Did You Know?
- How is alcohol produced?
- How long does alcohol stay in the body?
- Can drinking water, tea, or other drinks help a drunk person sober up?
- Can sleeping reduce alcohol concentration?
- How much alcohol is too much?
- What are the possible effects of drinking?
- Are there any health benefits to alcohol?
- Why can men drink more than women?
- Why do some drinkers flush? Is it because of alcohol allergy?
- Is there any situation where one may have a raised alcohol level when one has not drunk?
Q1 |
How is alcohol produced? |
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A1
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Alcohol, also called ethanol, is produced from sugar or starch contained in fruits, vegetables, grains and plants which were broken down by yeast during the process known as fermentation. For example, wine, champagne and sparkling wine are produced by fermentation of the natural sugars present in grapes while beer is produced by fermentation of grain starches. An additional process, distillation, is required to produce spirits. The distillation process purifies the alcohol obtained through fermentation and then through condensation transforms it into spirits, such as whisky, gin, grappa, vodka, brandy and rum.  Back to top |
Q2 |
How long does alcohol stay in the body? |
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A2
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Alcohol lingers in the body longer than one might think as elimination of alcohol from the body is a very slow process and there’s no way to speed it up. Alcohol may take only a few minutes to be absorbed into the bloodstream and start acting on the brain. Absorption rate is further increased when drinking on empty stomach or when consuming drinks made with mixers. Back to top |
Q3 |
Can drinking water, tea, or other drinks help a drunk person sober up? |
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A3
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No, there’s no trick to counter the effect of alcohol. Only time can sober up a person. The duration of time it takes to break down alcohol in the blood depends on the amount of alcohol consumed. The more you have consumed, the longer you have to wait. Back to top |
Q4 |
Can sleeping reduce alcohol concentration? |
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A4
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No. It is difficult to know when the alcohol level returns to normal and alcohol concentration can remain high after sleeping. Back to top |
Q5 |
How much alcohol is too much? |
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A5
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There’s no general guideline as to how much a person can drink. The alcohol absorption rate in one’s blood varies, depending on a number of factors including gender, age, weight, metabolism, health condition and the type of drink. Back to top |
Q6 |
What are the possible effects of drinking? |
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A6
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Drinking could impair judgment of speed and distance, slow down reaction time and affect co-ordination of the body’s movements. It could also blur vision and give a false sense of confidence. Back to top |
Q7 |
Are there any health benefits to alcohol? |
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A7
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Moderate drinking could in fact be beneficial to health. According to the World Health Organisation, a low to moderate level of alcohol consumption may offer protection against coronary heart disease. Back to top |
Q8 |
Why can men drink more than women? |
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A8
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Women are affected by alcohol more rapidly because they tend to have a slightly higher proportion of fat to lean muscle tissue, thus concentrating alcohol a little more easily in their lower percentage of body water. They also have less of an enzyme (dehydrogenase) that metabolises or breaks down alcohol. Hormonal changes during their menstrual cycle might also affect alcohol absorption to some degree. Back to top |
Q9 |
Why do some drinkers flush? Is it because of alcohol allergy? |
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A9
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Many Asians experience facial flushing after consuming alcohol, even in very small amounts. The reaction is caused by a genetic disorder in which the body is unable to break down alcohol completely. There is no relationship between alcohol level and flushing. Allergies to alcohol are rare but some people do experience unpleasant side effects from drinking alcohol. These unpleasant reactions are not typically allergy-like, but may be more related to food allergies or alcohol intolerance. You could be allergic to ingredients in alcohol, such as various grains in beer, grapes in wine, yeast or other substances added during production, such as sulfur dioxide. Back to top |
Q10 |
Is there any situation where one may have a raised alcohol level when one has not drunk? |
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A10
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When a diabetic patient has a very high sugar level or when someone uses mouth gargles, there is a possibility that the alcohol level may arise without drinking alcohol. The diabetic condition will be obvious with measurement of blood sugar while the alcoholic breath in mouth gargles will be found to fall with time. Back to top |