Mailbag: Depression, Bad Hangovers, And The Cleveland Browns

WJ Cope6 years ago

Welcome to the TFM Mailbag, wherein I will answer your questions to the best of my ability. Send your questions to [email protected]. No topics are off limits.

Hey Wes,

Sorry to be a downer, but I’m not doing so well. I started school and pledged a fraternity last fall, and it was the best thing I’ve ever done. Fall semester was the greatest, but I’ve been dealing with some shit back home and I’m struggling with grades. I’m still having a lot of great times this semester, but it just doesn’t feel the same. I don’t feel any motivation to go out or do anything fun, and I think everyone is starting to lose interest and get sick of me. I don’t know what to do.

I’m not an expert in mental health (or anything else), but this sounds a lot like depression to me. What you need to do is find out what resources your college has for mental health, and make contact. They should have somebody you can talk to for free, and you’ve got to do this as soon as possible. I dealt with depression in my junior year of school, and it took me several months to admit there was a problem and do something about it. Until you talk to somebody and figure out what’s going on, you’re likely to be stuck in the rut you’re in right now.

Sup fucker,

I’m a junior at Bowling Green, and the boys and I are making bets on who our team (sadly, the Browns) are taking with their first round picks in the draft. Who do you think they’re going to get?

This is the most interesting draft in years, and several factors are at work here. Cleveland owns picks one and four, New England has 23 and 31, Buffalo has 12 and 22, the Giants could be open to moving down…there’s a lot to look at. Mark this down, though: Cleveland will not trade out of the #1 spot. They’ve missed out on too many quarterbacks over the years, and they’re using that pick to nab their guy. Now, who is the guy? Recent reports have suggested they want to take Josh Allen, but I’m sticking to my guns and going with Sam Darnold here.

That leaves pick number four, and this one is a lot harder to figure out. Given that the Browns already picked their quarterback, they might be open to shopping that #4 to another quarterback-needy team. But if they stay, who is their guy? Minkah Fitzpatrick has been mocked to them by a lot of people, but I think that Jalen Ramsey has assured that Minkah won’t be the pick. Wait, what?

Well, Jalen Ramsey is one of the most versatile players to come out in years, and is great at outside corner, slot corner, free safety, and strong/weak safety. Minkah is great too, but he’s not quite the outside corner that Ramsey is. Because of that, I expect him to fall to picks 7-12. Quentin Nelson has also been mocked to Cleveland, but their interior O-line is already really good. My bet is that they’ll go with Bradley Chubb so they can pair him opposite the explosive Myles Garrett.

Sup

What do you recommend for especially bad hangovers?

First of all, you need to listen to your body. When you’re hungover, you tend to spend the morning drifting in and out of consciousness. It’s hard to get good sleep, but it’s even harder to get up and start doing things. The first time you wake up in the morning, you need to chug as much water as you possibly can. Chances are, you’ll wake up again within an hour and have to piss like a racehorse. Re-up on your water supply, rinse, repeat.

When you’re finally ready to take on the day, make the switch to water with lemon. It’s refreshing as hell. Pop a few aspirin, then take a second to evaluate how you’re feeling. If your head is still spinning and you feel like you might be sick, stay home and order some food. If you feel good enough to go outside, round up some friends and take on your hangover together.

Now, conventional wisdom would suggest eating greasy, unhealthy food to fight a hangover, but that has a good chance of slowing down your recovery. Instead, get some relatively healthy fast casual. Chipotle, Freebirds, PotBelly, Firehouse Subs, whatever. By getting food that actually has a good balance of fat, carbs, and protein, you’ll give your body what it needs to get better.

So, what about the old “hair of the dog” treatment? Personally, alcohol is the last thing I want to touch when I’m hungover, but do it if it works for you..

Remember to send any and all questions you have to [email protected].

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