Facts - the truth about alcohol
consumption
COMMON MYTHS ABOUT ALCOHOL
MYTH: Driving
after only a drink or two is no big deal.
FACT: Drinking
and driving is never OK. Impairment begins with
your first drink. It's just not smart or worth
putting yourself – and others –
at risk.
MYTH: Eating
a big meal before you drink will keep you sober.
FACT: Food in
your stomach only delays the absorption of alcohol
into the bloodstream. A full stomach doesn't
prevent the effects of alcohol or intoxication.
MYTH: You'll
be more affected by spirits than by beer or
a glass of wine.
FACT: A drink
is a drink is a drink. A 12-oz. beer (5% alcohol
per volume), a 5-oz. glass of wine (12% alc./vol.)
and a 1.5-oz. serving of spirits (40% alc./vol.)
are all equal in absolute alcohol content.
MYTH: Switching
between beer, wine and spirits will affect you
more than sticking to one type of alcohol.
FACT: Wrong. Your
blood alcohol concentration or BAC – the
percentage of alcohol in your blood –
is what counts, not the beverages consumed.
Alcohol is alcohol.
MYTH: It's
just a wine spritzer/beer. It can't permanently
damage you.
FACT: Any kind
of alcohol, if consumed irresponsibly, has the
potential to seriously damage your digestive
system. Irresponsible drinking could damage
your brain, heart, liver, stomach and other
critical organs. Not to mention that it could
also take years away from your life.
MYTH: Everybody
reacts the same way to alcohol.
FACT: Everyone
is different. There are dozens of factors that
affect reactions to alcohol: your gender, body
weight, body chemistry, time of day, how you
feel mentally, fatigue – and the list
goes on.
MYTH: It's
OK for me to drink as much as my boyfriend or
husband.
FACT: It takes
less alcohol for a woman to become intoxicated
because women process alcohol differently than
men. They reach a higher blood alcohol level
than men do after drinking the same amount,
even if they're the same height and weight.
MYTH: Alcohol
gives you energy.
FACT: Actually,
it's the opposite. Alcohol is a drug. It's a
depressant and slows down your ability to think,
speak and move. Even at low levels, it affects
your perception, coordination and judgment,
long before any physical signs of impairment
occur.
MYTH: You'll
sleep better if you've had a few drinks.
FACT: Wrong. Alcohol
may help you fall asleep because it's a depressant,
but it interferes with the quality of sleep
and cuts down on the amount of restful sleep
you get.
MYTH: A cold
shower and a cup of coffee are good ways to
sober up.
FACT: Although
they may make you feel clean and awake, nothing
sobers you up but time. Coffee is a stimulant
– it'll keep you awake but won't sober
you up.
MYTH: Alcohol
makes you sexier.
FACT: Alcohol
clouds your judgment and makes you less inhibited.
And, physiologically, alcohol reduces your performance.
You could end up engaging in something you hadn't
planned on, including unprotected and/or unwanted
sex. That puts you at risk of unwanted pregnancy
and contracting sexually transmitted diseases
(including HIV). Definitely not sexy.
MYTH: If someone
passes out after drinking, it's best to let
them sleep it off.
FACT: If a friend or a guest passes out, never
leave them alone. Have someone call 911 for
medical assistance. Be sure to roll them onto
their side, with their head on its side as well,
until help comes.
MYTH: You
can only become an alcoholic after years of
drinking.
FACT: You can
develop alcoholism at any age. It depends on
how much and how often you drink.
MYTH: People
who drink too much only hurt themselves.
FACT: Everyone
who drinks has a partner, parent, child, grandparent,
sibling or friend who worries about them. And
what if the problem drinker gets behind the
wheel of a car and kills someone?
MYTH: It's
none of my business if a friend is drinking
too much.
FACT: If you're
a real friend, it is your business. You can't
make them change, but you can be honest. Who
knows? Maybe they'll listen. You might even
be able to help them decide to get help.
MYTH: The
worst thing that can happen when you drink too
much is ending up with a raging hangover.
FACT: If only.
For one thing, if you drink a lot of alcohol
quickly, it can build up in your body so much
that you can die within only a few hours from
alcohol poisoning. As well, you're more prone
to accidents, which can be serious or fatal.
You may also end up getting behind the wheel
of a car and severely injuring or killing someone
– or yourself. Definitely much worse than
a hangover.
