Effective hangover remedies: Do they increase alcohol consumption?

Purpose: It has been argued that the lack of an effective hangover treatment is a blessing, as hangovers may prevent future alcohol abuse. However, there is ample scientific evidence to support this idea. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate whether social drinkers (a) would be interested in buying an effective hangover treatment, and (b) whether using this treatment would increase their alcohol consumption. Methods: An online survey was held among Dutch students, aged 18-30 years old. Subjects were asked (a) whether they would buy an effective hangover treatment if it was available, and (b) whether they would consume more alcohol if they would use such a treatment. In a follow-up survey, subjects could motivate why they would or would not consume more alcohol. Results: N = 1837 subjects (50.4% men) completed the survey. A majority of 69.9% said they would buy an effective hangover treatment when available, whereas 8.1%answered 'no', and 22.0% did not know. A majority of 71.6%stated using such a treatment would not increase their alcohol consumption, 13.4%stated that it would increase their alcohol consumption, and 15.1%did not know. Reasons for not drinking m ore alcohol were “The risk of having a hangover does not influencemy drinking behavior” (24.2%), and “alcohol is a harmful substance” (20.3%). Reasons for drinking more alcohol were “I currently drink less alcohol because of the risk of having an alcohol hangover” (57.8%), and “I currently drink less alcohol because the hangover reduces my productivity” (28.9%). Conclusion: Most students were interested in buying an effective hangover treatment. The majority of them stated that using such a product would not increase their alcohol consumption.