15 Common Drinking Myths Debunked
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When it comes to alcohol, everyone's an expert, aren't they? They start as soon as the first drink is poured: spouting dubious statistics, recalling horror stories, and moralizing about what you should and should not do while drinking. There are more myths, fables, and tall tales surrounding alcohol than almost any other subject - and hearing them recited everywhere drinks are served is pretty irritating. So today, we'll debunk 15 booze myths you can safely ignore whenever and wherever they are told.

 

Myth #1: "Beer before liquor makes you sicker."

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This myth has become a proverb of drinking, offered as a ghastly warning whenever someone dares to enjoy vodka or jager after downing a few beers. Arguing with them triggers an avalanche of stories about "what happened to so and so's brother up at college" or how you "should've been here when Jimmy did that last week." But despite these stories and warnings, it's just flat-out not true! While it is generally smart to avoid mixing drinks, nutritionists have stated time and time again that doing so is no guarantee of getting sick.

Myth #2: "Being drunk improves your sex drive."

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No, it doesn't. While you might be saying. "I really do want to have sex more when I'm drunk!" But here's what's actually going on: alcohol lowers your inhibitions about having sex. If you are normally too shy to aggressively hit on girls, drinking will kill those fears and unleash a skirt-chasing side of you that does not exist when you are sober. Unfortunately, being drunk makes it harder for you to - ahem, perform - when your newfound confidence lands you in bed with a woman.

 

Myth #3: "Drinking kills your brain cells."

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This myth is an old one, originating from the same people who said that having alcohol in your bloodstream could make you catch fire and burn alive. And until recently, it was never actually challenged. The fact that it scared people from drinking seemed to matter more than whether it was true. But according to modern science, the opposite is true. Far from killing your brain cells, moderate alcohol consumption has actually been shown to improve cognitive functioning and help preserve the brain's capabilities into old age.

 

(Obviously, this is not an endorsement of binge drinking or alcoholism. Overdoing it probably wont do your brain any favors, but there is no chance of last night's beer pong tournament dragging down your grades.)

 

Myth #4: "You're going to get a beer belly!"

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For as long as beer has been sold, it has been blamed for making drinkers fat. But like our last myth, science has put this one to bed. According to the BBC, British scientists surveyed roughly 2,000 Czech Republic drunks (widely known as some of the heaviest drinkers on Earth), and saw "no link between the amount of beer they drink and the size of their stomachs." Instead, scientists suggest that people with "beer bellies" may be genetically predisposed to becoming fat. So if you have one, it's either because of that or because you could stand to do some crunches once in a while.

 

Myth #5: "Youth drinking is on the rise in America."

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The next time your parents complain about "all the young people drinking today", tell them this: the number 12-17 year olds who drank alcohol in the previous month dropped over 30% between 1979 and 1998. There has not been any significant rise since then, and the only reason people think otherwise is because the media obsesses over every youth drinking story it finds. Repeat something often enough, and sooner or later most people will believe it's true.

 

Myth #6: "Men and women of equal height can drink the same amount."

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We're all for equality of the sexes, but women simply cannot handle as much alcohol as men. They have less of the dehydrogenase enzyme (responsible for breaking down alcohol in the bloodstream), and the hormonal changes during "that time of the month" are known to affect alcohol absorption as well. (Big surprise there!)

 

Myth #7: "Drink often enough and you'll get addicted."

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The truth is that who does the drinking is more important than how much they drink. Most scientists now believe that people have (or don't have) addictive personalities, comprised of traits like impulsive behavior, low frustration tolerance, and chronic high stress. That's why it's no surprise when alcoholics are also gambling or drug addicts - their personality predisposed them to abusing those things, too. So unless you find yourself drinking to get through tough times, don't stress about it.

 

Myth #8: "Coffee will sober you up."

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Everyone has their own pet theory on how to sober up in a hurry. Drinking coffee is the most common. The basic idea is that since alcohol is a depressant and coffee is a stimulant, the two will cancel each other out and return you to some kind of normal state. Too bad it doesn't work. You'll be wide awake, but you'll still be drunk .

 

Myth #9: "Someone who passes out drunk just needs to sleep."

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Remember John Bonham? He's the Led Zeppelin drummer who choked to death on his own vomit while asleep. Why didn't the vomiting wake him? Because when you're so drunk that you lose consciousness, normal discomforts aren't enough to stir you out of your sleep. So instead of pouring out of your mouth, vomit sinks into your lungs and drowns you as if you were underwater. Unless you want this to happen, keep the unconscious drunk upright (or bring him/her to the hospital - they might have alcohol poisoning.)

