The truth about alcohol Does drinking in a mess really get you drunk faster?

Bruno Bötschi

1.2.2025

Alcohol was present in cinemas in the film "The Intoxication" with Mads Mikkelsen, among others. The film "One For The Road" (pictured) from 2023 is about the opposite experiment: will construction manager Mark (Frederick Lau) manage to stay sober?
Alcohol was present in cinemas in the film "The Intoxication" with Mads Mikkelsen, among others. The film "One For The Road" (pictured) from 2023 is about the opposite experiment: will construction manager Mark (Frederick Lau) manage to stay sober?
Image: zVg

Women get drunk faster than men. Beer on wine, don't do that. And schnapps helps with digestion. There are many myths about the consumption of alcohol. Which of them are actually true?

No time? blue News summarizes for you

  • Does drinking in a mess get you drunk faster? blue News reveals how much truth there is behind eleven common myths about drinking alcohol.
  • "Beer on wine, don't do that - wine on beer, that's my advice." Everyone who has ever drunk alcohol knows this saying. That doesn't make the saying any truer.
  • The fact is: it doesn't matter in what form and in what order you consume alcohol - in the end, the only thing that counts is the quantity.

Alcohol is by far the most popular drug in the world. The relaxing, disinhibiting and intoxicating stimulant is firmly anchored in our culture.

But not everything we know about alcohol is actually true: schnapps helps with digestion and alcohol evaporates when you cook: is this really true? And what is actually behind these myths about alcohol?

blue News takes a closer look at the most common myths and sayings about alcohol consumption and reveals whether they are actually true.

Eat a lot before drinking alcohol

Eating lots of fatty foods before drinking to stay sober for longer? Momoll, that actually works. With a good foundation before drinking, it takes longer for the alcohol to enter the bloodstream.

However, a full stomach does not prevent the alcohol from being absorbed completely - it just helps you not to get drunk quite so quickly.

A straw gets you drunk faster

You get drunk faster if you drink through a straw. Is that true? Long drinks or cocktails are usually served with a straw. But this doesn't change the alcohol content of the drink.

It's just a matter of speed: with a straw, you simply drink faster and get drunk faster.

Women get drunk faster than men. Yes, that's true. The reason for this: women have more body fat than men and the fluid content of their bodies is around ten percentage points lower.
Women get drunk faster than men. Yes, that's true. The reason for this: women have more body fat than men and the fluid content of their bodies is around ten percentage points lower.
Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto

A schnapps helps with digestion

A schnapps after a meal helps digestion and relieves the feeling of fullness? That's not quite true. Alcohol does not aid digestion, it slows it down.

However, it is true that schnapps has a relaxing effect on the muscles and therefore also on the stomach. This creates a pleasant feeling.

"Beer on wine, don't do that..."

"Beer on wine, don't do that. Wine on beer, that's my advice!" Many people follow this saying and stop drinking beer after a glass of wine. And rightly so?

So far, no one has actually been able to prove that this could be true. In the end, it's all about the alcohol content and not about the order in which you drink.

If you drink in a mess, you get drunk faster

If you drink in a mess, you get drunk faster? There is not a shred of truth behind this myth either. As with the saying "beer on wine, don't do that ..." (see point 5), it's not the order of the drinks that matters, but the quantity. So this is also nonsense - and doesn't prevent a hangover the next morning.

Women get drunk more quickly

Women get drunk faster than men. Yes, this myth is true. The female liver breaks down alcohol more slowly than the male liver. But it is also due to the fluid content in the body:

This is lower in women than in men and the alcohol is distributed over less fluid. This is why the blood alcohol concentration in per mille is higher in women than in men for the same amount of drinks.

People who drink alcohol regularly feel less drunk because their tolerance increases over time. However, this is not a good thing, but a warning signal from the body.
People who drink alcohol regularly feel less drunk because their tolerance increases over time. However, this is not a good thing, but a warning signal from the body.
Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Does alcohol help you fall asleep?

Does alcohol really help you fall asleep? At first, yes, because alcohol calms the nerves and makes it easier to fall asleep. But things don't look so good afterwards:

The body has to break down the alcohol again, so sleep is more restless and sleeping through the night is less likely. A nightcap therefore comes at the expense of sleep quality.

Experienced drinkers have an advantage

Experienced drinkers can handle more. Is that true? People who drink regularly feel less drunk because their tolerance increases over time.

However, this is not a good thing, but an important warning signal from the body. Even if the brain has already got used to the feeling, the liver still needs the same amount of time to break down the alcohol.

Alcohol warms the body from the inside

Does alcohol warm you from the inside? When alcoholic drinks are consumed, the blood vessels dilate, which improves blood flow to the skin.

This creates heat, which is released to the outside and reduces body temperature. Although it feels like the alcohol is warming, the body actually cools down. And that's why this myth is a misconception.

A cold shower sobers you up again

Drink a coffee after the party and get back behind the wheel? What nonsense! Regardless of whether it's coffee or a cold shower, neither helps to break down alcohol, but merely makes us feel a little fresher. The body needs time to break down alcohol completely.

Alcohol evaporates during cooking

Alcohol is often used in cooking: White wine in risotto, red wine in goulash. But does the alcohol content evaporate? It is true that the alcohol evaporates, as its boiling point is around 80 degrees.

However, how much alcohol actually evaporates depends on the cooking time - the longer, the lower the residual alcohol content. But even after two and a half hours, there can still be alcohol in the food.


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