said, and inevitably the bottle will come back to bite you.

Ironically the liver -- which breaks down alcohol in the body -- reacts faster if it is used to a lot of booze, but alcohol builds up in system and if you don't feel terrible at first, you will later, he warns.

"The obvious thing to do before hand is hydrate yourself -- drink lots of fluid.'' And in precise medical detail he described the real causes of the morning-after-the-night-before agony.

The hangover headache is caused by swelling of the blood vessels in the brain, he said.

Dehydration and low blood sugar -- which can cause sweating, flushes, and heart palpitations -- provoked by a few too many drinks also contribute to the throbbing headache.

And he also quashed all traditional folk remedies for getting rid of the booze blues.

Dr. Sherwin said: "There are lots of weird and wonderful things, but it's all BS -- I don't know if any of these things work at all.

"The best thing to do is basically drink lots of fluid -- but it's probably a bit late by then, although water does help flush it out of your system.

"Aspirin or paracetemol will stop the headache,'' he added. "And eating sweet food is probably a good idea because that gets rid of the low blood sugar.'' From the dedicated curer of ills to the man who sees the results of overindulgence first-hand, there's a surprising amount of agreement.

Newstead bartender Alan `Bones' Daniels said the most important thing people could do to avoiding a hangover, prior to drinking, was to eat.

"A good foundation is key,'' he explained. "Eat starchy foods like pasta or bread, and maybe something with a little olive oil.

"The oil will help coat your stomach, but don't eat anything too greasy.

Having the food in your stomach will help soak up the alcohol.'' While consuming alcohol, Mr. Daniels recommended revellers make sure they drink a couple glasses of water.

"The best thing to do is to drink a glass of water after every two drinks of alcohol -- this will dilute the alcohol.

"And after you finish drinking, have a glass of water before you go to bed.'' Mr. Daniels also pointed out that certain drinks could produce meaner hangover than others.

"Avoid sweet drinks,'' he warned. "Juices tend to go sour in the stomach and some juice should not be mixed with each other, for example apple juice and grapefruit juice definitely do not go together.'' "Dark spirits, unlike the clear ones, contain a lot of sugar or molasses which will also make you feel sick the next day. For example Bermuda black rum has a lot of sugar in it which is why it really kicks your butt.'' And Mr. Daniels cautioned merry-makers toasting with champagne to only drink the "good stuff'' if they want to avoid a massive headache on January 1.

"The cheap stuff will give you a ringer of a headache the next day,'' he chuckled. "And if you are drinking wine, be sure to drink water because wine tends to dehydrate.'' Although the veteran bartender said the best way to avoid a hangover was to avoid drinking, he said that if you must drink, do so in moderation and stick to clear alcohol.

"Moderation is the key to avoiding a hangover,'' he added. "The safest drink out there is probably vodka.'' And after all the New Year's merrymaking remember to kick off 1999 in style -- DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE.

CELEBRATE SAFELY Drinking and driving don't mix -- think about it and select a designated driver.

To ease your post-party pain drink lots of water before going to bed. Aspirin also helps with throbbing head but don't look for any miracle hangover remedies -- only time will cure you.