My Escape

Alcohol - Myth or Fact?

Myth: I can cheat a breathalyzer if I suck on a penny because of the high copper concentration.
Fact: Sucking on pennies will do nothing to lower your BAC.
P.S. Pennies have been made of 97.5% Zinc since 1980.

Myth: Caffeine will sober me up.
Fact: Caffeine does nothing to get alcohol out of your system. Time is the only thing that can sober you up.

Myth: I am a big guy so I can hold my liquor better than most.
Fact: There are many things that affect how much you can drink i.e. metabolism, fatigue, how much food you have had to eat, and tolerance. No matter what your size, your abilities can be impaired after the first drink. See Blood Alcohol Educator for an interactive simulation that tells you how alcohol affects your body based upon your body type.

Myth: I do not drink hard liquor because it gets you more drunk than beer.
Fact: It does not matter what you drink, just how much of it. A 1.5 oz. shot of whiskey has as much alcohol as a 12 oz. beer or a 5 oz. glass of wine.

Myth: I drink hard liquor to avoid getting a beer belly.
Fact: Beer does not cause you to get a beer belly. The calories in the beer are what lead to weight gain. As far as calories are concerned, a can of beer is no different than drinking a can of soda. The only difference is that there are more calories per gram of sugar than per gram of alcohol. Hard liquor does have fewer calories per 1 oz. shot than a 12 oz. can of beer. That does not mean you can have more of it because of the fewer calories. Regardless of how you consume them, too many calories, from any source, will lead to weight gain.

Myth: I can drink the same amount of drinks as my boyfriend to keep up.
Fact: Women metabolize alcohol differently from men which means if you try to keep up with your boyfriend you will be more impaired than him.

Myth: Mixing hard liquor with soft drinks dilutes the liquor and will make you less drunk.
Fact: Soft drinks do not dilute alcohol and the carbonation in the soft drink even accelerates the absorption of alcohol.

Myth: High tolerance is a sign of accomplishment. I wish I could drink as much as that guy doing keg stands.
Fact: High tolerance is an early warning sign of alcohol dependence. Having a high tolerance means that you have alcohol in your system often enough and in large enough amounts for your body to get used to it.

Myth: You can't get someone pregnant while your drunk.
Fact: Drunk or sober you can impregnate someone if you don't wear a condom. Since alcohol impairs your judgment, most drunks don't use condoms, so you might say that it is more likely that you will impregnate someone while you are drunk. You are also much more likely to get an STI while you are drunk.

Myth: If I eat a big meal before I start drinking I won't get drunk.
Fact: Eating foods high in carbohydrates and proteins before drinking can only delay the absorption of alcohol, not prevent it.

Myth: The best cure for a hangover is another drink.
Fact: Having another drink when you wake up with a hangover may make you feel better in the moment, but pretty much all it does is delay the hangover rather than cure it.

Myth: Drinking a lot of alcohol makes me the life of the party.
Fact: Some people get adventurous and others get violent or very friendly when they drink. Wanting to be the life of the party can sometimes make you the death of the party if you don't drink responsibly.

Source:
http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/AlcoholFactsAndFiction.html