FAQs
Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about alcohol and its effects.
Read on to find out:
What does alcohol do to you when you drink? Drink a glass of beer, wine or spirits and the alcohol it contains enters your bloodstream through your digestive system and spreads through your body – all within a few minutes. Any food in your stomach will slow down the rate at which this happens, but as soon as alcohol reaches your brain it affects your body’s control centers – causing intoxication. As a general rule, you will then ‘burn off’ the alcohol of one standard drink (5 oz. of 12% alc wine) in one and a half hour to two hours.
Do different people ‘burn off’ alcohol at different rates and can one glass of wine ever be one glass too many? Most people burn-off alcohol at the same rate – about one standard drink every two hours. Some medical conditions or medicines can slow this rate down and produce higher than average blood alcohol levels after a few drinks. How often you drink doesn’t really affect the speed at which you absorb alcohol – weight and gender are more important factors. On the other hand, frequent drinkers tend to notice the sensations alcohol produces less than irregular drinkers, and in truth, everyone ‘experiences’ alcohol in their own way.
What is a safe amount of alcohol to drink? There are exceptions, but two drinks a day should not have any adverse affects on most adult men, while most women and older people can safely have one drink a day (taking ‘one drink’ as a 12 oz bottle of beer, a 5 oz glass of wine or a 1.5 oz shot of spirits). Some people shouldn’t drink at all because the risks are too great. These include anyone who plans to drive or do anything requiring alertness, co-ordination and balance, people with certain medical conditions, pregnant women (and women who plan to become pregnant), plus any one under the legal drinking age.
Does alcohol affect women in a different way to men?The answer is yes. Women’s bodies contain a lower proportion of water than men’s, which means the same amount of alcohol has a greater impact on a woman than a man.
Is alcohol good for your heart? Research suggests adults who drink moderately (two drinks a day for men, one for women) are less likely to suffer coronary heart disease than those who drink more or not at all. However, this research is still ongoing, so drinkers are not advised to start drinking more; neither are non-drinkers advised to start drinking alcohol for their health. Health Benefits of Grapes/ Wine
What is the effect of alcohol on an empty or full stomach? If your stomach is full, the flow of alcohol to the large intestine is slowed down and this may also reduce the rate at which your body absorbs it. So after eating, the effects of alcohol will probably take longer to appear and blood alcohol levels won’t be as high as when you drink on an empty stomach. On the other hand, any alcohol in your body will take longer to ‘burn off’ to zero on a full stomach.
Is it safe to drink during pregnancy? The best advise is not to drink at all during pregnancy. Alcohol can have a number of harmful effects on the unborn baby. Very small amounts such as a small glass of wine once or twice a week may not be harmful, but since no level can be confirmed as safe for sure, simply avoid drinking during pregnancy or when you are planning a pregnancy.
Does coffee really make you sober? No. Coffee never makes you sober! It has no impact on the rate at which your body absorbs alcohol. What it will do is dehydrate you, so you need the bathroom more frequently. The blunt truth is – the only way to get sober is to stop drinking and wait for your body to do the rest.
How much can you safely drink before you exercise? The answer is nothing. Sports and alcohol don’t mix. Just one or two glasses of beer or wine will reduce your concentration, impair your co-ordination and even limit your sight. It will also reduce your sensitivity to pain, making injuries more likely. So don’t drink before you exercise – for your sake and other people’s sake too.
What is a hangover? Alcohol sedates your body first – then irritates it. This is why a night’s heavy drinking always turns into an uncomfortable morning after. Alcohol irritates your body in several ways. It suppresses the hormones that inhibit urination – so you need the toilet more often. This makes you dehydrated. Then you wake up feeling awful: headache, vomiting, nausea, the ‘shakes’, a dry mouth, a raging thirst and several other nasty sensations. And that’s a hangover.
If we vomit in your vehicle, does it cost us anything?
Yes! Our current policy, legalized by signed contract, states that if you vomit in or on our vehicle, it will cost you up to $250 for each occurrence, $750 max. cost.
Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about alcohol and its effects.
Read on to find out:
- What does alcohol do to you when you drink?
- Do different people ‘burn off’ alcohol at different rates?
- Can one glass of wine ever be one glass too many?
- What is a safe amount of alcohol to drink?
