Beer Drinkers Don't Get Big Bellies, and Other Myths

You probably memorized many of these drinking tips before you could legally drink. Thing is, a number of them are false. In an article excerpted from New Scientist, the Washington Post busts a few myths ... and confirms a few others. Things that just aren't true:

• Coffee sobers you up: Caffeine can make you more alert, but it has no effect on your blood alcohol level. Worse, it could fool you into thinking you're more sober than you are.
• Liquor before beer, you're in the clear: There's no magical chemical interaction that makes hangovers better or worse. It just comes down to how much you drink.

• Beer drinkers will end up with big bellies: The Czechs down more beer per person than the inhabitants of any other country; a study of 2,000 of them found no link between the amount of beer downed and belly size.

And a truth:

• Champagne does get you more drunk than wine. A small study showed that the bubbles make a difference, though it's not entirely clear why. It could be because they open the stomach's pyloric valve, ushering alcohol into the intestine, and the blood stream, faster.

Click for more, including an explanation of why martinis shouldn't be stirred. (More drinking stories.)