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I did some rounds on the internet today trying to find as many myths
about alcohol as I could. Let me be the first to say, there are a lot
of them. Some are plausible, some even I thought were true; but most
are ones that we grow up with thinking are true. Why? Because that's
what adults had told us when we were young. They tried to keep us away
from drinking, at least until we were old enough legally. Well some of
us. It's not their fault though. They were just telling us what they
were told or what they saw in movies.
For the past twenty years,
many studies have been done, and have shown us that these original
thoughts about alcohol consumption are just myth. There might still be
some of these myths that you took for the truth down below. So read
through these, and educate yourself and your friends.
Below is
the most complete list you're going to find in regards to alcohol myths
that would affect you, the drinker. I scoured the internet for hours
finding these myths and debunking them. So read on and pay attention.
They're going to surprise you.
(Editors note: As someone who has
lost a best friend to alcoholism, these facts are not here to encourage
drinking, only to educate you. I have also written an article on the
dangers of drinking and alcoholism. Please read it as well.)
1. MYTH
Men and women of the same height and weight can drink the same.
FACT
Gender has nothing to do with getting more drunk or not. It's all about
your body structure. Granted, it has been proven that people with a
higher proportion of fat to lean muscle have a lower percentage of body
water which gives the alcohol a stronger effect; and women tend to have
slightly higher fat to lean muscle proportions.
Women are
affected more rapidly because they tend to have a slightly higher
proportion of fat to lean muscle tissue, thus concentrating alcohol a
little more easily in their lower percentage of body water. They also
have less of an enzyme (dehydrogenase) that metabolizes or breaks down
alcohol, 9 and hormonal changes during their menstrual cycle might also
affect alcohol absorption to some degree.
2. MYTH
Coffee, cold showers, workouts and food help to sober you up a lot faster.
FACT
I think this is a myth because you always see people in the movies
drinking coffee to sober up or someone pushing another person into the
shower and turning on the cold water.
- Although coffee tastes
great the next morning, this myth has absolutely no backing. There is
no way to sober up fast. The alcohol leaves your body at .015 BAC an
hour.
- Cold showers may seem to work because the cold water
restricts the blood flow. However, you will still be as drunk as you
were, and you still have the same alcohol in your system, so you will
actually take longer to sober up.
- Working out is just a really
bad idea for so many reasons. Yes you would be sweating more and
increasing your blood flow, it is very dangerous because you are
already de-hydrated from drinking. This will cause your body to
overheat. Heating your body up in this manner could do some serious
damage to your internal organs. Plus, running drunk is just not a good
idea.
3. MYTH
Drinking only beer instead of alcohol will not get you as drunk
FACT
While this seems to be proven true, the reality is that people who
choose to drink "spirits" can ingest more and in a shorter amount of
time. While someone who drinks a beer may take a considerable amount
longer; with wine usually taking the longest to drink because a person
most often takes their time and sips a glass of wine. There are also
different feelings of drunkeness that come from drinking different
types of alcohol. Which is another reason people feel that liquor gets
them more drunk. Below you can see the different amount of alcohol, but
these are all equal. So three shots of liquor will give you the same
BAC (blood alcohol level) as three glasses of wine.
1. One can is 12 ounces of regular beer
2. A glass of wine is 5 ounces
3. A shot of liquor is one and a half ounces of 80 proof distilled spirits, either straight or in a mixed drink
4. MYTH
A beer belly is caused by drinking beer.
FACT
A "beer belly" is only caused by eating too much. However, alcohol has
been known to slow down the fat burning process. This would lead people
to think that alcohol is making them fatter. There are also myths that
beer bellies are the result of a fatty or enlarged liver. "While
excessive consumption of any alcohol can lead to fatty liver or even
irreversible liver damage, this does not cause the fatty paunch
associated with a beer belly. While being obese or overweight has its
own health risks, neither is indicative of damage to the liver. -
Global Oneness"
5. MYTH
Alcohol is the cause of alcoholism.
FACT
As a governmental alcohol agency has explained, "Alcohol no more causes
alcoholism than sugar causes diabetes." The agency points out that if
alcohol caused alcoholism then all drinkers would be alcoholics. In
fact, a belief common among members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is
that people are born alcoholic and are not caused to be alcoholic by
alcohol or anything in their experience. They argue that many people
are born and die alcoholic without ever having had a sip of alcohol. Of
course, a person can't be a drinking or practicing alcoholic without
alcohol.
6. MYTH
Beer before liquor, never been sicker; Liquor before beer, you're in the clear
TRUTH
The only fact this saying holds true to is that it rhymes. While some
people will swear up and down that this is true, it holds no scientific
fact. I myself can drink either way and feel just the same time after
time. There could be many reasons for people feeling ill after drinking
beer prior to liquor. My thought is that when people start with beer
and are already intoxicated, they tend to drink liquor more
irresponsibly. Thereby ingesting more liquor than they should. until
they are eventually so sick that this rhyme applies to them. Also, when
people start off drinking liquor, the are taking the amount of alcohol
that they are comfortable with, and finish the night off slowly
drinking beer. I say slowly, because the more drunk people get, the
more they tend to not pay attention to their drinks. Which leads to
less ingestion of the beer that they have in their hand....which is now
a very warm beer.
7. MYTH
Alcohol makes sex better.
TRUTH
Alcohol does lower your inhibitions in a social situation and makes
many things seem more enjoyable. However, the reality is that alcohol
can actually keep men from getting or keeping an erection while helping
lower a woman's sex drive. More importantly, alcohol can affect your
decision-making ability. You might put yourself in a risky situation;
you might think you're ready to have sex when you're not or you might
forget to use a condom - which can result in pregnancy and/or
contracting a sexually transmitted disease.
8. MYTH
When I drink too much, the worst thing that can happen is I pass out.
TRUTH
This is horribly untrue. When you drink alcohol in excess, it can lead
to alcohol poisoning which can cause death. Also, drinking excessive
alcohol can cause vomiting, which is the first signs of your body being
poisoned. What people fail to realize, is that your body treats alcohol
as a poison, which it is. Even at the first sip, your body is trying to
rid yourself of that poison. The reason you get drunk, is because you
are ingesting too much alcohol for your liver and kidneys to de-toxify.
When drunk and unconscious, a person may inhale fluids that have been
vomited, resulting in death by asphyxiation. Long-term, heavy use of
alcohol can lead to addiction (alcoholism), and can even cause a heart
attack or stroke.
These are signs of alcohol poisoning:
- Mental confusion, stupor, coma, or person cannot be roused.
- Vomiting.
- Seizures.
- Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute).
- Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths).
- Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness.
So
we've come to the end of the list that I made. I tried to find ones
that affected people like you and me. There are a out of myths out
there, but I believe these are the most common ones that can attribute
to a better (and safer) drinking nightlife. Remember, you don't have to
"get trashed" to have a good. So drink responsibly, and educate your
friends about these common myths and the truths behind them.
Ryan
Kent-Temple is a webmaster and designer who has much experience when it
comes to the dangers of alcohol. With the loss of a best friend to
alcoholism, he intends to help others realize the risks of excessive
drinking and trying to help educate others to drink responsibly. |
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