Myths And Curiosities About Alcohol
From the traditional “I will not drink again” to home remedies to cure hangovers, everything related to drinks can be real or part of the popular imagination. If you want to know what is true in the myths and curiosities about alcohol and drunkenness, read on.
Questions about alcohol and its abuse
Is it advisable to eat something when you get up after going out for drinks? Is it true that cheese or oil reduces the effects of alcohol? Should you be a teetotaler or get your body used to drinking? Does drinking alcohol kill neurons? What is “knowing how to drink well”?
There are many questions regarding alcohol consumption. And the usual thing is not to have a correct answer, at least in terms of remedies to avoid drunkenness or minimize its consequences.
The truth is that the only way to avoid the dire consequences of alcohol abuse is by limiting its consumption. And as for those “home remedies” for drunkenness, we can only know if they work or not when we try them. We are not all the same and perhaps what works for one is not good for another.
Myths and truths about alcohol and drunkenness
You don’t have to drink to get drunk
Sometimes it is thought that you have to be drunk to behave in a certain way, for example, to act uninhibited. An experiment outlined in researcher Richard Wiseman’s book has shown this by causing some people to drink, for example, non-alcoholic beer without knowing it.
And they acted like they were really drunk. It is that the placebo effect is much stronger than is believed, since it makes the brain believe certain things that are not true.
Drinking doesn’t fight the cold
You will surely know the history of the Saint Bernard dogs. Those who carried a container with alcohol so that the people they rescued could warm up. However, what alcohol does is have a sensation of heat, but it does not really warm us.
It was believed that this was due to vasodilation of the skin, but recent studies claim that it is due to a deterioration in thermogenesis resulting from hypoglycemia caused by alcohol.
Most of the alcohol is metabolized in the liver
This is true, which is why heavy drinkers have liver problems. What is false is that it helps to go running to be able to sweat the ethanol that we have drunk. That will only help you remove 10% of the alcohol through your pores. The rest, even if you don’t want it, will go through your liver.
And neither do some home remedies to avoid drunkenness, such as eating yogurt or oil. And less to have breakfast with beer or tomato juice to eliminate the hangover.
Drinking is useless to forget
Surely you have ever tried to get drunk to forget. Perhaps you have wanted to leave behind a love, corner the thought about financial problems or any other reason.
However, the effect of alcoholic beverages is totally opposite. That’s right, since it stimulates certain areas of the brain that are responsible for memories and learning. Surely you have ended up crying for that girl who has left you or an unrequited love, exactly the opposite of what you wanted to achieve.
Neurons don’t die when we drink
What actually happens is that the synapses that they make with each other, is somewhat affected by alcohol. But only when it is in excess and for a prolonged period. The day after drinking a little your mind will return to normal and the number of neurons will be intact. You should not worry about that.
The two glasses of wine a day are excessive
Drinking wine in moderation is not bad. But one drink at lunch and one at dinner can be a bit of a stretch. The best thing is that you get used to drinking healthier drinks.
Alcohorexia affects women more
This pathology, also known as drunkenness, combines alcoholism with bulimia and anorexia. The person not only does not eat, but only drinks alcohol. It usually affects women under 30 years of age more and causes psychological disorders such as anxiety, malnutrition and problems in the menstrual cycle.
Drinking only on weekends is worse than Monday through Friday
Many believe that if they abstain from alcoholic beverages during the week and then get drunk on Saturday there are no problems. However, this is not true. Alcohol abuse, even just one day a week, can cause the same damage (or more) than if we ingested it every day.
More alcohol is consumed in Europe
Statistics indicate that the continent where alcohol consumption is highest is Europe, followed by America (both North and South).
Alcoholic beverages are associated with a higher rate of care in public hospitals, absences from work, domestic violence, suicides, traffic accidents, street fights, etc.
Mixing drinks is worse
It has always been said that if you want to have a few drinks but without getting drunk, you should not mix the drinks. That is, that you always stay with the same.
Recent studies affirm, however, the opposite, and indicate that the level of hangover is the same, despite popular belief.
And, finally, a curiosity. Depending on the country, drunkenness can be called by different names : raw, hangover, guava, hangover or Futsu-ka-yoi. But in medicine, the word used comes from the Norwegian “kveis” which means restlessness and from the Greek “algia” which means pain.
