At the same time, they do not think about what alcoholic drinks can and cannot be mixed.
In addition to holidays, there are also days when it is warm outside and you want to have a picnic, taking certain drinks with you.
If you care at least a little about your health, but at the same time you don’t want to give up alcohol for the holidays, it’s worth knowing what to drink, how to drink, what not to do, and where that very line is.
Is it possible to mix alcohol?
1. You cannot mix drinks that differ greatly in their production technology.
* Champagne cannot be mixed with vodka.
* Whiskey is never mixed with cognac.
* Vodka does not like to be next to beer, as well as unaged home-bottled wines.
2. Do not mix strong alcoholic drinks with such soft drinks like: fruit juices, mineral water and lemonade – all of them, when combined with alcohol, turn into “armor-piercing” cocktails.
3. Champagne does not like to be mixed with strong alcoholic drinks, such as vodka, cognac, rum or whiskey.
Mixing champagne with one of these drinks can lead to a quick and violent alcohol intoxication, and after it you are guaranteed a severe hangover.
It's all about the large number of gases contained in champagne. Its bubbles contain carbon dioxide - it irritates the mucous membrane of your stomach and significantly increases the level of absorption of alcohol into the blood.
4. Due to gases, you should also not drink alcohol with harmless soft carbonated drinks.
This means that vodka, cognac and whiskey should not be washed down with carbonated mineral water and sweet sodas.
How to take alcohol
5. Remember that when mixing different alcoholic drinks, you should pay more attention not to their strength, but to the difference in their biological activity.
For example, vodka is absorbed more slowly than wine, despite the fact that it is stronger.
Cognac has a strong influence on nervous system, and this influence is stronger than vodka or liqueur. And all because cognac contains tannins - a group of various water-soluble organic substances of the aromatic type.
6. It is very dangerous to take alcohol with energy drinks.
This combination sharply increases blood pressure - this is called a hypertensive crisis. Such sharp increases are fraught with hemorrhages in the brain and other organs.
Also, a mixture of alcohol and energy drinks can cause cardiac arrhythmia, seizures, disruption of normal kidney function and other health problems.
7. Vodka can be washed down with water and juices that do not contain sugar.
The sugar-free liquid reduces the level of ethanol breakdown on mucous membranes and also prevents dehydration. The vitamins contained in juices have the same effect. The main thing is that the drink does not contain sugar, since glucose, unlike fructose, competes with ethanol during breakdown.
8. What about downgrading?
There will be no harm if you dilute vodka with plain water (not carbonated). Many people lower their levels with colored drinks, but they contain quite a lot of toxins.
During a feast, if they want to lower the temperature, many people start with vodka and switch to wine, and this is a very bad idea. The point is that with the pirt takes over all metabolic reserves, after which the wine is no longer able to be absorbed normally. Because of this, poisoning by intermediate products occurs.
How alcohol affects a person
9. Alcohol and drugs
The combination of alcohol and drugs can be life-threatening. Here's what happens when you mix alcohol and various drugs:
Alcohol + aspirin - this combination can lead to stomach ulcers if the patient suffers from gastritis, and also if healthy man mixes these ingredients often.
Alcohol + caffeine – a mixture of these ingredients can lead to a hypertensive crisis and heart attack. The fact is that severe dehydration leads to a sharp decline blood pressure.
Alcohol + diuretics – can lead to low blood pressure for the same reason – severe dehydration.
Alcohol + insulin – may lead to coma due to diabetes mellitus a certain type. The fact is that alcohol blocks the synthesis of glucose from fats and proteins. Thus, theoretically there is a risk of low blood glucose. In practice, this does not greatly affect glucose levels, and yet it is not worth the risk.
Alcohol + sleeping pills – can lead to intoxication and coma (in case of overdose)
Alcohol + antibiotics – Some antibiotics can be fatal when mixed with alcohol. The instructions for such drugs describe this, so you should read it carefully, and it is better not to mix alcohol and antibiotics at all.
How to drink alcohol correctly
Na few useful tips finally:
To minimize the risk of intoxication with alcoholic beverages, one of the following schemes should be taken into account:
* drink each next glass at least 20 minutes after the previous one;
* reduce the number of approaches, i.e. It’s better to drink a little more 2-3 times, stretching the same amount throughout the evening;
* It’s better to drink between doses grape juice or eat honey;
* if bowel function is disrupted after a feast (i.e. you stop going to the toilet regularly), it is better to do an enema - it is more effective than laxatives.
