1. The Myth: Eating before bed will reduce hangover.
Most of us have taken a drunken 3-am journey to the local pizza shop with a hankering for greasy, cheesy goodness. Comforting as it is, those slices will do very little to sober you up or reduce the severity of those hangover pains.
The Fact: By the time that pizza hits the stomach, the alcohol consumed has already been absorbed into your system. Greasy food won’t help your liver metabolize the alcohol any faster. In fact, the combination of alcohol and greasy food can actually contribute to acid reflux, meaning you’ll feel even worse in the morning. If you want food to help slow down alcohol absorption, consume a snack or a meal before you start drinking (But don’t take this as free license to binge-drink.).
2. The Myth: Mixing alcohol with energy drinks makes you drunker.
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. One exception? Mixing alcohol with diet soda may actually increase intoxication (but in this case it’s the lack of sugar, not the caffeine content, that has an effect). While for the most part drinking too much can’t be blamed solely on Red Bull, it’s best to steer clear of this combo to stay aware of your limits and to avoid any possible negative effects caused by drinking too much alcohol or too much caffeine.
3. The Myth: Older wine is better.
The year on the label must mean something, right? Aged wine is perceived as more complex in flavour, 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.
4. The Myth: Dark beer is higher in alcohol than light beer.
Dark beers just look like they’re thicker, fuller in taste, and higher in carbs and calories. Many also assume blacker beers, like porters and ales, are higher in alcohol.
The Fact: While many “light” beers are in fact lighter in hue, colour is not the sole indicator of a light-bodied, lower-calorie brew. Beer’s colour 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 flavour and alcohol content, ask your bartender or beer distributor.
5. The Myth: Alcohol kills brain cells.
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.
6. The Myth: Eating a big meal before drinking will help keep you sober.
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.
7. The Myth: Taking Aspirin or ibuprofen before heavy drinking can reduce hangover effects.
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.