Beer before liquor? Busting 6 popular myths about hangovers

Hangover cures are a dime a dozen. Guzzle a few raw eggs. Take an aspirin before bed. Chug a beer in the morning.

These remedies promise to banish some of the nasty symptoms that can come with drinking way too much alcohol: headache, nausea, vertigo, anxiety — or all of the above.

But is there truth to any of these claims? Unfortunately, no, says Dr. Ryan Marino, a medical toxicologist and an emergency physician at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. “I wish there was some magic drink everyone could have, but there isn’t.”

The only surefire way to prevent a hangover is to abstain from drinking, he says. And once you have a hangover, the only thing that will get you over it is time.

If you plan to drink alcohol and want to reduce potential symptoms, practice moderation, he says. That means limiting your alcohol intake to one drink a day or less for women, and two drinks a day or less for men, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Experts break down the science behind six common hangover myths — and explain how alcohol affects your body.

Myth: All hangovers are the same.

The symptoms and severity of your hangover — like your alcohol tolerance — depends on many factors, says Marino. That includes age, weight, gender, ethnicity, family history, nutritional status, smoker status, mood, health conditions or whether you’re taking any medications.

“Your hangover is going to be different from everyone else you know,” he says. For example, while one person might experience headaches and vomiting after just one drink, another might throw back whiskey gingers all night and wake up feeling tired but otherwise unscathed.

In fact, some people may not experience any symptoms. According to one study, about 25% of people who drink to intoxication don’t have hangovers at all.

The length of hangovers can also vary. They can last 24 hours or longer depending on how much you drank, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Myth: You can prevent a hangover by drinking water or using hydration supplements.

Alcohol increases urine production, so it’s true that dehydration can often contribute to the hurt of a hangover.

But that’s only one symptom of over-imbibing, says Marino. Drinking can cause inflammation, gastrointestinal irritation, disrupted sleep and low blood sugar. It also exposes you to acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct produced when your body metabolizes alcohol, that can damage your cells and tissues.

Don’t expect products like sports drinks, vitamin-infused patches or hydration packets to work any miracles before or after a night on the town, says Marino. While they may keep you hydrated, they likely won’t address any other hangover symptoms.

But drinking water or other hydrating beverages during a night out is still a good idea, he says. It can help you practice moderation and remind you to space out your drinks.

Myth: A “hair of the dog” can stop a hangover in its tracks.

Some people think that a “hair of the dog,” an alcoholic beverage consumed the morning after a night of heavy drinking, can help cure a hangover.

It may offer some temporary relief by raising your alcohol levels and masking symptoms like jitteriness or anxiety, says Marino. “But your hangover is just going to be pushed down the road.”

A hangover can be a mild form of alcohol withdrawal, according to the NIAAA. Hangover symptoms peak — and likely, feel their worst — when the body’s blood alcohol concentration returns to zero.

Eventually, that bloody mary you had at brunch will leave your system, and you’ll have to deal with the aftermath. You’re not doing yourself any favors by piling on, says Marino.

Myth: Beer before liquor, never been sicker. Liquor before beer, in the clear.

Some people swear by this adage. But in general, it’s not the order of alcohol that determines the severity of your hangover, says Marino. It’s how much you consume.

You’re likely to drink more alcohol in a shorter amount of time if you kick off your night with hard liquor, he says. It makes you inebriated faster — and you may feel inclined to drink more than you would slowly sipping a beer.

Some kinds of liquors may make hangovers more unpleasant. According to research, dark liquors like bourbon and brandy contain higher levels of congeners, or the chemicals produced during the fermentation process that give an alcohol its distinctive taste, smell and color. Generally speaking, the more congeners an alcohol has, the worse the hangover is likely to be.

Myth: Taking painkillers before bed can help you get ahead of hangover symptoms.

While it’s a common practice to reach for over-the-counter pain relievers to try and minimize your headache in the morning, Marino says you could potentially do a lot more harm than good.

Consuming just one alcoholic drink a day with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil, Aleve or aspirin can increase your risk of gastrointestinal bleeding by 37%, according to the NIAAA.

When you combine alcohol with drugs containing acetaminophen, like Tylenol, you run the risk of liver damage, according to the NIAAA. Ingesting too much of one or both substances can be toxic to the liver. For that reason, the Food and Drug Administration advises against drinking when taking any medicine that includes acetaminophen.

If you’re taking any type of medication, proceed with caution, says Marino. “Even if your medication doesn’t have a label that says ‘Do not take with alcohol’, that doesn’t mean you can’t be affected.”

Myth: Hangover symptoms are physical.

It can also affect your mental health. Drinking too much can make you feel overwhelmed, irritated or on edge. And there’s a term for it that’s been trending on social media: “hangxiety.”

While alcohol can initially have a calming effect, your body can rebound as it leaves your system, causing a surge in adrenaline, a racing heartbeat or feelings of worry or stress, says Dr. Nzinga Harrison, a physician specializing in psychiatry and addiction medicine.

It’s a tricky symptom to identify. You can experience hangxiety after even just one drink, says Harrison. And “it can come before physical symptoms or without physical symptoms at all.”

To combat hangxiety, Harrison suggests doing activities to bring down your adrenaline levels, like mindfulness and meditation, and bring up your dopamine — like spending time with friends and getting lots of sunshine.

And while the only way to fully prevent hangxiety and hangovers is to abstain from alcohol, she says it helps to go into social situations in the best possible headspace. Before you go to that party, drink water, eat well and make sure you’re surrounded by people who make you feel positive and connected.

“All of that biologically and psychologically may not prevent the hangxiety entirely, but will decrease the severity of the hangxiety,” says Harrison.

A quick note: If alcohol is causing you stress or harm, seek medical advice. There are a variety of treatments, including counseling, medications and support groups, to help people who want to end that dependency. This includes Alcoholics Anonymous, which has helped countless people. This NIAAA guide can help you find a program that’s right for you.

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The digital story was edited by Malaka Gharib. The visual producer is Beck Harlan.

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