As long as there has been alcohol, there have been hangovers — and yet there has been no cure. Though there’s no lack of morning-after tips, we don’t have a pill or drink that can instantly reduce those telltale symptoms of nausea and exhaustion.
Journalist Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall set out to investigate why and the result is Hung Over: The Morning After and One Man’s Quest for a Cure (out now from Penguin Random House). The Verge spoke to Bishop-Stall about the cultural history of hangovers, why your hangover is not the same as mine, and what’s keeping us from that cure.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
I assume that hangovers have been happening as long as we’ve had alcohol. What’s the first cultural reference to a...