* alcohol lasts in the human body for 2-3 days, but it is impossible to notice externally. According to doctors, if you drink small doses of alcohol every other day, withdrawal syndrome develops, accompanied by bad mood, insomnia, aggressiveness and vegetative disorders. All this can last up to 2 weeks.
People partially relieve this syndrome by drinking alcohol, and this is already called alcohol dependence. In the first phase, this dependence is mental, but later it turns into physical.
Morning with a hangover: is it possible to mix alcohol?
The New Year has just come into its own, and therefore many noisy feasts are still ahead. On these difficult days for the stomach and liver (as well as for the whole body!), we turn a blind eye to many “don’ts.”
One of these “don’ts” is the well-known rule - you can’t mix alcohol. And the reason for many is not that in this case you can get very drunk (although this also happens), but in the heavy morning hangover.
During New Year's holidays champagne is easily mixed with vodka, vodka with cognac, and cognac is often washed down with beer. And all this often happens for the reason that people go to visit, taking a certain amount of alcohol, which, however, quickly runs out.
In such cases, ideally, one should limit oneself, but, being in a state of light drinking, people usually easily agree to raise a glass of cognac after vodka, mixing it all with some champagne. In the morning, many bitterly regret such rashness.
But is it really not worth mixing one with the other? Or maybe it’s worth following the unspoken rule and going for a higher degree? Or are there other secrets that will allow you to get out of the festive alcoholic routine with minimal problems for your health?
Alcohol can be mixed, but how can you avoid a hangover?
At good quality, it's all about quantity
Back in the 70s of the last century, studies were conducted on how certain alcoholic drinks containing various ingredients affect the likelihood that a person will suffer from a hangover in the morning.
We are not just talking about the basic ingredients that are added to various alcoholic drinks as part of technological process, but also about the so-called congeners (derived compounds formed during the production process), the amount of which in different types alcohol - different.
Congeners also include the well-known notorious fusel oils. For example, it is no secret that good whiskey contains much more fusel oils than good vodka (we are not talking about the so-called “palenka”).
On the other hand, fusel oils are always present in some quantity in the finished drink, not only having an additional impact on the specific taste of the drink, but also largely determining it (which is why, in fact, many people like cognac, whiskey and other products).
As a result of the above studies, it has been proven that when it comes to good quality drinks, a key role in how bad your hangover will be in the morning and high level intoxication, it is not fusel oils and other congerens that play, no matter what you mix with. The main problem is the lack of measures.
A hangover in the morning cannot be avoided: why still can’t mix alcohol?
What prevents you from feeling the measure?
The severity of the hangover and feeling unwell due to alcohol intoxication The main influence is the amount of alcohol consumed the day before, as well as the period during which this amount of alcohol was consumed. These factors are decisive.
According to some data, the body of a healthy adult is capable of excreting about 10 grams of pure alcohol per hour. And if such a person consumes more than his body is able to process, then the likelihood of a hangover increases.
This is explained simply: during the process of metabolism, alcohol initially turns into acetaldehyde, which in its properties is similar to poisonous formaldehyde, and therefore is a sufficiently toxic substance to cause poisoning of the body. But is it only chemicals that precede a hangover?
Alcohol reduces the function of the prefrontal cortex, so when we drink alcohol, it reduces our ability to make decisions. This is the scientific explanation for the fact that a person who swore off “mixing vodka with beer today” suddenly, after a couple of glasses of the first, agrees to a glass or two of the second.
For the same reason, a drinking person begins to raise toasts more and more often. Thus, if you, having started the feast with vodka, suddenly switch to a lighter alcoholic drink (beer or wine), the likelihood that you will start drinking more and raising a glass more often increases.
This is confirmed by another study, the results of which show that people, while under the influence of alcohol and gradually increasing their consumption, tend to underestimate the amount they drink.
Thus, if the evening started with beer, then the transition to stronger drinks is usually (but not always, of course) carried out even when the person is in a clearer mind compared to someone who started drinking with vodka and then decided to switch for beer. Perhaps this confirms the well-known rule increase, not decrease, the degree.
The body feels a similar effect when the drinker mixes beer with wine. Wines are usually three times stronger than beer, and therefore, if you have the opportunity to choose where to start the evening, then you should start with beer.
However, there is another theory according to which beer and wine should not be mixed at all (as well as vodka with wine), supposedly because something made from grain cannot “get along” with something made from grapes.
At first glance, there is a grain of truth here, especially considering the fact that a hangover is affected not only by the amount of acetaldehyde, which poisons the body during the metabolism of alcohol, but also by changes in the level of hormones in the body under the influence of this or that alcohol.
