There are No Miracle Solutions to Alcoholism
Imagine a magic pill you could take or an activity you could perform that would reverse the damaging effects of excessive alcohol consumption on your body or sober you up instantly. You would have increased control and a lot of your worries and guilt would go away. Unfortunately, no such easy solution or cure exists. Recently, a couple of them have been debunked.
Exercising Will Not Help Burn off Alcohol
A published survey consisting of over 2,400 adults polled in England showed that about a quarter of the participants exercise in the hopes that it would make up for their alcohol abuse the night before. Here are some of the results from the survey:
• 28% of respondents exercise with the hopes of burning off alcohol from their bodies
• 20% admit that they consume double the alcohol that is safely recommended by doctors
• 19% of pollsters who exercise regularly and drink alcohol say they visit the gym or go swimming due to the guilt from drinking heavily the previous night. The percentage jumps to 28% for “heavier drinkers”
Though exercise is beneficial to your overall well-being, assist in managing your weight, and keeping your heart healthy, experts warn that it does not have any effect on counteracting binge drinking. No matter how much you exercise, it will not help in reversing the damaging effects alcohol has on your liver, or its contribution to cancer and strokes.
The public health minister of England, Gillian Merron states that a workout will not compensate for heavy drinking and that "damage from regularly drinking too much can slowly creep up and you won't see it until it's too late." The country’s health authorities are attempting to change the culture of heavy drinking during the weekends to improve the physical health of its people.
Coffee not the Key to Sobering Up
Some drinkers feel that drinking coffee accelerates their path to getting sober. However, not only does it not help you sober up, it could actually end up doing you harm. The effect caffeine produces is an illusion, making you think you are sober and coming to your normal senses, when in reality, it makes it more difficult to realize that you are intoxicated.
In a study performed by Temple University published in Behavioural Neuroscience, Dr. Thomas Gould reveals that the use of coffee and caffeine combined with alcohol could “actually lead to poor decisions with disastrous outcomes.” The tiring and relaxing effects of alcohol help people in acknowledging their drunkenness. Conversely, when you are more awake and alert due to caffeine, admitting this is harder and you may put yourself in potentially dangerous situations you normally would not be in, such as driving under the influence or physical confrontations.
The study used mice in mazes with avoidable stimuli, such as shocks, to help debunk the myth. The researchers gave some of the animals various combinations of alcohol and caffeine and others in the control group just a neutral saline solution. Here are the results:
• The mice that had only alcohol were relaxed, but were impaired in avoiding shocks
• Those that had only caffeine were more alert and jittery and were better able to avoid the shocks
• The group that consumed both alcohol and caffeine were alert and relaxed, but had little luck in avoiding the painful shocks
The research team concluded that drinking coffee may put those who are drunk in denial about their intoxication. The evidence suggests that the combination of overconsumption of alcohol with caffeine could lead to serious and hazardous risks.
Get Treatment If You Have a Problem with Alcohol
If you feel that you have a serious problem with or addiction to alcohol and want to stop searching for the miracle shortcut, get help today. Do not let your alcohol dependency cost you your health and affect others around you. We can help. Please call us at 866-540-5242.
