Who Creates Our Content

Hangoverstan is primarily written by John Herwick — the site’s founder. John spent over two decades as a Marine Corps officer, with ten years as an enlisted Marine before that. He’s not a doctor or pharmacist, and he doesn’t pretend to be.

What he brings is a research-driven mindset, firsthand experience with the subject matter (past tense), and a commitment to being straight with readers. Every article reflects genuine investigation — not content farmed out for clicks.

Where content draws on external expertise, those sources are cited. John’s personal experience is noted as such and kept separate from scientific claims.

How We Research

Every article starts with a research phase before a word is written. That means reviewing peer-reviewed studies, checking established medical sources, and identifying what the existing content gets right — and wrong.

Sources We Rely On

We prioritize the following source types for health and science claims:

• Peer-reviewed research published in reputable scientific and medical journals
• Recognized medical institutions such as the NIH, CDC, and Mayo Clinic
• Government health agencies including the FDA and NIAAA
• Qualified expert opinion where credentials and context are clearly established

We link to primary sources wherever possible. If a claim can’t be sourced to something credible, it doesn’t go in the article.

What We Won’t Do

We don’t cite Reddit threads, unverified forums, or manufacturer marketing copy as evidence. We don’t repeat popular hangover myths just because they’re widely believed. If the science doesn’t support something, we say so — even if it’s a popular remedy.

Editorial Independence

Hangoverstan participates in affiliate programs, including Amazon Associates. That means we earn a commission when readers purchase products through our links. We want to be completely transparent about that.

What it doesn’t mean is that our recommendations are for sale. Topics are chosen based on what readers actually need to know — not what generates the best commission. Product rankings reflect our honest assessment of effectiveness, ingredient quality, and value. A product with a lower commission rate gets the top spot if it’s genuinely the better choice.

See our Affiliate Disclosure for the full breakdown of how affiliate relationships work on this site.

Responsible Alcohol Content

This site covers drinking — and we try to do that responsibly. A few principles we hold ourselves to:

• We never frame daily or heavy drinking as normal, manageable, or aspirational
• We don’t position hangover supplements as a solution to alcohol dependency
• We avoid humor that romanticizes blackout drinking or drinking to cope with stress or emotions
• We frame prevention and recovery strategies around planned social occasions — not daily damage control
• We include dependency resources where relevant, because we take that seriously

Accuracy and Updates

Hangover science is an active area of research. What’s well-supported today may be refined or revised as new studies emerge. We review our content periodically to keep it current.

When we update an article, the “Last Updated” date at the bottom reflects that. When we correct a factual error, we note what changed and why. We don’t quietly edit articles and pretend they were always right — that’s not how trust works.

If you spot something that looks wrong, please reach out. We’d rather fix it than defend it.

Corrections Policy

Errors happen. When they do, we correct them promptly and transparently. Our standard is:

• Factual errors are corrected as soon as they’re identified and verified
• A correction notice is added explaining what changed
• The “Last Updated” date is revised to reflect the change
• Significant corrections are noted visibly within the article

Writing and Readability Standards

We write for adults who want real information without a lecture. That means plain language, short sentences, and no jargon unless we explain it first. We aim for a reading level accessible to anyone with a high school education.

We also try to make the content worth reading — not just worth skimming. Hangovers are a miserable topic. If we can make the information engaging without sacrificing accuracy, that’s the goal.