Last night, Hubs and I went to a concert with some close friends, a rollicking good time. Since my friend was kind enough to serve as the designated driver, I overindulged a bit at the bar. More than a bit, to be honest — though not entirely my fault. Long story.  Anyway, there’s something about a concert under the stars and a babysitter with no curfew that sets a girl free, you know?

So this morning, I began thinking about hangovers. 🙂

I don’t drink much these days, certainly not enough to experience a painful morning after. A glass of wine (or two) at dinner or a beer (or two) at a ballgame is about it. Not like, say, in college or in my early 20’s when I traveled around Europe and went to graduate school with some friends and classmates who could’ve passed for fish. Now that I can see 40 coming in a couple of years, I’ve found that hangovers are quite a different animal.

Early 20’s hangover: “Oh, man, I was so wasted last night. I stopped counting after we had that third round of shots and fifth pitcher of beer.”

Late 30’s hangover: “I think I got a little over-served last night. I should not have had that second cocktail.”

Early 20’s”: “This is really bad, it’ll take a greasy breakfast and at least 3 hours of extra sleep before I’m feeling like myself again.”

Late 30’s: “I can’t handle the grease today, and I won’t get any extra sleep. I should feel like myself again by late Tuesday.”

Early 20’s: “Ugh. My head is killing me. I wish the people down the hall could get those kids to quiet down.”

Late 30’s: “Ugh. My head is killing me. I wish the child currently sitting on it would stop screaming and that someone would change his diaper.”

Early 20’s: “I am never going to drink like that again. Next weekend I’ll just abstain.”

Late 30’s: “I know better than to say I will never do this again. By the time I get another night out away from the kids, I will have conveniently forgotten how I feel today, or else I will decide that it’s worth it for a pitcher of margaritas.”

MJ Pullen

M.J. Pullen is a distracted writer and the mom of two boys in Roswell, Georgia, where she is absolutely late for something important right now. Her books include quirky romantic comedies and playful women's fiction. She blogs erratically with writing advice, random observations, and reflections on raising very loud kids and dogs. Join her Distracted Readers newsletter list for updates, free content, giveaways and more.