Myths about alcohol
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Drinking, Driving, Making the right choice
Chasse et pêche (French only)
Common myths about drinking
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- 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 won’t keep you from feeling the effects of alcohol or getting drunk.
- MYTH: You'll get drunker if you drink hard liquor than if you stick to beer or wine.
- FACT: A drink is a drink. There is the same amount of alcohol in one standard bottle of beer (355 ml), one standard glass of wine (142 ml) and one standard shot of spirits (43 ml). Each of these is considered one drink.
- MYTH: Switching between beer, wine and spirits will affect you more than if you stick to one type of alcohol.
- FACT: Absolutely not. Your blood alcohol concentration, or BAC – the percentage of alcohol in your blood – is what counts, not the type of alcohol you drink.
- MYTH: I'm only drinking beer or wine spritzers. That can't do any permanent damage.
- FACT: Any kind of alcohol, if consumed irresponsibly, has the potential to seriously damage your digestive system, brain, heart, liver, stomach and other critical organs. Not to mention that it could also shorten your life by a number of years.
- 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, the opposite is true. Alcohol is a depressant and slows down your ability to think, speak and move. Your perception, coordination and judgement will be affected before you notice any physical signs of impairment.
- MYTH: You'll sleep better after a few drinks.
- FACT: Wrong again. 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: They may make you feel clean and awake, but time is the only thing that will sober you up. Coffee is a stimulant – it will keep you awake but it won’t make you sober.
- MYTH: Alcohol makes you sexier.
- FACT: Alcohol may make you less inhibited, but physiologically, it reduces your performance. You may end up engaging in something you hadn’t planned on, including unprotected and/or unwanted sex. And that could result in unwanted pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV). That’s not very 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, do not leave the person alone. Have someone call 911 for medical assistance. Roll the person onto his or her side, place the head to the side as well, and keep him or her in this position until help arrives.
Publications :
Host
Drinking, Driving, Making the right choice
Chasse et pêche (French only)