Myths About Alcohol Consumption

Two glasses of an alcoholic beverage

Chances are that you have heard different myths about alcohol. If you are of the age to drink legally, you may even have acted in a particularly way after knocking back a few because you bought into one or more of these misconceptions. It’s time you learned the truth. You know that just because something is said doesn’t make it real, and these myths about alcohol are no exception.

1. Diet Cola and Alcohol

Some people believe that sipping a diet cola will keep them from becoming as intoxicated as if they stuck to alcohol alone. This is simply not true. What a diet cola will do is make you feel more energized thanks to the caffeine it contains. What it won’t do is keep you from getting drunk. In fact, because diet drinks don’t have sugar to slow the absorption of alcohol, cocktails with diet colas can get you drunk faster.

2. High Tolerance

You’ve heard it. Perhaps you have even said it. “It’s okay, I have a high tolerance.” The meaning of this is misconstrued. You may have a high tolerance to the way you feel when you drink alcohol, but you don’t have a high tolerance with regards to the amount of alcohol it takes to get you drunk. Every person’s body processes alcohol differently. Just because it takes you longer to feel like you’re drunk doesn’t mean that you aren’t.

3. Low Tolerance

On the opposite side of the spectrum are the people who believe they have an incredibly low tolerance. These people don’t actually get drunk faster, but they may experience other negative side effects of alcohol more rapidly due to a lack of ALDH in their systems. These people may get flushed, dizzy, experience heart palpitations or even get a headache shortly after consuming alcohol.

4. Hard Liquor

Some people will tell you that they don’t get as drunk when they drink clear liquor instead of dark liquor. This isn’t true. People tend to not experience hangovers that are as intense as they do with dark liquors. Brown liquors contain impurities that are byproducts of fermentation. The enzymes in the liver and stomach have to work to break these down, contributing a hangover the next day (in addition to dehydration).

5. One Drink an Hour – Okay to Drive

It is a fact that it takes about an hour, give or take, for the human body to metabolize one drink, it doesn’t mean that you are okay to drive. It takes approximately 60 minutes for a male’s body to metabolize alcohol, but about 90 minutes for a woman’s. Even then, it still may not be safe to drive. Don’t buy into the one drink per hour rule. If you are drinking, find another way home.

If you are arrested for driving under the influence in Philadelphia, reach out to Kellis Law Firm. We will provide you with a free case evaluation and advise you of the options available to you under current state law.