 

Myth #10: "Asprin can prevent hangovers."

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This myth is the exact opposite of the truth. According an American Medical Association study, taking aspirin will actually make your body metabolize alcohol slower, thereby increasing the amount of it in your blood and prolonging the undesirable effects (like hangovers) of drinking. As Cracked.com says:

"First of all, what kind of magical fucking aspirin are you taking that has the tenacity to still be fighting a headache well into the morning? It's not methamphetamine. Even if popping an aspirin before drinking did do anything to fight a hangover, its powers would have run their course well before you needed help."

 

Myth #11: "Beer is less intoxicating than other drinks."

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Beer drinkers like to say that they "only drink beer", as if that gives them some kind of moral high ground over people who like mixed drinks. But here's the truth: beer is just as intoxicating as other drinks. A 12 ounce can of beer, a 4 ounce glass of wine, and any typical mixed drink have the same amount of alcohol in them, and are equivalent no matter how differently people perceive them. So tell your smug beer-drinking friends to give up the holier than thou attitude!

 

Myth #12: "Alcohol warms you up."

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Countless people have reported feeling warmer after they threw back a few drinks. So how could this possibly be a myth? Simple - the warmth is just an illusion. Drinking makes blood rise up to the skin's surface, which makes you feel warm but actually drops your body temperature because surface heat is lost. Amazingly, this has been known since the 1800's, and still gets told at parties nationwide. Don't be a jackass: if you're outside in frigid winter weather, drinking is more likely to lead to frostbite than warm you up.

 

Myth #13: "Sucking on a penny will trick a breathalyzer."

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As Fermentarium.com notes, "we couldn’t even find the fake science behind this myth." The bare, crass fact is that nothing we know of can fool a breathalyzer test. If you've had too much to drink and reach this point, you're more or less screwed. If you're foolish enough to put a penny in your mouth, well then you are just tasting one of the dirties things in circulation.

 

Myth #14: "The darker a beer, the more alcohol it contains."

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It's true that a dark beer can look mysterious and more intoxicating than a lighter one, but there's absolutely no truth to this. The color of a beer has nothing to do with how much alcohol it contains, and anyone bragging (or preaching) about the color of theirs is only fooling themselves.

 

Myth #15: "Ads for alcohol cause more drinking problems."

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The clue train is coming, next stop is you: nobody ever saw an ad for alcohol and decided, solely based on that, to start drinking. Study after study has proven this. Interestingly, those ridiculous "scare you from drinking" ads don't seem to work either. Either the drinking companies and the  government hires crappy advertisers, or advertising has no impact on whether people drink or not. We'll let you be the judge.

 

Tags: myths, lists, drinking

rtcrooks May 17, 2009 at 10:55pm

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  hogiewan June 10, 2009 at 4:43pm

  About #14 - Guinness is usually thought to be strong and thick, but it's only 4% ABV (Bud Light is 4.3% most places). Also, it has only slightly more calories than Bud Light (less than Budweiser)
• 

  dwrichards June 13, 2009 at 4:21pm

  @hogiewan Depending on what and where you get it, Guinness is anywhere from 4.1 to 8% ABV. Guinness Special Export Stout is the highest of the Guinness line at 8% ABV.
• 

  jocelynballs048 June 13, 2009 at 4:40pm

  The 25 worst drinks to get drunk on: http://www.filthyrichmond.com/2009/02/25-worst-drinks-to-get-drunk-on.html
• 

  feralryan June 14, 2009 at 1:43am

  Actually, you should debunk yourself. Excessive drinking actually does damage your brain. Dehydration and the accumulation of acetaldehyde and other poisons in your blood causes definite damage to neurons. The alcohol itself doesn't hurt ya', but the hangover does. Sincerely, your partying neurobiologist.
• 

  the.svunt June 14, 2009 at 6:52am

  feralryan beat me to one correction, also re #4 - drinking enough beer can contribute to yeast infections in the gut, which cause gas production leading to the swelling associated with the beer belly, which anyone who's ever touched one can tell you isn't simply an issue of fat - look at the picture you've used, that's bloating from gas, not flab...flab doesn't sit up like that...same way you can tell a fake boob.
• 

  will.worth June 14, 2009 at 11:51am

  #13 is actually based on a pun- the coins are copper coloured (here in England, anyway) and "copper" is also an old fashioned slang term for a policeman. Trying to get away with drink-driving by sucking off a copper ought to make more sense now.
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  victor1 September 17, 2009 at 4:00am

