Alcohol is one of the most commonly used and abused substances. This is mainly due to the fact that it’s legal and easily accessible. As a result, many people think that it takes much more than it does to develop an alcohol addiction. In fact, there are many myths about alcohol in general.
So that you aren’t fooled into believing these myths, we’ve listed some of the top alcohol myths in this article. Get ready for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth when it comes to alcohol!
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Common Myths About Alcohol
There is a wide range of common myths about alcohol. These myths include everything from beliefs about what a person can safely do while inebriated to myths behind alcohol strength. But, there are many more myths out there.
1. I Can Drink and Still Be in Control
One common myth about alcohol is that people that drink it can still be completely in control of their actions. Some think this even when they’re drinking large amounts of it. This is a myth because by design alcohol impairs judgment.
Therefore, if you drink a large amount of alcohol, you won’t be in full control of your actions. This applies regardless of how good you still feel after drinking. In fact, it’s been shown that when drinking alcohol, people’s critical decision-making abilities have been diminished long before they’re drunk.
2. Drinking Isn’t All That Dangerous
Because of how accessible alcohol is, many people forget that it’s a highly addictive substance. This is partly due to the fact that alcohol causes chemical changes in the brain.
People with alcohol use disorders are also dependent on alcohol. Therefore, they experience severe withdrawal symptoms whenever they minimize or discontinue alcohol use. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms and addiction can be so severe that they can cause people to also suffer from heart disease, permanent damage to the liver and other organs, and even death.
There are many other risks that can occur due to drinking alcohol. Some of these risks include impaired driving, unintentional injuries, violence, risky sexual behaviors, suicide attempts, and overdoses. Thus, it’s safe to say that drinking alcohol excessively can be quite dangerous.
3. I Can Sober Up Quickly If I Need To
One of the common myths about alcohol is that people can sober up quickly from it at their own will. This myth is partly due to the misconception that alcohol is a light substance that people can easily control the effects of. Unfortunately, the opposite is true.
There is little that a person can do to quicken the speed at which he or she sobers up from alcohol. This is because the speed at which a person sobers up mainly depends on his or her gender and weight. In fact, it takes about two hours for the average adult body to eliminate alcohol content from a single drink. Thus, no amount of showering, food, caffeine, or anything else will make much of a difference in that process.
4. It’s Alright for Me to Drink to Keep Up With the Guys
This is a common myth about alcohol amongst women. This myth occurs because many women are unaware of how gender can impact how much alcohol a person can tolerate.
The female body processes alcohol differently than the male body does. As a result, consuming the same amount of alcohol causes the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in the average female body to be higher than that in the average male body. Therefore, women shouldn’t try to drink as much as their guy friends.
5. Beer Doesn’t Have As Much Alcohol As Hard Liquor
This is a common myth about alcohol because people often don’t stop to think about the amount of alcohol that’s in an alcoholic drink of a certain size. For example, the average 12-ounce bottle of beer has about the same amount of alcohol in it as the average 5-ounce glass of wine.
Furthermore, both standard sizes of these alcoholic beverages contain as much alcohol in them as the average 1.5 ounce shot of liquor. Therefore, if you plan on drinking a beer, assume that it contains the same amount of alcohol as the average shot of liquor or the average glass of wine.
6. I’ll Be Better Off If I Learn to Hold My Liquor
While it may not seem so, there are many advantages to being a lightweight. One is that lightweights are less likely to develop alcohol use disorders. This is because not being able to drink a lot shows that you don’t have a high alcohol tolerance. This is a good thing as people with high alcohol tolerances tend to start abusing more and more alcohol to get drunk until they develop an alcohol addiction.
Many people with high alcohol tolerances also tend to abuse alcohol so much that they start to develop health issues such as heart disease, liver disease, etc. Thus, there’s no need to try to learn how to hold your liquor better. The main thing you need to know to drink as an adult is your personal alcohol limit.
7. I Can Drive After I Have a Few Drinks
Many people may not realize it, but the effects of alcohol start occurring before most people feel its symptoms. For example, a mild alcohol impairment can have negative effects on a person’s speech, memory, attention, coordination, and balance. Even critical decision-making abilities and driving-related skills are impaired when drinking alcohol before a person shows signs of intoxication.
Thus, if you’ve had a few drinks, it’s better to be safe than sorry and not drive. Otherwise, your BAC level could increase as you’re driving and cause you to get in a fatal car crash.
8. Only Degenerates Suffer from Alcoholism
One stigma that surrounds many substance use disorders, including alcoholism, is that people that develop them are dumb degenerates that are lazy, crazy, or homeless. This myth couldn’t be further from the truth, though. The reality is that anyone of any socio-economic class can develop an alcohol use disorder.
9. Alcoholism is a Choice
Many people think that alcoholism is a choice, and thus alcoholism can be avoided. But who in their right minds would choose to be an alcoholic? No one. That’s because alcoholism is a disease that anyone who drinks is capable of developing if under the right circumstances.
There is a combination of factors that can influence a person’s development of alcoholism. Some of these factors include genetics, family history with alcohol use, and the age at which a person first starts drinking.
The Truth: Alcoholism is a Medical Disorder
Regardless of what combination of factors causes a person to develop alcoholism, once a person does develop this disorder, he or she can’t stop drinking without professional help. This is partly due to the fact that people that suffer from alcohol use disorders experience chemical changes in their brains.
These chemical changes cause people to crave alcohol more and more. It also doesn’t help that people that suffer from alcohol use disorders experience severe withdrawal symptoms anytime they minimize or discontinue their use of the substance.
Because of all the physical and mental changes that alcohol use disorders cause people to have, people that suffer from alcoholism need to receive professional treatment and even withdrawal medications to get better. That’s why medical detox and alcohol addiction treatment programs are so necessary.
10. You Can Cure Alcoholism
It’s important that people know that alcoholism is a lifelong illness. Thus, individuals that receive alcohol addiction treatment at rehab facilities, such as Phoenix Rising Recovery, will need to proactively use the coping mechanisms that they learned in rehab to maintain sobriety. Individuals in recovery from alcohol addiction that want to maintain their sobriety long-term should also attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings and other forms of support groups and addiction therapy.
Overcome Alcohol Addiction At Phoenix Rising Recovery
Phoenix Rising Recovery is a high-quality addiction treatment center that’s located in beautiful Palm Desert, California. Here at Phoenix Rising Recovery, we offer addiction treatment programs for individuals that are specialized by substance. That means that people with alcohol addictions can attend special Phoenix Rising rehab programs that cater to the needs of alcoholics specifically. Other substances that we here at Phoenix Rising Recovery offer specialized addiction treatment programs for include benzodiazepines, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, opiates and opioids, plus more.
Here at Phoenix Rising Recovery, we strive to provide each of our patients with addiction treatment programs that fit his or her exact needs. This means providing them with not only addiction treatment programs that are specialized by substance, but also rehab programs that are individualized by a patient’s needs.
Phoenix Rising also provides patients with recovery options that truly revitalize their minds and bodies. That way both the addictions and their underlying causes get treated.
To learn more about the addiction treatment programs, therapies, and services that we offer here at Phoenix Rising Recovery, contact us today! We would love to hear from you!
References:
https://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/specialfeatures/alcoholmyths.aspx
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