Humans have spent thousands of years searching for a cure for hangovers, but the consequences of heavy drinking remain the same. Anyone who has ever experienced a hangover knows its unpleasant physical and psychological effects: headaches, nausea, self-loathing, and regret. In today's world of smartphones, the embarrassment of recalling drunken behavior from the night before can be even more painful when there's photographic evidence online for everyone to see and judge. The old saying that the best way to avoid a hangover is to not drink too much is not much help to those already suffering. Drinking excessively has been part of human culture for centuries. In Plato’s Symposium, written around 385–370 BC, a drinking party is described where guests discuss love. One guest, Alcibiades, becomes drunk and disruptive, while Socrates drinks heavily without losing his composure or suffering a hangover. Meanwhile, worshippers of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, saw intoxication as a way to reach a higher spiritual state. In the Orphic Hymn 29, a collection of ancient Greek hymns, Dionysus is asked to “give me in blameless plenty to rejoice.” Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that drinking undiluted wine was dangerous and uncivilized. The historian Herodotus wrote that the Spartan king Cleomenes I went mad after drinking undiluted wine with the Scythians, a nomadic people from ancient Siberia known for their fierce reputation. In the Bible, Noah becomes drunk on wine from his vineyard after the flood and is found in a drunken stupor by his son Ham. Noah later curses Ham’s descendants, though biblical scholars have debated exactly what Ham did. Some interpretations suggest it could have been voyeurism or incest. Similarly, in the story of Lot, his drunkenness leads to a situation where his daughters have children with him without his knowledge. Whether Noah or Lot suffered from hangovers is unclear, but Noah’s anger suggests otherwise. Christianity continued the idea that moderate drinking was acceptable, but drunkenness was considered a sin, often linked to gluttony. In medieval Europe, wine was special—used in religious rituals like the Eucharist and as a symbol of status. Only the wealthy could afford to drink heavily. Early modern guides warned about the dangers of drinking too much, but it was often cheap beer and ale, consumed by the poor, that were blamed for drunkenness and disorder. In medieval and early modern England, alehouses were seen as places of vice, as reflected in the 14th-century poem Piers Plowman. The character of Gluttony is lured away from church by a brewer named Betty. In the 16th-century guide A Compendious Regiment, author Andrew Boorde described the effects of drunkenness, noting dulled senses, headaches, and a "malt worm" that caused the world to spin. The term "malt worm" referred to both a type of weevil that infested grain and a slang term for a heavy drinker. Our ancestors may offer some insight for today’s drinkers. Prevention was key, with advice to eat certain foods before drinking, like almonds, cabbage, and even goat lungs. Exercise and sleep were recommended, and vomiting was considered a last resort. Modern science offers little in the way of a reliable hangover cure. A recent study in the journal Addiction found that drugs like tolfenamic acid and clove extract may be worth further research, but the evidence is weak. The idea of a cure for a hangover may be based on the flawed assumption that the damage caused by heavy drinking can be undone. In his book On Drink, published in 1972, author Kingsley Amis explored the physical and emotional effects of a hangover. He suggested that reading or listening to certain books and music could help one emotionally process the experience. Amis believed that feeling worse emotionally before feeling better was necessary to atone for the "sin" of overindulgence. This idea is not far from the medieval concept of mortification, which emphasized suffering as a path to spiritual growth.