However, the hangover process itself is quite complex (in every sense) and individual, and is also not fully understood, despite the fact that many have experienced it personally. Therefore, many researchers in this case insist that, as they say, it is not the wine and beer mixed in one evening that is to blame, but their quantity.
Why is the hangover worse in the morning if you mix alcohol in cocktails?
The above conclusion (which many consider to be a theory) is especially clearly confirmed when a person uses a large number of cocktails in one evening. Constantly changing shots and longs are enough to satisfy the hardest drinker. This is explained not so much by the fact that in their composition you can often find bourbon, whiskey, gin, rum, brandy and other drinks that differ high content congeners, how much and frequency of drinking. In addition, cocktails are rarely eaten as a snack.
An important factor is also the deceptively light and pleasant taste of cocktails, which makes us forget that we have the same alcoholic drink in front of us, causing the same (or even more severe) hangover.
Is it possible to mix alcohol with energy drinks?
Lately, lovers of noisy revelry (especially young people) like to combine alcohol with energy drinks. This topic becomes especially relevant on January 1 of this year, since the law banning the production and sale of low-alcohol energy drinks comes into force. Obviously, now lovers of such energy cocktails will begin to experiment with non-alcoholic energy drinks. The reason why alcohol mixes with energy drinks is that such cocktails supposedly allow you to stay drunk longer.
Such drinks seem to induce a subjective feeling of lack of alcohol intoxication, giving hope that a person can drink more without the known morning effects.
In fact, here we can talk about a kind of masking effect, when a person may not feel intoxicated for a long time while consuming alcoholic beverages. At the same time, the effect when a person is “covered” is only delayed. In this situation, a severe morning hangover cannot be avoided, as long as the drinker allows himself to consume more alcohol.
Another interesting observation: the results of a dozen studies are known that have clearly demonstrated that the reaction of a person who drank energy drinks with alcohol becomes even worse compared to those who drank pure alcoholic drinks.
So, by mixing alcoholic drinks with energy drinks, not only are you at greater risk of acetaldehyde poisoning due to the fact that you may drink more, but you are also at a higher risk of injury due to more inappropriate behavior.
Keeping it in moderation and not mixing alcohol are the most reliable ways to avoid a hangover in the morning
To summarize, we can say with confidence that a high concentration of alcohol in the blood is more likely to lead to alcohol poisoning and a severe hangover in the morning than the consumption of various alcoholic beverages in small quantities. On the other hand, if you mix alcoholic drinks (especially if you switch from high-proof to low-proof), a person tends to underestimate the level of his intoxication, which again can cause alcohol intoxication and a severe hangover.
As a rule, people tend to blame everything not on their excessive consumption of alcohol, but on the fact that they supposedly shouldn’t have mixed one with the other. In this way, a person tries to justify his inability to stop in time, his craving for alcohol abuse.
However, no one has yet conducted a targeted study of all types of alcohol to determine how random (accidental) mixing of drinks affects a person (with recording of the results).
That is why, in order to protect yourself from morning headaches and intoxication of the body, it is recommended not only not to overindulge in alcohol during these (and other) holidays, but also avoid mixing alcoholic drinks.
The site provides background information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases must be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. All drugs have contraindications. Consultation with a specialist is required!
Research shows Interaction of drugs and ethyl alcohol when used together. that alcohol is dangerous to use with any drugs, as it changes their effects. However, in some cases the adverse effect can be predicted.
Antibacterial drugs
Drinking alcohol while taking these medications weakens or neutralizes the effect of the medications. Alcohol in combination with certain substances can have more unpleasant consequences.
Nitrofurans and metronidazole
The enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase is responsible for processing alcohol in the body. Drugs from the nitrofuran group (furazolidone, nitrofurantoin, furadonin, furatsilin, furagin, nifuroxazide) and metronidazole block its production, and acetaldehyde, a product of intermediate oxidation, accumulates in the body. This leads to a disulfiram-ethanol reaction, which manifests itself as a severe hangover.
Cephalosporins
Antibiotics from the cephalosporin group (cefazolin, cephalexin, ceftolozane) inhibit the oxidation of alcohol, prolonging the state of intoxication and the toxic effects of alcohol.
Anti-tuberculosis drugs
Repeated use of alcohol increases the harmful effects of drugs on the liver.
Analgesics
Taking aspirin, amidopyrine, analgin, butadione and other drugs of this group with alcohol can lead to drug intolerance. The combination of alcohol with paracetamol and similar antipyretics causes severe liver damage.
