Over the past decade or so, drinking culture has evolved in lockstep with the growing dominance of wellness culture. Young people are drinking less and a growing number of people are dabbling in sobriety . Hangover cures, then, a growing number of which are hitting the market, occupy an interesting middle ground, marketed to both improve our health and enable us to drink without certain consequences.
Dr Nicole Lee, adjunct professor at the National Drug Research Institute agrees that the general population is becoming increasingly aware of the health effects of drinking. But she is wary of products being marketed as hangover cures. Certain remedies, she says, like paracetamol or drinking water, can mask the symptoms of a hangover, but only time can really cure one.
“In my view, these products shouldn’t be allowed to be sold or marketed as hangover cures because there is no such thing,” she says. “The only way you can avoid hangover is to not drink.” Hangover cures are on the rise.
Credit: Bethany Rae Sophie Hood founded Seoul Tonic in 2022 after visiting South Korea, where she found the drinking culture to be similar to that in Australia, with one key exception: hangover drinks. Founder of Seoul Tonic, Sophie Hood. Credit: Nine “They’ve got this hangover relief beverage category where two-thirds of the population will drink some kind anti-inflammatory, liver-detoxifying beverage before they start drinking.
” Modelled after these drinks, her tonics contain Korea.
