Semantics of a Hangover

A hangover can be a difficult thing to describe. It can be viewed as terrible, with neutrality, or even as a rewarding experience.

Hangovers differ for all people but generally include some feeling of dread that manifests itself physically. Common symptoms are headaches and nausea, each experienced to varying degrees. Symptoms experienced can even change over time. My own experience will serve as an example. When I first began drinking I used to get massive headaches and nausea the morning after. Over the past five years, this has evolved to merely encompass the nausea. Hangovers also depend on what you drank and how much of it. However, the general rule still applies to the individual.

Some meet hangovers with alarming neutrality. This is the type of person who epic-drinks all night long and wakes up in the morning capable (although not necessarily willing) to do it all again. The iron-clad rules above seemingly don't apply to this legend among men.

One may wonder how a terrible thing such as a hangover could be rewarding. The answer lies not in the state itself but in its aftermath. There is something to be said for waking up feeling so bad and negative, and then later on in the day, pulling through it and feeling great again. As long as your hangover is not too epic, this feeling could apply. And when it does you feel like you're walking on clouds with a pez dispenser, shooting pez at little kids and making them happy. You will suddenly love everyone and everything just because you no longer feel that your body is eating itself from the inside. On somewhat of a different note, there is a clarity gained from remembering the experience. It has the power to change your perception, knowing how fickle one's view of life can be.

Hangovers are complex and there are many factors to consider when describing them. They can be bad, neutal, or good depending on your perception and constitution. Hangovers should be respected and we would be unwise to draw conclusions about an individual one without considering these myriad factors.