Hangovers, Easter and Ancient Rome

OK, today's blog is not for the squeamish.  If you are weak of stomach, you may just want to forget about reading it this week.  So fair warning!

First, have you ever heard of a vomitorium?  Sounds disgusting, doesn't it?  And it was.  Back in the days of the Roman Empire, folks would go to lavish feasts, eat and drink all they could hold, then go to a vomitorium, purge, and be all ready to start all over again with the food and the booze.  Sounds pretty crude, doesn't it?  But that was back then, today we're much more sophisticated.  Or are we?

Just this week I heard about a new service available in Las Vegas--or Sin City as it is sometimes called.  It's called "Hangover Heaven."  Essentially, it is a bus, equipped with various medical supplies and equipment, which prowls the streets of Las Vegas, providing treatments for folks who've had too much to drink.  Overseen by a medical doctor, Hangover Heaven uses IV drips which have been bolstered with vitamins, amino acids and medications to help eliminate the toxins that lead to the ill effects of a hangover.

The "heaven" theme is played to the hilt.  There are two treatments available, the basic package, is known as "Redemption"--the premium package goes for a few dollars more and is called "Salvation."  Payment is required before you are even allowed to board the bus, and no insurance plans are accepted. 

Not only can you get rid of your hangover and be all fresh and ready for another day of overindulgence, you can also buy a souvenir t-shirt.  One of them reads "I Feel Like Jesus on Easter Morning."  Another says "Now If I Could Just Find Herpes Heaven."

I wish I was making this all up.  But I'm not.  I can take a joke--in fact I'm known for having a pretty good sense of humor.  And a bit of irreverence now and then is good for the soul.  But this whole endeavor stoops to new lows.  And what bothers me the most is the vomitorium sort of attitude that it all implies.  Eat, drink and be merry--freshen up a bit--and then do it all over again.  How hopeless can you get?

I don't know how Jesus felt on Easter morning.  But if it was no better than how it feels when you get rid of a hangover, then we're in big trouble!

(If you still don't believe me, the web site is www.hangoverheaven.com)