"
Pokhmelye, the
Russian hangover, is not an unpleasant after-effect of
drinking, but an accepted and important part of the drinking process - a half or third-way
stage, a significant marker. On reaching pokhmelye, the
dedicated drinker does not stop drinking; he merely pauses. Allowing the alcohol to settle in his
bloodstream. Steadying that part of his being which is still known in this country as the soul. Then he presses on. The verb
pokhmelitsa ('to have a hangover') does not mean to resort to the
Alka-Seltzer. It means - and
we should be quite clear about this - to reach for another drink."
-from a website named 'The Other St. Petersburg', a more practical city guide to that noble place. I hope to one day achieve this state.