Whether we want to admit it or not, alcohol plays a role in our day-to-day life and has become a casual presence in our time out. No matter if you’re a drinker or not, you still have your opinions on alcohol, and it’s very likely that you believe some myths are actual facts. It’s important to know the truth, be it for yourself or your friends who like the occasional alcoholic drink. When it comes to binges, though, that’s a whole other problem.
However, before you’re ready to head out for a night drinking with your friends, you should keep some things in mind. A list of myths about alcohol you might still believe could, one day, make a difference. And this is whether you’re for enjoying a few drinks or firmly against the habit.
10. Beer Before Liquor, Never Been Sicker. Liquor Before Beer, You’re In The Clear
This seems to be a common misconception, a “tip” spread from one person to the other who swears by it. They say that starting out with hard liquors, such as vodka or whiskey, and then slowing it down with beer toward the end will help you to avoid feeling sick. On the other hand, starting with a beer and then slowly switching to harder stuff will prevent you from vomiting, right? Wrong.
FACT: Alcohol is alcohol, and if you do not pace your intake, you will get sick no matter in which order you drink them.
9. Have a Nightcap to Help You Sleep
If you have a difficult time falling asleep, they say that alcohol could offer a helping hand. Be it a finger of whiskey or glass of wine, a drink might just help you rest better. However, studies have shown this to be untrue.
FACT: In spite of common beliefs, studies have shown that alcohol intake before bed disrupts REM sleep (rapid eye movement). It’s a crucial time during the night when our bodies need rest. Alcohol will lower our sleep’s quality.
8. Painkillers Before Drinking Prevent A Hangover
Aspirin or other types of painkillers with ibuprofen are believed to prevent the dreaded hangover after a long night of drinking. The chances are that we have been given this “tip” quite a few times.
FACT: No painkiller is good for our health when we do not need it. Taking a pill without actually being in pain might amp up our tolerance for no reason. That will make the painkiller less effective when we do genuinely need it. This practice should be avoided at all costs, and it will not help at all against hangovers. Think about it, these painkillers produce their effect for between 4 to 6 hours. So, they will not last until morning.
7. Eat After Drinking To Prevent A Hangover
You’ve partied all night and drank your fill. A late night snack is believed to absorb soak up some of that alcohol and perhaps make it a little gentler on you in the morning. Untrue.
FACT: After hours or drinking, the alcohol has already been absorbed, and no amount of calories will alleviate its effects. If you want to witness actual benefits, you need to eat before drinking. It will not prevent you from getting drunk, but it could help the next morning.
6. Puking Will Help You Sober Up
They say that puking after you’ve had a few alcoholic beverages will expel them from your system. It will stop it from being digested and absorbed into your body. And, if you’re lucky, it will also prevent your morning hangover.
FACT: Alcohol absorption starts almost immediately. Puking won’t make that much of a difference since your body has already started processing it. Unless it’s instant, it won’t help.
5. Alcohol Will Make You Better in Bed
Although some still believe that alcohol improves sexual performance, they could not be more wrong. While it might lower inhibitions and increase their self-confidence, it will certainly not help.
FACT: Psychologically and physically, alcohol will reduce your performance and may even present with issues for men. Furthermore, it’s very likely that it will open you up to riskier behavior, such as unprotected sex.
4. “I Can Sober Up If I Have To!”
It’s all good, you will be wide awake in a matter of seconds if you want to. Coffee, a shower, a meal, or whatever belief you have will help you speed up the process. You can even drive after having a coffee! No, you can’t.
FACT: Nothing will speed up that process. Since coffee is a stimulant, it might make you feel like you’re more alert and awake, but you’re not. It’s a perilous myth to believe, considering many of those who do will sit behind the wheel.
3. Alcohol Kills Brain Cells
This is one of the phrases that many people who abstain from drinking like to say with a scolding finger wagging. Given how people act after they’ve knocked back a few, it could be a good assumption that alcohol messes with your brain. A little, but not really.
FACT: Alcohol temporarily impairs your thinking and will slow your neurons’ abilities to convey electrical messages from the brain to your body. That means you will be slower, have poorer coordination, and become unable to walk in straight line. Not to mention the wildly misspelled texts. However, all of these are temporary. It will not cause permanent damage to your brain or kill cells. It should be noted that abuse will lead to other health associated conditions. You won’t get any dumber, though.
2. Mix Alcohol With Energy Drinks To Get Drunk Faster
Pounding a Red Bull with some vodka is bound to make you drunk faster, right? Those aiming for this effect are entirely wrong. They might feel the “higher buzz” due to the chemicals in energy drinks, but there is no chemical process to enhance intoxication.
FACT: You will drink more, though. While alcohol arrives with a certain gust of energy at first, it will slow you down and cause sluggishness eventually. For most people, that’s our body saying “Stop drinking now. You’ve had enough.”. However, if you mix that with an energy drink, your body will not get the message, and you will continue drinking. That can easily lead to downing more beverages and edging further toward abuse.
1. You’re Good As Long As You Keep To One Drink Per Hour
It has been said many times that pacing is important. However, we have also been told that having one drink per hour will give our bodies enough time to process a drink. For a person of average weight, that’s not true.
FACT: It will likely take your body some time closer to two hours to fully process a drink. If not, you will get gradually drunker. One drink per hour for the average person will bring your blood alcohol concentration to 0.8, which means “legally drunk”.
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