29 Sep Myth 1: Caffeine Can Sober You Up
Stop!
Put down that coffee cup or can of energy drink and finish reading this post.
One of the most commonly held beliefs about caffeine is that it can actually help you sober up or cure a hangover. Science has plenty to say about this, and none of it agrees with the unfounded hypothesis that coffee helps with hangovers and sobering up as per movies and TV for the past century. Thanks for another one Hollywood!
What Science Knows (You Should, Too!)
Coffee is truly the epic fail of hangover cures and sobriety inducing substances. Caffeine has literally zero effect on making you not drunk faster aside from the temporary mild increase in metabolic rate after consuming it. In fact, caffeine can actually make it harder to sober up and impair your judgement if you’ve already had a few too many.
Researchers at Temple University of Philadelphia discovered that while caffeine does make one more alert and aware, it is really just faking out your mind and body to the fact that you are still intoxicated. According to lead researcher Dr. Thomas Gould, “The myth about coffee’s sobering powers is particularly important to debunk because the co-use of caffeine and alcohol could actually lead to poor decisions with disastrous outcomes.”
“People who feel tired and intoxicated after consuming alcohol may be more likely to acknowledge that they are drunk.”
Research Results
Gould’s study at Temple gave groups of adult mice varied doses of caffeine and ethanol, which is the purified form of alcohol found in beverages like beer, wine, and liquor. The mice became intoxicated, and then researchers placed them into a maze and observed the boozy mice attempting to navigate their way through it. Caffeine completely failed to make any observable difference in the mice’s impaired judgement compared to sober mic. The intoxicated mice were definitely calmer and moved with more deliberation, but they were no more successful at overcoming the effects of inebriation than those mice who were dosed and given no caffeine.
Bottom line, researchers determined that there is cause for concern when consuming caffeine after over consuming alcohol because those who are inebriated may no longer realize they are drunk because of that cup of coffee or can of energy drink. So the next time you wake up with a hangover or you need to sober up, reach for a bottle of water and take some Alcovit.
What Alcovit Can Do For You
Alcovit supports the body’s natural metabolic processes that eliminate toxins. Alcohol is known to cause oxidative stress after consuming even modest quantities, and it is responsible for the “toxic” in intoxication. Taking Alcovit reduces this stress on the human body while protecting your liver from damage. Furthermore, Alcovit can actually help prevent hangovers, and is specifically formulated to help you wake up stress and hangover-free. Our blend of 12 essential vitamins also helps your body compensate for adrenal stress as your hormones begin to re-enter your bloodstream post-intoxication, too
Now that you know better, you can do better. Take your Alcovit, and be sure to share this actual science with friends and family, and leave us something good in the comments.