Alcohol myths: True or False?

Submitted byLindsey,

SUNY Geneseo I put these facts on a folded piece of paper (like a horizontal

birthday card) for a fun interactive bulletin board.

Hope the facts are helpful

Alcohol myths: True or False?

Can drinking make you warmer?

FALSE. A swig of alcohol might initially make you feel warmer, but drinking any alcoholic beverage actually lowers your core body temperature. It sends blood to your skin, which will make you feel warm and flushed,

but causes you to lose body heat. You could suffer from hypothermia and not even feel it. Alcohol can also

cause dehydration and impair your judgment, which can make matters even worse.

Do men have a higher tolerance for alcohol than women?

TRUE. Due to physiological differences, a woman will absorb up to 30 percent more alcohol into her

bloodstream than a man of the same height and weight drinking the same amount of alcohol. Compared to

men, women tend to have a higher percentage of body fat, which does not absorb alcohol, and a lower percentage of water, which does -- resulting in a

greater concentration of alcohol in the blood. Men also have a greater quantity of an enzyme in their stomachs

that breaks down alcohol before it enters the

bloodstream.

A beer flood in 1814 killed 9 people.

TRUE. On Oct. 17, 1814, a ruptured tank at the Meux and Company Brewery in London unleashed over

323,000 imperial gallons of beer when one vat gave way, causing others to succumb. It flooded the streets

knocked down walls, flooded basements, and demolished 2 houses and a pub.

Eight people drowned. The ninth died of alcohol poisoning the next day.

Sucking on a penny or putting it under your tongue will help you pass a Breathalyzer test if you've

been drinking.

FALSE. Whoever came up with this idea either had a very weak grasp of science or was playing a joke on someone. There is no truth to the rumor that the copper in a penny will somehow affect the results of a Breathalyzer test. It just doesn't

make any “cents…”

Taking a Cold shower, drinking coffee or going for a run will sober

you up faster.

FALSE. There are no shortcuts to sobriety. No amount of black coffee, cold showers, exercise, or water will

speed up the process. Your body processes alcohol at a constant rate of approximately .015 percent of blood

alcohol content per hour, regardless of gender, weight, height, age, etc. (approximately 1 drink per hour).

Only time will sober you up.

Beer does not have as much alcohol as hard liquor.

FALSE. A 12-ounce bottle of beer has the same amount of alcohol as a standard shot of 80-proof liquor (either straight or in a mixed drink)

or 5 ounces of wine.

Beer Before Liquor, you’ll get sicker.

Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear.

FALSE. If this were true, no one would ever have a bad morning after. The fact is, it doesn't matter what type of liquor you drink, the percentage of alcohol in your

blood, or your blood alcohol content (BAC), is the real factor in how drunk you get. A single serving of beer or wine and a shot of liquor all contain the same amount of alcohol. Too much of any combination

will make you sick.

Alcohol kills brain cells.

FALSE. During the temperance movement, it was often said that alcohol could kill

brain cells. Throughout the decades, this myth has persisted, but scientific research

has shown that the moderate consumption of alcohol is associated with better cognitive skills and memory than

abstaining from alcohol. In other words, moderate drinking actually improves

thinking, reasoning and memory.

People that don’t drink are not totally “alcohol free”.

TRUE. Every person produces alcohol normally in the body 24 hours each and every day from birth until death. Therefore, we

always have alcohol in our bodies.

Girly drinks, or diet drinks don’t actually get you drunk.

FALSE. A study done by Chris Rayner, M.C. from the Royal

Adelaide Hospital in Australia showed that diet drinks could

actually get you more drunk. This is due to the lack of calories in the

drink, which will cause it to empty into your stomach faster, thus

getting you drunk faster.

Champagne makes you more drunk.

TRUE. Champagne bubbles open your pyloric valve through your intestines and move the alcohol

into your bloodstream quicker. The carbon dioxide in the bubbles helps alcohol flow through the

body at an accelerated pace. This in turn helps you get intoxicated

much quicker.

Beer makes you dehydrated.

TRUE. Beer causes you to become bloated, thus not

giving you enough room to stay hydrated. Beer also

causes you to urinate more, thus becoming more

dehydrated.

Alcohol can age your face.

TRUE. Alcohol dehydrates your skin, which causes

wrinkles. While the alcohol is in your body it'll stimulate

water retention, however line formation can come from the

absence of that water.

The more you drink, the greater your tolerance.

TRUE. The more your liver is exposed to alcohol, the harder it works against

it. Your liver can be damaged by alcohol, thus reducing it's ability to breakdown alcohol before it enters

your bloodstream. Long term, a high tolerance, which can be seen by some college students’ as a desired quality can actually lead to alcoholism and

cirrhosis of the liver.

Alcohol is not always bad for your body.

TRUE. In moderation alcohol can help your heart, strengthen your bones and prevent against

osteoporosis, gallstones, ulcers, kidney stones, some cancer, and diabetes. Also, moderate drinkers

tend to have better health and live longer than those who are either abstainers or heavy drinkers.

In addition to having fewer heart attacks and strokes, moderate consumers of alcoholic

beverages (beer, wine or distilled spirits or liquor) are generally less likely to suffer hypertension or high blood pressure, peripheral artery disease,

Alzheimer's disease and the common cold.