The Power of a Hangover
January 2, 2023
Writer: Ryan Hammel
Editor: Chloe Sinel & Maddie Canter
As a typical college student, drinking, mainly on the weekends, but sometimes even during the weekdays, is the norm. Not only is it the norm, but it is expected. What would a weekend at the University of Michigan look like without tequila soda pitchers at Skeeps, waiting in an hour-long line at Ricks, and dancing on an elevated surface at the frats? I’d never know.
I have an interesting relationship with alcohol and drinking, one that comes with extreme(ish?) highs, and extreme lows. I enjoy letting loose, having fun, and going out with my friends; but, as a result, I endure heinously painful hangovers. Nausea, chills, a desire for any and every greasy food, and raging headaches are a few among the many symptoms I tend to experience. I also am incapable of touching any school-related work.
And while an everything bagel toasted with cream cheese serves as an immediate cure while I’m back home in New York, that same, satisfying remedy unfortunately does not exist in the Midwest. I am left seemingly solution-less.
Now, this could be a mental game, because everytime I do drink alcohol, my mindset is one that has already accepted the fate of the following day. Specifically, the fact of succumbing to tomorrow’s monstrosity. I am also no stranger to hangover anxiety (AKA hangxiety). Worries about my unfiltered words and actions from the night before fill me with intense dread and anxiety. The combination of these two draining post-drinking symptoms with the elation and silliness of a night out are what trigger the unpleasant dichotomy of a hangover. So, each week, when Thursday comes around, whether to drink is a constant debate inside of my brain, consuming my thoughts during the second half of the week.
Despite all of my conflicting feelings towards drinking, I choose to acknowledge and highlight the power of a hangover. Life can feel like a constantly running express train with no stops. Because of this, it can feel impossible to slow down, be present, and not worry about the next to-do item listed on our Google Calendars. A hangover gives us a (relatively) valid excuse to do absolutely nothing. After a Thursday night out, my Fridays this semester have typically consisted of waking up, eating breakfast, watching Gilmore Girls, eating lunch, watching Gilmore Girls, eating dinner, watching Gilmore Girls, and going to sleep. And I have no shame in this; in doing absolutely nothing. It feels good, quite honestly. It is the one day a week where I don’t feel obligated or pressured to be productive.
While my relationship with drinking remains unclear, and while I do expect to eventually stop drinking altogether in the future due to the horrendous taste, aftermath, etc, I am still a college student longing for weekend fun after strenuous work-filled weekdays. The aftermath of drinking alcohol, in excess, has obvious negative effects. But, at the same time, we should not feel guilty for taking some time to blow off steam after an overload of academic, professional, and extracurricular obligations. Though a hangover creates a lull in productivity, it is also an opportunity for us to slow down and take the time our body needs to relax and decompress. Therefore, I am adapting my mindset to appreciate what a hangover DOES for me, rather than what it takes away from me.
