Evening experiences versus drinking indicators as predictors of hangover on a summer holiday

Little is known about predictors of hangover symptoms. The subjective experience of the "night out" may influence the experience of hangover symptoms. We conducted a survey of 325 young men and women at a vacation resort during the daytime, administering subjects the Acute Hangover Scale (AHS) and asking questions about drinking and behaviors the night before. Half of the subjects reported feeling hangover symptoms on a single item relating to hangovers in general, but 73% scored above 1 on the full AHS. Several variables correlated with AHS, but in multivariate analyses, only variables associated with drunkenness the night before (having been more drunk than intended and still feeling intoxicated) and number of days spent in the resort were associated with AHS. Future studies should work on developing standardized definitions of hangover that can be used to study the phenomenon further.