Should We Follow Germany’s Definition of Hangovers?
A lot of us have been there. W e go out in the middle of the week, drink a little too much and we wake up the next morning having to go to work with a horrible hangover. Don't you wish being hungover were considered an illness and you could call out of work for it? Well, if you lived in Germany you could.
A case there ended up court because a company that makes an anti-hangover drink was claiming that adding their product to your drink would keep you from having a hangover (which is something you can't do). The court described an illness as "even small or temporary disruptions to the normal state or normal activity of the body." Merriam-Webster describes illness as "an unhealthy condition of the body or mind." So I guess both of those point to ... yes, a hangover is an illness.
But should it be considered an illness you can call out of work for? I mean, as great as it sounds I think if you chose to drink in excess on a work night, you should suffer the consequences in the morning.