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  DannyD September 20, 2009 at 5:06am

  Now, that's pretty useful facts to use in a party. Danny - Master cleanse consultant
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  DannyD September 20, 2009 at 9:04pm

  Now, that's pretty useful facts to use in a party. It will make you look smarter than your drunken friends. :) Danny, Detox diet consultant
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  DannyD September 20, 2009 at 9:06pm

  Now, that's pretty useful facts to use in a party. It will make you look smarter than your drunken friends. :) Danny, Detox diet consultant
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  4insure September 27, 2009 at 12:53pm

  Actually, you should debunk yourself. Excessive drinking actually does damage your brain. auto insurance quotes
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  McCain September 28, 2009 at 6:43am

  I guess you are in favor of all these things you discussed that's why you think everyone should drink alot. But drinking is bad for helth and it is proven. I agree you should DEBUNK yourself. Software for A Real Estate | Invest in Dubai property
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  auctions76 September 29, 2009 at 3:32am

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  michaeldavid160 September 29, 2009 at 8:35pm

  Nicely done! You've dispelled quite a bit of myths. I even believed some of them, thanks for setting me straight! Businesses for Sale
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  lew285 September 30, 2009 at 1:23am

  The pic in #9 almost made me spit coffee all over my keyboard!! OMG that's funny!
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  lew285 September 30, 2009 at 1:24am

  Very interesting list! ;-)
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  ad307 October 1, 2009 at 10:17pm

  Its been proven that myth #13 doesnt work. Mythbusters proved it. Look it up Facts about Europe Presidents of The United States Worlds most expensive house
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  illusion_lyf32 October 2, 2009 at 4:29am

  Dehydration and the accumulation of acetaldehyde and other poisons in your blood causes definite damage to neurons.It also causes ketosis. Cosmetic dentists Leicester
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  sendmail2andrew12106 October 5, 2009 at 11:38pm

  I totally love this article and kept me laughing from top to bottom. No wonder nothing really works when I have a hang over.lol skin care products
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  akshay_blizz October 9, 2009 at 6:45am

  Yup, These days Teens as well are old people have many misconceptions about drinking. And the above mentioned are few of them. Grant Money
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  midepa October 10, 2009 at 7:22am

  Nice myths, I know them all. But I'm sure, a beer belly is made of beer. Never heard about a wine belly or a scotch belly... GN
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  vicky123 March 17, 2010 at 11:20am

  Nice posting myths. if we drink in a limit then there is no problem i think so. But if we drink in a bulk then it hurt us. chears. loudbeats.com
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  ryan57 May 22, 2010 at 2:33pm

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  Brain cell one is knowledge for , yes it dpends upon different personalities and tolerance level. Kitty _______________________________________ http://www.elysianrealestate.com
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  Ya, these all are myths, i will refer your article to my stupid freinds. Jacqueline ___________________ http://www.bhomes.com
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  tjsnow October 27, 2010 at 9:39pm

  I just have to say, those of you arguing that alcohol damages the brain, you are right ut only to a certain extent. This article refers to moderate consumption and not to alcoholics or binge drinkers. Having a couple bevs a day has actually proven to make for a healthier bowel system, higher liver function. Of course, this is if you don't go out and get pass out drunk every night. Check out some of the info on http://todaysdrinker.com
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  nt884510 December 12, 2010 at 3:50am

  I agree with all of these myths, except for myth 12 because I really do get warmed! Check out non drinkers on http://www.ishqballe.com/
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  logiti December 24, 2010 at 9:11am

  great thanks
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  Love the picture in Myth#15. got it working for my Xbox right now.
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  leej228334 October 13, 2011 at 8:51am

  Having two alcoholics in my family, neither of whom deliberately became alcoholics, along with the FACT that alcohol can, incontrovertably(sp???) distort your perception of reality firmly convinces me that drinking alcohol is the dumbest thing human beings do. I think it is fair to say that alcohol is responsible for killing more people that don't drink alcohol than any other chemical except water. "My" two alcoholics devastated their families. One has totally lost his income - completely dependent on his wife. My cardiologist told me that drinking 100% grape juice conveys the exact same benefit as the "glass of wine a day" without the risk. I like the old "proverb": "A man takes a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes the man (or woman)". I suspect there will be some who disagree with me. I discount any "social benefits".
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