Your love-hate relation with alcohol is an on going-affair. First, you were into partying every night. Then you realized the futility of it all and restricted the partying to just weekends. The Monday hangover: you accepted it as part and parcel of your living. But then there are some myths and theories that don’t support the voice in your head telling you to not drink too much. These myths about alcohol should be busted soon. We have attempted a list of alcohol myths and facts for the very reason:

Myth 1: A nightcap helps you sleep better.

Fact: The only thing a glass of that precious wine or a shot of tequila is going to do is give you a massive hangover when you wake up the next day. There is no connection between alcohol and curing insomnia. On the other hand, alcohol is responsible for causing many symptoms related to sleep apnea.

Myth 2: Consuming too much beer gives you a beer belly.

Fact: Your lack of six packs has always been blamed on the beer drinking for a long time. While beer is, in fact, loaded with a lot of calories. It is most probably those heavy cheeseburgers that you ate during your drunken state of mind that is responsible for the massive protrusion in your belly.

Myth 3: Aspirin cures a hangover.

Fact: One of the terrible effects of drinking alcohol are the hangovers. It is common to see people taking aspirin either before they are off for a drink or before they call it a night. Asprin helps in the sense that it causes a placebo effect. So when the real pain of a hangover begins the aspirin is of no use. On the other hand, aspirin makes things worse by thinning the lining of your stomach.

Myth 4: Alcohol kills brain cells.

Reality: From all the other alcohol myths this is the easiest to believe, otherwise how would you explain those post-drinking SMS’s to your ex that makes you cringe till this day. But the truth is that a good drink will temporarily damage the feelers that send a message to your brain cells (dendrites), but as soon as you are sober you and your brain is back to normal.

Myth 5: Way to beat a hangover is have more drinks.

Fact: Probably the most ridiculous of all myths about alcohol. When you are drunk and have a ridiculous hangover, and you go ahead and have another drink. It will only land up aggravating that already thudding hangover. So you can get prepared for a 10 times more powerful hangover now along with alcohol addiction treatment that will soon be on the cards for you.

Myth 6: Older the wine, better the experience.

Fact: Blame it on the old Hollywood movies where the actors will go into the old wine cellar full of cobwebs and pour in their glasses a century old wine and relish it like it has been the best thing that they have tasted. In reality, the only thing that old wine does is mix the flavors well so the wine can taste stronger. Funnily, the older the wine gets the anti-oxidants in it get considerably reduced. So its time to do away with those ‘you age like wine’ complements.

Myth 7: Alcohol warms you up.

Fact: It is known that every time you take a shot of that tequila drink or taste that scrumptious wine you feel warm all over. But, it’s not because the alcohol is making your temperature rise in any way. What it is doing is making the blood rise to the surface, making you feel warm while dropping the temperature from within.

Myth 8: Getting drunk results in better sex.

Fact: One of the effects of alcohol is it makes you go flaccid in the middle of the act. Even if alcohol enhances the confidence by lowering your inhibitions it is all going to be in vain if it is eventually going to lead to disappointment.

Myth 9: Get through the breathalyzer test by sucking on pennies.

Fact: So you have decided to hit the road after having a few drinks only to get busted by the cops. Serves you well. You hatch plan where you can fail that breathalyzer test by putting some copper pennies in your mouth. While it is true that copper absorbs alcohol content, there are two issues. One, there is hardly any copper content in a coin and two, where are you going to hide the coin in you mouth during the test?

Myth 10: Absinthe is not a drink but a drug.

Fact: Contrary to the popular belief, absinthe is looked down upon because of the popularity it enjoyed at one point. The drink was dirt cheap that led people to drink more and also hallucinate more. In fact, it is your everyday run of the mill booze.

This list of alcohol myths and facts should make you an intelligent drinker. One should be aware of the grave effects of drinking alcohol and should practice drinking responsibly. If you realize that your drinking is getting out of hand, remember that it is never too late to go in for alcohol addiction treatment.