Products for the cardiovascular system
The combined use of nitroglycerin, validol, sustak, erinite, nitrosorbide, verapamil and alcohol leads to a sharp drop in blood pressure combined with dizziness and nausea.
As for medications against hypertension, in the first hours alcohol stimulates their action due to its ability to dilate blood vessels. However, then stimulation of the nervous system with ethanol will cause the arterial blood pressure to rise even higher.
Sedative and sleeping pills
Alcohol enhances the effect of drugs, since both alcohol and drugs depress the central nervous system. This can lead to damage to the respiratory center in the brain and cessation of breathing, cardiac arrest and death.
Insulin
Alcohol reduces blood glucose levels, which, while taking insulin, which has the same effect, can lead to a hypoglycemic attack and coma. At the same time, studies show Impact of Alcohol on Glycemic Control and Insulin Action., that the risk zone is mainly for diabetics who are not eating enough.
Anticoagulants
Alcohol in combination with substances that prevent blood clotting - dicoumarin, phenylin and even banal aspirin - can lead to extensive bleeding and hemorrhages in internal organs, which can result in death.
2. Energy
Caffeine and other stimulants have Energy drink consumption in Europe: a review of the risks, adverse health effects, and policy options to respond. It has a stimulating effect on the nervous system, while alcohol has a depressant effect. Together, this mixture masks the real degree of intoxication, so the person drinks more alcohol than he can afford, which increases the load on the liver and other organs.
Among side effects cocktails of alcohol and energy drinks - increased blood pressure, cerebral vascular spasms, convulsions, stroke and heart attack.
3. Marinades
Pickled cucumbers and tomatoes are not as good as is commonly believed. Vinegar slows down the breakdown of alcohol in the body, which increases the toxic effects of ethanol on the liver and kidneys. Dehydration resulting from slow processing of alcohol causes an additional blow to these organs.
4. Desserts and sweets
This item includes not only cakes, pastries, and sweets, but also fruits and berries with a high content of simple sugars.
Alcohol has practically zero nutritional value and high energy, so the body breaks it down immediately. Sugars compete with alcohol in the processing queue, so the breakdown of alcohol slows down, and the time of its toxic effect on the body increases. This may lead to poisoning.
Do not forget that alcohol is dangerous not only in special combinations, but also on its own. According to Alcohol consumption According to the World Health Organization, alcohol is responsible for 5.9% of global deaths and 5.1% of illnesses and injuries. Therefore, you should drink alcoholic beverages with caution, even in relatively safe combinations.
Research shows Interaction of drugs and ethyl alcohol when used together. that alcohol is dangerous to use with any drugs, as it changes their effects. However, in some cases the adverse effect can be predicted.
Antibacterial drugs
Drinking alcohol while taking these medications weakens or neutralizes the effect of the medications. Alcohol in combination with certain substances can have more unpleasant consequences.
Nitrofurans and metronidazole
The enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase is responsible for processing alcohol in the body. Drugs from the nitrofuran group (furazolidone, nitrofurantoin, furadonin, furatsilin, furagin, nifuroxazide) and metronidazole block its production, and acetaldehyde, a product of intermediate oxidation, accumulates in the body. This leads to a disulfiram-ethanol reaction, which manifests itself as a severe hangover.
Cephalosporins
Antibiotics from the cephalosporin group (cefazolin, cephalexin, ceftolozane) inhibit the oxidation of alcohol, prolonging the state of intoxication and the toxic effects of alcohol.
Anti-tuberculosis drugs
Repeated use of alcohol increases the harmful effects of drugs on the liver.
Analgesics
Taking aspirin, amidopyrine, analgin, butadione and other drugs of this group with alcohol can lead to drug intolerance. The combination of alcohol with paracetamol and similar antipyretics causes severe liver damage.
Products for the cardiovascular system
The combined use of nitroglycerin, validol, sustak, erinite, nitrosorbide, verapamil and alcohol leads to a sharp drop in blood pressure combined with dizziness and nausea.
As for medications against hypertension, in the first hours alcohol stimulates their action due to its ability to dilate blood vessels. However, then stimulation of the nervous system with ethanol will cause the arterial blood pressure to rise even higher.
Sedative and sleeping pills
Alcohol enhances the effect of drugs, since both alcohol and drugs depress the central nervous system. This can lead to damage to the respiratory center in the brain and cessation of breathing, cardiac arrest and death.
