The day after drinking: interaction during hangovers among young Norwegian adults

Studies of young people's drinking habits tend to focus on the drinking situation, and ignore the temporal aspects of drinking in general and the day after drinking in particular. Studies of hangovers, on the other hand, tend to ignore the social context in which hangovers are experienced and dealt with. In reply to this empirical hiatus, I explore in this article some social aspects of the interaction between party participants the day after drinking. Through an analysis of the accounts of the social aspects of hangover days given in 10 qualitative interviews with young Norwegian adults, I show that the days after drinking are often organized and experienced as a closure of the party and a physical, emotional, and social return to everyday life.