- Does alcohol affect women in a different way to men?
- Is alcohol good for your heart?
- What is the effect of alcohol on an empty or full stomach?
- Is it safe to drink during pregnancy?
- Does drinking coffee really make you sober?
- How much can you safely drink before you exercise?
- What is a hangover?
- If we vomit in your vehicle, does it cost us anything?
What does alcohol do to you when you drink? Drink a glass of beer, wine or spirits and the alcohol it contains enters your bloodstream through your digestive system and spreads through your body – all within a few minutes. Any food in your stomach will slow down the rate at which this happens, but as soon as alcohol reaches your brain it affects your body’s control centers – causing intoxication. As a general rule, you will then ‘burn off’ the alcohol of one standard drink (5 oz. of 12% alc wine) in one and a half hour to two hours.
Do different people ‘burn off’ alcohol at different rates and can one glass of wine ever be one glass too many? Most people burn-off alcohol at the same rate – about one standard drink every two hours. Some medical conditions or medicines can slow this rate down and produce higher than average blood alcohol levels after a few drinks. How often you drink doesn’t really affect the speed at which you absorb alcohol – weight and gender are more important factors. On the other hand, frequent drinkers tend to notice the sensations alcohol produces less than irregular drinkers, and in truth, everyone ‘experiences’ alcohol in their own way.
What is a safe amount of alcohol to drink? There are exceptions, but two drinks a day should not have any adverse affects on most adult men, while most women and older people can safely have one drink a day (taking ‘one drink’ as a 12 oz bottle of beer, a 5 oz glass of wine or a 1.5 oz shot of spirits). Some people shouldn’t drink at all because the risks are too great. These include anyone who plans to drive or do anything requiring alertness, co-ordination and balance, people with certain medical conditions, pregnant women (and women who plan to become pregnant), plus any one under the legal drinking age.
Does alcohol affect women in a different way to men?The answer is yes. Women’s bodies contain a lower proportion of water than men’s, which means the same amount of alcohol has a greater impact on a woman than a man.
Is alcohol good for your heart? Research suggests adults who drink moderately (two drinks a day for men, one for women) are less likely to suffer coronary heart disease than those who drink more or not at all. However, this research is still ongoing, so drinkers are not advised to start drinking more; neither are non-drinkers advised to start drinking alcohol for their health. Health Benefits of Grapes/ Wine
What is the effect of alcohol on an empty or full stomach? If your stomach is full, the flow of alcohol to the large intestine is slowed down and this may also reduce the rate at which your body absorbs it. So after eating, the effects of alcohol will probably take longer to appear and blood alcohol levels won’t be as high as when you drink on an empty stomach. On the other hand, any alcohol in your body will take longer to ‘burn off’ to zero on a full stomach.
Is it safe to drink during pregnancy? The best advise is not to drink at all during pregnancy. Alcohol can have a number of harmful effects on the unborn baby. Very small amounts such as a small glass of wine once or twice a week may not be harmful, but since no level can be confirmed as safe for sure, simply avoid drinking during pregnancy or when you are planning a pregnancy.
Does coffee really make you sober? No. Coffee never makes you sober! It has no impact on the rate at which your body absorbs alcohol. What it will do is dehydrate you, so you need the bathroom more frequently. The blunt truth is – the only way to get sober is to stop drinking and wait for your body to do the rest.
How much can you safely drink before you exercise? The answer is nothing. Sports and alcohol don’t mix. Just one or two glasses of beer or wine will reduce your concentration, impair your co-ordination and even limit your sight. It will also reduce your sensitivity to pain, making injuries more likely. So don’t drink before you exercise – for your sake and other people’s sake too.
What is a hangover? Alcohol sedates your body first – then irritates it. This is why a night’s heavy drinking always turns into an uncomfortable morning after. Alcohol irritates your body in several ways. It suppresses the hormones that inhibit urination – so you need the toilet more often. This makes you dehydrated. Then you wake up feeling awful: headache, vomiting, nausea, the ‘shakes’, a dry mouth, a raging thirst and several other nasty sensations. And that’s a hangover.
If we vomit in your vehicle, does it cost us anything?
Yes! Our current policy, legalized by signed contract, states that if you vomit in or on our vehicle, it will cost you up to $250 for each occurrence, $750 max. cost.
