Myths about alcohol and what's up to them

Myths about alcohol and what's up to them

02/11/2015

Coffee helps to sober up and mixed drinks are less drunk than schnapps. What about such myths about alcohol? An expert clarifies. One thing is for sure: too much alcohol is unhealthy.

Expert clears up myths about alcohol
Is it true that coffee helps to sober up? And what about the claim that mixed drinks are less drunk than schnapps? There are many more adventurous theories about how drunks can supposedly save themselves from a total crash, such as often going to the bathroom or eating bread. Gabriele Bartsch from the German main office for addiction questions (DHS) explains in a message of the news agency dpa that actually none of this really works. The expert gives an overview of five myths and their truth content.

Bread absorbs the alcohol?
There are people who think bread absorbs the alcohol. That's not true. As Bartsch explains, the alcohol gets from the stomach into the bloodstream and there a little bit of bread can do little. However, alcohol is more compatible with food, as you usually drink more slowly. In addition, alcohol gets into your blood more slowly if you consume protein-rich and high-fat foods before drinking. As a result, the effect of alcohol occurs more slowly. This was recently stated by the director of the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), Elisabeth Pott, on the occasion of the upcoming carnival. She pleaded for a responsible use of alcohol.

Mixed drinks often barely taste like alcohol
Myth number two, which Frau Bartsch discusses, is that one supposedly becomes sober with coffee. She explains that while coffee and energy drinks help speed up your pulse, you may feel fitter. But the alcohol content in the blood does not lower these drinks. To the next statement: Mixed drinks do not make as drunk as schnapps, explains the expert: „The body is not interested in the packaging, but only what matters to alcohol.“ But as you take less liquid with schnapps and feel more fit in the stomach, there is a greater risk of drinking too much. On the other hand, mixed drinks often barely taste like alcohol and are therefore underestimated in their effect.

Heavy people tolerate more
Then Bartsch comes to a myth, to which she agrees: people who weigh more, tolerate more. However, according to the expert, this does not mean that heavy people can drink without hesitation. How the body tolerates alcohol, depends on other factors, such as personal well-being, habituation and food. The fifth myth: Excess alcohol is excreted in the urine, but it does not agree. Bartsch explains that it is similar to bread. Before the drinks end up in the bladder, the alcohol already enters the bloodstream. So only one thing helps: drink less.

Regular consumption of alcohol damages your health
Many experts see that as well. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE), for example, points out that regular consumption of alcohol impairs muscle performance, damages nerves and organs, and promotes the development of overweight or obesity, as well as mental disorders and cancer. Physicians also point out that the many drinking the risk of fatty liver or gastritis increases. It also increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack. (Ad)