Things you need to know

Which myths about alcohol are actually true? Well, today I'm going to address five of them, thanks to the Exponent, Purdue University's newspaper. =)

Myth 1: Beer gives you a beer belly.

And the answer is........FALSE! (Oh thank you, lord). There has been any substantial research to confirm the fact the beer causes consumers to gain excessive amounts of weight. There are alternative explanations to the correlation between beer drinks and excess weight. Beer drinkers tend to eat food when they are intoxicated, so their weight gain can be attributed to excess calorie intake. Another reason beer drinkers may gain weight is because of the amount of alchohol they drink. Heavy drinkers who are putting down a six pack or more a night are going to gain weight...so basically, to sum it up, beer drinkers who aren't alkies are okay. Ya hoo!

Myth 2: Beer before liquor, you've never been sicker. Liquor before beer, you're in the clear.

FALSE! Sweet. I've always made an attempt to follow this one, but it never quite works out with all the shots I take while drinking beer. =P Studies show confirm that mizing alcoholic beverages with fruit beverages or carbonation makes and difference, but not with beer or liquor specifically. The one reason you may get sick is because of the congeners in alcohol, which are a by product. Basically, stick to the same drink if you can, because if you're drinking different types of drinks, you're getting different types of congeners in you, and sometimes they can have a reaction that ain't so great for you. Bottom line, alcohol is alcohol and if you drink enough, it doesn't matter what you had in what order, if you drink too much, you'll make yourself sick.

Myth 3: Sucking on a penny helps you pass a breathalyzer test.

Yeah, so not true. Just watch Mythbusters. They already covered this and said there is pretty much no way possible to beat a breathalyzer test, so don't even try.

Myth 4: Hair of the dog as a cure for a hangover.

This one is actually false, which surprises me. When I was in my big time party days when I was a bit younger we always did this. Maybe it was just psychological that we felt better. Actually, the metabolites in alcohol will actually make your hangover first. The researchers go on to say that the best way to cure a hangover is to moderate your drinking so you don't get what. Um, yeah. I take it they don't get out much. =P

Myth 5: Alcohol kills brain cells.

This one is actually sort of true. Sigh. It certainly explains all my blonde moments. It's something about alcohol being a neurotoxin, and if you have the right genes, or the wrong ones haha, if you drink a lot over the course of your lifetime, you can develop something called Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, which deteriorates the brain tissue. Well, that sucks.

And now that you have been enlightened, go out and have some beers and have some beer before you get to your shots. =)