These methods will not help avoid a hangover
Once a week, the "Checking the Myth" column examines famous historical distortions, their origins, and their lasting impact. This week: we debunk common myths surrounding spirits and their negative consequences.
Shahar Lotan is an economic and strategic researcher, a reserve intelligence officer, and a history enthusiast who writes about fascinating and forgotten events. In this column, he exposes famous historical distortions and explains why they continue to influence us today.
The weekend is approaching, bringing with it the tradition of social gatherings accompanied by a strong drink. For thousands of years, alcohol has been a staple of social, religious, and cultural events. Alcoholic beverages contain ethanol, a byproduct of yeast feeding on sugar, which affects various bodily mechanisms. A system of superstitions has developed around alcohol since long before the agricultural revolution, when our ancestors first encountered naturally fermented fruits. Here are some of the most common myths.
- The "lining" theory
A common piece of advice is to drink a spoonful of olive oil before consuming alcohol to "line the stomach." It sounds magically simple, but our stomach is not a bag that can be sealed. Most alcohol is absorbed in the small intestine, not the stomach. While fatty food can slow down stomach emptying and delay intoxication, the total amount of ethanol your liver must process remains the same. The hangover is merely delayed, not canceled. This myth likely stems from Mediterranean folk medicine, which attributed healing properties to olive oil for almost every ailment.
- The dangers of "mixing"
Many people believe that the order in which you drink different types of alcohol determines whether you get a headache. The idea that different types of alcohol react with each other to create an "excessive effect" is chemically incorrect. To your body, alcohol is simply alcohol. The severity of a hangover is determined by the total amount of ethanol consumed, the rate of drinking, and dehydration. The "mixing" myth is a circumstantial bias: as judgment becomes impaired, people switch drinks, and it is the total volume consumed, not the combination, that causes the headache.
- Killing brain cells
A well-known scare tactic promoted by 19th-century temperance movements in the USA claims that "alcohol kills brain cells." While heavy, chronic consumption has severe medical consequences for the brain, there is no research to support the claim that every glass causes permanent damage. Ethanol temporarily impairs communication between nerve cells, but with moderate, occasional consumption, there is no evidence of direct neuron death. Once the body clears the alcohol, brain function returns to normal, unlike in cases of chronic abuse where cumulative damage is real.
Next time you raise a glass, remember that you are participating in an ancient human ritual—but leave the superstitions behind. Save the olive oil for your salad, drink water with your alcohol, and remember that the only way to prevent a hangover is to know when to stop.
