Give . . . wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more. Proverbs 31:6-7

As fun as the times drinking can bring, the aftermath is typically not fun in the lease. The dreaded hangover is known all over the world, and in most cultures. Each culture has their own saying for it, and there are so many rumored “cures” that I had to investigate. A great article on what exactly a hangover is and an explanation for all the remedies for that god awful feeling post drinking is from The New Yorker: A Few Too Many. I really enjoyed this article because it took some of the topics I’ve already covered and put them all into one piece.

I love how the article begins stating how easy a hangover can be avoided altogether by simply not drinking: “It is a preventable malady: don’t drink. Nevertheless, people throughout time have found what seemed to them good reason for recourse to alcohol.” Reasons like relaxation or causing less inhibitions, or trying to make things seem less grim by getting one’s mind off it are examples for why people may seek alcohol even though they know the possible consequences. 

Another great part of this article is explaining what a hangover actually is. It reminds the reader that alcohol is a dangerous compound for the body. When the body breaks down alcohol, it causes toxins to be released, which may be even more toxic to the body than alcohol. To top it all off, if the nausea and body shakes aren’t enough, hangovers also impact the mind. People who are suffering from hangovers aren’t able to focus as well (they may be focusing too much on not throwing up) and have delayed reaction times. The article raised a great question regarding drinking and driving: we all know how dangerous drinking and driving is, but have we ever thought about how dangerous driving with a hangover could be?  

  

The article also includes many “cures” for the hangover that are from multiple cultures and their folklore from ages ago in some instances and how people still use some today. If you find yourself suffering the morning after, try some out for yourself! It’s pretty hard to make yourself feel worse, right?

Though it’s a long article, I really recommend reading through the entire thing because it’s full of so much information but is highly entertaining because it’s presented comically. Definitely made me stop and actually think about what really happens when you drink and wonder if it’s all really that worth it.