Refreshing beer cravings these days, misconceptions and truths about drinking etiquette

Do you get less drunk if you eat snacks after drinking alcohol?

Since drinking sessions usually take place in the evening, people tend to drink either with a meal or on an empty stomach. Drinking alcohol when hungry results in the liver not receiving enough nutrients, which slows down the metabolism of alcohol, leading to faster intoxication as people tend to drink quickly. A large amount of alcohol is absorbed simultaneously by the digestive system, brain, and nerve cells, which can also stimulate internal organs. Therefore, the idea that eating snacks while drinking makes you less intoxicated is not true. Conversely, if you eat snacks before drinking, the absorption rate of alcohol slows down, and the amount consumed naturally decreases, making you less intoxicated. If you are going to drink, do not do so on an empty stomach; instead, eat snacks along with alcohol.

The more you drink alcohol, the higher your alcohol tolerance becomes?

There are cases where a person who could only handle one drink and become so intoxicated they couldn't stand, gradually becomes less intoxicated the more they drink. People often say that their alcohol tolerance has increased in such cases. However, when drinking becomes habitual, it is only the brain adapting to alcohol, not an increase in the liver's detoxification ability. It is important to remember that frequent heavy drinking leads to the accumulation of a toxic substance called acetaldehyde in the body, which damages health, rather than an increase in alcohol tolerance.

Does hangover cure help with hangover relief?

The main component of alcohol, ethanol, is converted into a toxic substance called acetaldehyde by the liver's alcohol-degrading enzymes. This acetaldehyde is the direct cause of hangovers. If you drink a hangover cure to relieve a hangover, alcohol temporarily dulls the sensory perception of the digestive system, allowing you to forget the hangover for a while, but ultimately, more acetaldehyde accumulates in the body, leading to a worse hangover.

Is sweating in a jjimjilbang after drinking alcohol good for detoxification?

The day after drinking, sweating can give you a refreshing feeling as if the alcohol is being expelled along with the sweat. However, if you enter a sauna or hot bath immediately after drinking and raise your body temperature rapidly, your blood vessels will dilate and excessive blood flow will be directed to the heart. Especially when dehydration occurs due to sweating, it can slow down the breakdown of alcohol in the body and lead to respiratory difficulties and cerebral hypoxia.

Does drinking alcohol and smoking influence each other?

Smoking is a risk factor for numerous cancers, including lung cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer, and oral cancer. Nicotine in cigarettes is highly soluble in alcohol, so when you smoke while drinking, you get intoxicated more quickly and become easily exhausted. In addition to nicotine, various harmful substances and carcinogens contained in cigarettes dissolve in alcohol, attacking the body whose resistance and ability to suppress cancer development have been weakened. Ultimately, people who smoke heavily while drinking have a higher risk of developing diseases.