READ: 7 Facts and Myths About Alcohol

Whether the objective is to prevent a hangover, limit calorie intake, or throw caution to uncontrolled actions, many drinkers follow a set of time-honored rules to get through a night or drinking with limited negative consequences. And while each may stem from a kernel of truth (or at least logic), they’re not exactly rules to live by. 

1. The Myth: Beer before liquor speeds up drunkenness. Switching to hard liquor after a few beers can make the feeling come on too fast, usually resulting in vomit (or so the myth goes).

The Fact: The quantity you drink matters more than the type of drinks you consume or how you mix them. Drinking too much of any alcohol too quickly can make you sick, whether it's wine, beer, or liquor.

2. The Myth: Beer is a good workout recovery drink.
Some research has suggested that beer can rehydrate athletes better than water for three key reasons: one, that beer’s vitamins and minerals offer health benefits that water doesn’t have; two, that the carbonation helps quench thirst; and, three, that the carbs help replenish energy stores.

The Fact: In that one study, researchers saw only a slight rehydration benefit over water in the athletes they tested. Sports drinks containing sugars, salt, and potassium can similarly rehydrate an exhausted body without the negative side effects of alcohol. 

3. The Myth: Puking helps you recover and prevents hangovers. Theoretically, getting rid of alcohol that hasn’t yet been digested (read: vomiting) means it won’t be absorbed by the body and can’t contribute to tomorrow morning’s headache.

 The Fact: Alcohol absorption into the bloodstream begins almost immediately, so getting rid of the likely small amount in vomit probably won’t make much of a difference. If you’re already at that point, there’s likely already too much alcohol in the body's system to escape that hangover the next day.

4. The Myth: Taking Aspirin or ibuprofen before heavy drinking can reduce hangover effects. It's a nice thought: Taking a pill now will help prevent feeling awful in the morning. But while those pre-emptive efforts to stave off a thudding headache may seem wise, ultimately they don’t pay off.

The Fact: Taking painkillers before pain sets in won’t help, the med’s power will wear off before that headache comes on. A word of caution: Absolutely do not take aspirin or ibuprofen while still drinking. The painkillers can erode the stomach lining, which, coupled with the stomach irritants in alcohol, can cause liver inflammation and allow more alcohol into the bloodstream, resulting in potential liver damage and a higher-than-normal Blood Alcohol Content (Talk about counterproductive!). Taking ibuprofen or another pain reliever the morning after, however, can help relieve temporary pains.

5. The Myth: Eating before bed will reduce hangover. Most of us have taken a drunken 3-am journey to the local pizza shop with a hankering for greasy, cheesy goodness. Comforting as it is, those slices will do very little to sober you up or reduce the severity of those hangover pains.

The Fact: By the time that pizza hits the stomach, the alcohol consumed has already been absorbed into your system. Greasy food won’t help your liver metabolize the alcohol any faster. In fact, the combination of alcohol and greasy food can actually contribute to acid reflux, meaning you’ll feel even worse in the morning. If you want food to help slow down alcohol absorption, consume a snack or a meal.

 6. The Myth: Alcohol kills brain cells. This is an easy assumption to make if you're observing the often less-than-wise behavior that can result from knocking back a few too many. But an average night of drinking won’t lead to any long-term brain damage.

The Fact: It may impair your thinking, but alcohol doesn’t permanently destroy brain cells. It damages dendrites, which are the little feelers on neurons that convey electrical messages from your brain to your body. Neurons are the cells that act as communicators, triggering motor responses to physical stimuli. For example, if you touch something hot, neurons carry the message from your nerves to your brain, which send the return message to your arm to move your hand off the stove.

7. The Myth: Eating a big meal before drinking will help keep you sober. Yes and no. Eating before drinking can slow the absorption of alcohol by the body, but it can’t prevent you from getting drunk.

The Fact: The body begins absorbing alcohol through the stomach lining and small intestine, so if your tummy is full of food, it will take longer for the buzz to sink in. This may delay feeling drunk, but it won’t stop it completely. Eventually, the stomach will empty from dinner and alcohol absorption will pick up again. Drinking on an empty stomach is never a good idea, but eating beforehand isn’t a free pass to pound.