Myth 2 about drinking: Coffee will sober you up

We've all seen it on the big screen.  We all want it to be true but I'm sorry it is not.  If you are the designated driver please do not think you can drink all night and have a few cups of coffee to sober you up for the ride home.


The dangers of this:  It makes you more alert so you will think you are sober and able to drive.  As the Mayo Clinic states:

"Coffee's about as helpful as a cold shower or a brisk walk in sobering you up. That is, it's not helpful at all!"

According to Bill Hendrick (WebMD Health News): Gulping down coffee won’t sober you up if you’re drunk, but it may make you awake enough to be dangerous, new research suggests.

Researchers draw that conclusion from laboratory experiments on mice, in which caffeine made drunken rodents more alert but didn’t reverse learning problems caused by alcohol. 
Their study is published in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience.
“The myth about coffee’s sobering powers is particularly important to debunk because the co-use of caffeine and alcohol could actually lead to poor decisions with disastrous outcomes,” Thomas Gould, PhD, of Temple University and one of the study authors, says in a news release. “People who have consumed only alcohol, who feel tired and intoxicated, may be more likely to acknowledge that they are drunk.”
Gould tells WebMD in an email that "coffee may reduce the sedative effects of alcohol, which could give the false impression that people are not as intoxicated as they really are."

So what does sober you up?  TIME and of course stop drinking.  Remember what we see in the movies isn't real.  Be safe when you are drinking, be safe when you are driving and never combine the two.

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5 Myths of drinking alchol: Myth 1 Aspirin before drinking will stop a hangover

We are all looking for that one thing that makes hangovers go away.

We are all looking for ways to "care" for a drunk.

We are all looking for ways to sober up so we can drive.

We are all looking for ways to "beat" the Breathalyzer.




Gotta love myths...they give us hope but that is just about all they give us.  BUT...some myths can actually kill you.....read to protect yourself.

Drinking Myth about taking an aspirin before you start drinking will keep you from getting a hangover:

Take an aspirin before you start drinking to stop a hangover:  I don't know about you but I have yet to hear that aspirin was developed and later learned that it cures a hangover.  I can see how this became about....hangovers cause headaches, aspirin helps with headaches. Helps, does not prevent.  Hangover headaches are a form of brain dehydration...what do you do for dehydration?  DRINK WATER!  If you are planning a night out....alternate alcohol with water and it will reduce your chances of getting that dreaded hangover headache the next day.....if you still have one...drink water.

What not to do by John Hopkins Medicine:

Here's some advice on what not to do after an evening where you've over-done it:

• Avoid further alcohol ("hair of the dog") - this will only increase your misery.
• Avoid further dehydration by consciously working yourself to keep down liquids (other than alcohol!) - water, chicken soup, Gatorade - whatever works for you.
• Avoid acetaminophen (Tylenol) at all costs-it can over-tax your already hard-working liver, leading to dangerous swelling or even liver failure.
• Avoid unpalatable "recipes" combining such ingredients as eggs, raw fish, Tabasco, and sausage. You wouldn't eat like that when you are at your best, so what makes you think you'll stomach it when you're hungover?

Stay tuned for more hangover and alcohol myths.

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What do you do to stop or cure a hangover?