Myths & Facts About Alcohol
Mixing alcohol with energy drinks makes you drunker
The Myth: It’s easy to interpret the combination of an alcohol-induced buzz and an energy rush from caffeine as a higher level of “drunk.” But energy drinks don’t actually enhance the relaxed and sociable feeling caused by a few drinks. Instead, caffeine masks the sedative effects of alcohol that often cue people to stop drinking . As a result, people are tricked into thinking they have more energy than they actually do, which can push them to continue drinking (and potentially lead to negative consequences such as getting too drunk or having a terrible hangover the next day)
The Fact: Energy drinks alter the perception of how intoxicated we really are, but have no direct effect on how those shots hit us.
Darker alcohols are always healthier.
The Myth: Darker beers and wines generally have more antioxidants than light beer and white wine (the darker hues are thought to signify higher flavanoid content in beers and higher polyphenol content in wines). This means that most people conclude that, while these options are sometimes slightly higher in calories, they pack more nutritional value and are therefore inherently healthier than their paler friends.
The Fact: While darker alcohols may contain more antioxidants, they can also contain more cogeners—toxic chemicals created during the fermentation process—which can worsen hangovers (this goes for beer, wine, rum, whiskey, gold tequila, and pretty much any drink with a darkish hue). If you need to avoid feeling sluggish the next day, switch out some of those darker drinks for lighter versions.
Dark beer is higher in alcohol than light beer
The Myth: Dark beers just look like they’re thicker, fuller in taste, and higher in carbs and calories. Many also assume blacker brews, like porters and ales, are higher in alcohol.
The Fact: While many “light” beers are in fact lighter in hue, color is not the sole indicator of a light-bodied, lower-calorie brew. Beer’s color depends on the type of grain it was made from. Some dark beers, like stout, are actually lower in both alcohol and calories than their paler cousins. To be certain about a beer’s true flavor and alcohol content, ask your bartender or beer distributor
Puking helps you sober up and prevents hangovers
The Myth: Puking helps you sober up and prevents hangovers. Theoretically, tetting rid of alcohol that hasn’t yet been digested (read: vomiting) means it won’t be absorbed by the body and can’t contribute to tomorrow morning’s headache.
The Fact: Alcohol absorption into the bloodstream begins almost immediately, so getting rid of the likely small amount in vomit probably won’t make much of a difference—if you’re already at that point, there’s likely already too much alcohol in the body's system to escape that hangover the next day.
Coffee and a cold shower will sober you up
The Myth: Coffee and a cold shower will sober you up.
Jolting and brisk: It’s easy to think that this combo will banish sleepiness and reduce the effects of alcohol, but the wake-up call treats only the symptoms—not the cause—of fatigue brought on by a late night of drinking.
Jolting and brisk: It’s easy to think that this combo will banish sleepiness and reduce the effects of alcohol, but the wake-up call treats only the symptoms—not the cause—of fatigue brought on by a late night of drinking.
The Fact: A human liver can process about one standard drink every hour(That’s 1.5 oz of hard liquor, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer.) Coffee or a dunk in a brisk shower might wake you up a little, but it wont speed up the process of eliminating the bad stuff from your system. Time is (unfortunately) the only cure.
Eating a big meal before drinking will help keep you sober.
The Myth: Yes and no. Eating before drinking can slow the absorption of alcohol by the body, but it can’t prevent you from getting drunk.
The Fact: The body begins absorbing alcohol through the stomach lining and small intestine, so if your tummy is full of food, it will take longer for the buzz to sink in. This may delay feeling drunk, but it won’t stop it completely. Eventually, the stomach will empty from dinner and alcohol absorption will pick up again. Drinking on an empty stomach is never a good idea, but eating beforehand isn’t a free pass to pound shots, either. As with so many things when it comes to health, moderation is key.
Beer is a good workout recovery drink
The Myth: Some research has suggested that beer can rehydrate athletes better than water for three key reasons: one, that beer’s vitamins and minerals offer health benefits that water doesn’t have; two, that the carbonation helps quench thirst; and, three, that the carbs help replenish energy stores.
The Fact: In that one study, researchers saw only a slightrehydration benefit over water in the athletes they tested. Sports drinks containing sugars, salt, and potassium can similarly rehydrate an exhausted body without the negative side effects of alcohol. Plus, alcohol's effect on the liver and pancreas causes oxygen to leave the bloodstream more quickly, which inhibits the transport of digestive enzymes and essential nutrients through the body. This slows muscle growth and repair and impairs the metabolism of carbs for energy (Not exactly what the body needs in the middle of a long run or lifting sesh...).
Taking Aspirin or ibuprofen before heavy drinking can reduce hangover effects
The Myth: It's a nice thought: Taking a pill now will help prevent feeling awful in the morning. But while those preemptive efforts to stave off a thudding headache may seem wise, ultimately they don’t pay off.
The Fact: Taking painkillers before pain sets in won’t help—the med’s power will wear off before that headache comes on. A word of caution: Absolutely do not take aspirin or ibuprofen while still drinking. The painkillers can erode the stomach lining, which, coupled with the stomach irritants in alcohol, can cause liver inflammation and allow more alcohol into the bloodstream, resulting in potential liver damage and a higher-than-normal Blood Alcohol Content (Talk about counterproductive!). Taking ibuprofen or another pain reliever the morning after, however, can help relieve temporary pains.
Alcohol kills brain cells
The Myth: This is an easy assumption to make if you're observing the often less-than-wise behavior that can result from knocking back a few too many. But an average night of drinking won’t lead to any long-term brain damage.
The Fact: It may impair your thinking, but alcohol doesn’t permanently destroy brain cells. It damages dendrites, which are the little feelers on neurons that convey electrical messages from your brain to your body. Neurons are the cells that act as communicators, triggering motor responses to physical stimuli. For example, if you touch something hot, neurons carry the message from your nerves to your brain, which send the return message to your arm to move your hand off the stove. Dendrite damage interferes with those messages, which can account for all those poorly spelled texts and inability to walk in a straight line (But the effects are not permanent.) That being said, it's important to note that persistent alcohol abuse can indirectly contribute to lasting defects, since alcoholism is often accompanied by other poor health habits like poor nutrition. Overuse of alcohol combined with a lack of nutrients can lead to memory lapses and problems with motor coordination.
Older wine is better
The Myth: The year on the label must mean something, right? Aged wine is perceived as more complex in flavor, more expensive, and of a higher quality. So it must be better to let any bottle sit around for a while before uncorking it.
The Fact: It depends on the type of wine. Some are meant to be consumed within one year of production and don’t get any better after time, while others are intended to be stored in a wine cellar for a few years to reach their peak quality. Unfortunately, a wine that sits past its intended expiration date does not get any more impressive with time. In fact, wine’s antioxidant content might actually decrease as it ages.
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