Insulin
Alcohol reduces blood glucose levels, which, while taking insulin, which has the same effect, can lead to a hypoglycemic attack and coma. At the same time, studies show Impact of Alcohol on Glycemic Control and Insulin Action., that the risk zone is mainly for diabetics who are not eating enough.
Anticoagulants
Alcohol in combination with substances that prevent blood clotting - dicoumarin, phenylin and even banal aspirin - can lead to extensive bleeding and hemorrhages in internal organs, which can result in death.
2. Energy
Caffeine and other stimulants have Energy drink consumption in Europe: a review of the risks, adverse health effects, and policy options to respond. It has a stimulating effect on the nervous system, while alcohol has a depressant effect. Together, this mixture masks the real degree of intoxication, so the person drinks more alcohol than he can afford, which increases the load on the liver and other organs.
Side effects of a cocktail of alcohol and energy drinks include increased blood pressure, cerebral vascular spasms, seizures, stroke and heart attack.
3. Marinades
Pickled cucumbers and tomatoes are not as good as is commonly believed. Vinegar slows down the breakdown of alcohol in the body, which increases the toxic effects of ethanol on the liver and kidneys. Dehydration resulting from slow processing of alcohol causes an additional blow to these organs.
4. Desserts and sweets
This item includes not only cakes, pastries, and sweets, but also fruits and berries with a high content of simple sugars.
Alcohol has practically zero nutritional value and high energy value, so the body breaks it down immediately. Sugars compete with alcohol in the processing queue, so the breakdown of alcohol slows down, and the time of its toxic effect on the body increases. This may lead to poisoning.
Do not forget that alcohol is dangerous not only in special combinations, but also on its own. According to Alcohol consumption According to the World Health Organization, alcohol is responsible for 5.9% of global deaths and 5.1% of illnesses and injuries. Therefore, you should drink alcoholic beverages with caution, even in relatively safe combinations.
When drinking alcohol, you need to know not only your limit, but also the strength of certain alcoholic drinks, their production technology, as well as the effect they can have on the body when mixed. Otherwise fun party risks turning into a real hell.
Vodka + champagne or beer
Drinking champagne or beer together with vodka can result in rapid intoxication, and, consequently, loss of control over oneself and one’s actions, as well as a subsequent severe hangover. The fact is that champagne and beer contain carbon dioxide, which significantly reduces the time it takes for alcohol to be absorbed into the blood. Once on the gastric mucosa, the carbonated drink foams and thereby increases the rate of liquid absorption. Moreover, this happens not only in the stomach, but also continues in the intestines.
This is why you should not mix vodka with any carbonated drinks. Most often, the consequence of consuming these explosive mixtures is intoxication of the body, which is accompanied by headache, dizziness, nausea and apathy.
However, beer goes well with whiskey made from barley. The secret of such a tandem is simple: the same raw materials are used for the production of such whiskey, as for the production of beer. That is why the ingredients of these drinks have practically no effect on each other.
Wine + beer
Wine and beer are also not recommended to be consumed together. Even the old English proverb reminds us of this: “It’s either the grapes or the grain.” And indeed it is different technology The production of these drinks is the root cause of the morning hangover: wine is made from grapes, and beer is made from grain.
If you alternate a glass of wine with a glass of beer, then, most likely, you will soon begin to feel sick. And those who have a stronger stomach will have a terrible hangover in the morning. The fact is that wine has an acidic reaction, and therefore irritates the gastric mucosa, helping to reduce its protective properties. And beer, saturated with carbon dioxide, only accelerates and aggravates this process.
Whiskey + cognac
Whiskey and cognac are also diametrically opposed drinks. The first is made from grain raw materials, and the second from grape alcohol. And the strength of whiskey and cognac is somewhat different. So the strength of whiskey is 39-40 degrees, and the strength of cognac is 40-42 degrees. For alcoholic beverages this is a significant difference. Hence the severe hangover and gloomy morning.
Vodka + wine
Real wine is made exclusively from natural ingredients, the main one of which, undoubtedly, is grapes. This is why wine is absorbed faster into the gastric mucosa. While vodka penetrates the blood much more slowly. This is where the insidiousness of this combination lies. Wine, being not a very strong drink, does not give such intoxication as vodka. Changing a glass with a shot glass may make you feel like you're not getting drunk. In fact, wine will already begin its work, and vodka will make itself known much later. And then, when both alcoholic drinks begin to act, you will quickly go to nirvana. And the next morning, and perhaps the whole next day, is unlikely to be joyful for you.
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