Office of Alcohol, Drug, and Health Education

Myths And Misconceptions

Myths and misconceptions about alcohol and drinking have been around since grapes were first stomped. Everyone who has ever drunk or has even considered drinking has heard stories and lore about feats, cures and remedies. Some of the more common myths are listed below.

"Beer before liquor, never sicker. Liquor before beer, you're in the clear."
Not true, but, hey, it rhymes. Ethyl alcohol is the active ingredient in both beer and liquor, so the order in which drinks are consumed makes no difference. Amount consumed and speed at which the person drinks are the factors most affecting the level of intoxication.

Eat bread. It will absorb the alcohol.
Another myth. Eating does slow the process of alcohol entering the blood stream but food does not absorb or change the alcohol. The liver is the primary site for the metabolization of alcohol.

"Think When You Drink."
Now there's a clever ad campaign. The problem is that at .05% blood alcohol level (approximately two beers in an hour) judgement impairment begins, sometimes resulting in our saying and doing things we would not do sober. To reduce risk, drink no more than one drink (1/2 oz. of alcohol) per hour and not more than three drinks per day.

I'm not worried about your silly test officer, I put a penny under my tongue.
How this one got started is baffling, but the belief has survived years of logic and evidence to the contrary.

All college students drink.
Not correct. In a recent campus survey, 27% of Denison students responding reported drinking once a month or less. Anyone pregnant, on medication, underage, or with a history of alcoholism in the family should probably abstain or, at least, talk with a counselor or physician before drinking.

Blackouts? Sure, everyone has them.
Most drinkers never have a blackout. While the exact cause of blackouts is not known, we do know that excessive amounts of alcohol affect brain function, thus disrupting memory

Developing a high tolerance is the sign of a 'real man' - or woman.
Tolerance develops as the brain adapts to increasing amounts of alcohol, requiring more alcohol to give the drinker the desired effects. To reduce the risk - lower your tolerance. To lower tolerance, reduce both quantity and frequency.

Boot and Rally.
Now there's a concept - drink, throw-up, drink more. The belief that throwing-up eliminates alcohol is yet another myth. Alcohol enters the bloodstream fairly quickly, so vomiting does little or nothing to reduce the amount of alcohol in the body.

Alcohol affects women in the same way as it does men.
Strike one - women have a lower percentage of water in their bodies than do men, resulting in less water to dilute the alcohol.
Strike two - women have less alcohol dehydrogenase, an enzyme which detoxifies alcohol
Strike three - sadly, the more men drink, the less responsible they are held for their behavior, and the more women drink, the more responsible they are held.

Drink watermelon juice (and other guaranteed hangover cures.)
There is one guaranteed hangover cure, but the answer is too obvious to print.

"The root word of intoxicated is toxic, so does that mean . . . ?"
Yes - hence the term, alcohol poisoning (more accurately, drug overdose). Remember, if a person cannot Walk, or Talk, or Follow Directions, immediate medical attention is needed.