International Hangover Day Date in the current year: August 3, 2024

The term “hangover” refers to a state where a person experiences various unpleasant physiological and psychological effects resulting from the consumption of alcohol. These effects may include headache, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, intense thirst and dry mouth, light sensitivity, lack of appetite due to nausea and irritation of the stomach lining, irritability, and more.

The exact causes of a hangover are unclear, but it is believed to be caused by a combination of factors such as dehydration, accumulation of ethanol metabolites, loss of electrolytes and vitamins, and low blood sugar levels. Since hangovers usually occur after a night of heavy drinking, sleep deprivation often contributes to the symptoms. Hangover symptoms usually occur when alcohol begins to wear off and go away within 24 hours.

Hangovers aren’t fully understood from a medical standpoint, and there is no universally approved hangover cure because healthcare professionals prefer to focus on the prevention and treatment of alcohol abuse. However, there are treatments that normally help to alleviate some of the most common hangover symptoms. For example, ibuprofen helps to relieve headache, and rehydration may relieve symptoms such as dry mouth, thirst, and dizziness.

In addition, there is a whole variety of popular hangover remedies with unsupported efficacy claims. They include “hair of the dog” (short for “hair of the dog that bit you”; consuming a small dose of alcohol), coffee or caffeinated drinks, and hearty and/or greasy food such as thick soup or stew, fried eggs and bacon, fast food, poutine if you’re Canadian, etc.

As we’ve already mentioned, International Hangover Day exists because of International Beer Day that was founded in 2007 by beer lover and bar owner Jesse Avshalomov with the support the California Craft Brewers Association. Sometime after that, someone decided that International Beer Day should be followed by International Hangover Day. International Beer Day is celebrated on the first Friday of August, so International Hangover Day typically falls on the first or sometimes the second Saturday of the month.

How can you celebrate International Hangover Day? If you actually have a hangover after having a few too many beers the night before, try some hangover remedies to figure out which ones are the most effective. We suggest that you try reliable ones first, like painkillers and rehydration, before resorting to exotic hangover cures. If you don’t have a hangover but have a friend who might, reach out and invite them to have a hangover brunch with you (of course, if they’re up to it).

International Hangover Day should not be confused with National Hangover Day. The latter is observed on January 1, when lots of people suffer from hangover after New Year’s celebrations.