Humanity has a long history with . Over time, many myths about alcoholic beverages have emerged. Here are just a few of the most common ones that researchers have debunked.
Myth 1: The order of drinking alcoholic beverages matters
Fans of the “green snake” believe that the order in which they consume different alcoholic drinks can prevent quick intoxication and avoid hangovers. However, this theory lacks scientific backing.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (USA) has labeled the importance of the sequence of alcohol consumption as a myth. “In general, the more alcohol a person drinks, the worse the will be. And this does not depend on whether they drink beer, wine, or spirits in a particular order,” experts noted.
Researchers from Witten/Herdecke University (Germany) conducted a study where different groups of participants drank followed by and vice versa. In control groups, participants consumed only one type of drink, as reported by Popular Science. After a series of experiments, the researchers compared the hangover severity across groups. It turned out that the severity of hangovers did not depend on the order of consumption.
Myth 2: Alcohol warms you up
Many people claim to have felt warmth spreading through their bodies after drinking. But this does not mean that alcohol actually warms you up.
Dr. Krishna Vakharia from the UK dedicated one of his studies to the effects of alcohol on body temperature. He assured that while “flushed cheeks, sweating, and hot flashes create a feeling of warmth, the body temperature actually decreases.”
Researchers from the Advanced Research Center in Humanities at Waseda University in Japan reached a similar conclusion: alcohol actually lowers body temperature. Participants in their study consumed alcohol “in a moderately warm room.” The scientists observed that “blood flow to the skin and sweating intensity in the chest area significantly increased within 10 minutes after starting to drink alcohol.”
However, something interesting was noted afterward. “Core body temperature during the alcohol consumption session began to drop 20 minutes after sweating started and ultimately decreased by 0.3 °C,” the researchers stated.
In other words, alcohol releases heat from the body. But this is the very heat we need to retain, especially in cold weather. So, it’s best to find another way to warm up.
Myth 3: Coffee is a sobriety friend
may perk you up, but it doesn’t reduce the effects of alcohol. In a study conducted by Boston University (USA), 127 participants randomly drank one of four types of beer: non-alcoholic, caffeinated or non-caffeinated, and alcoholic, with or without caffeine. They then attempted to operate a driving simulator.
The researchers concluded: “Adding caffeine to alcohol does not improve driving ability, attention, or reaction time.”
Researchers believe that a cup of coffee may provide a slight boost after a few drinks, but it does not mean that a person will sober up. Time is needed for that.
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