Go Sober for October has rolled around again and for those of you who have ditched the booze - great work! Reducing your alcohol intake is frequently proven to have numerous health benefits.
For those of you who are still sipping, we’re busting some of the most common alcohol myths.
Beer before liquor, never been sicker, liquor before beer you’re in the clear
It’s a nice rhyme, but sadly that’s where it ends. How much you suffer from a hangover has little to do with the mixing of drinks, but everything to do with quantity of alcohol you consume. Check out the science behind what happens to your body when you get drunk here.
Eating before you go to bed will stop you feeling too bad in the morning
We’ve all done it, grabbed a greasy pizza or kebab on the way home from a heavy night in the hope that it might provide some damage limitation for the following morning. Sadly, the only way food can help you when consuming alcohol is if you consume it before you start drinking as it can slow down the absorption of alcohol. However this isn't to say it prevents it all together, it will just take you longer to get drunk.
Being sick can help you avoid a hangover
This (misplaced) logic suggests that if you vomit after a heavy night then you can get rid of the alcohol that is yet to be digested by the body. However, when we drink alcohol, it gets absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly, so even if there is a small amount of alcohol you manage to get rid of, it’s unlikely to make much of a difference to the severity of your hangover or how drunk you feel.
Unfortunately, when it comes to alcohol, the only way you can avoid feeling awful the next day is by drinking it in moderation or not at all.
What's really important to remember is that alcohol is a drug. Just because it is legal it doesn't mean that, when abused, it can't be just as harmful as any other drugs - the fact that it is legal and so readily available is probably the most dangerous thing about it. We're not suggesting to go completely tee-total, but to always exercise awareness when drinking and don't rely on old wives tales that promise to avoid hangovers.
Want to hear some more interesting facts about alcohol? Check out this great video below from Brit Lab about the science behind why we get hangovers.
