What do you know about Booze?

Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

What do you know about Alcohol?

Are the following True or False?

Alcohol has been used as a medicine.
Alcohol was used for centuries as a medicine in childbirth, sedation, and surgery.
Alcohol is digested in the same way that food is digested.
Alcohol is unique because it requires no digestion. It can be absorbed directly from the stomach, and even more rapidly from the small intestine.
Moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages is generally not harmful to the body.
Some studies show that moderate drinkers (those drinking no more than one to two drinks a day) tend to be at less risk for heart attacks than abstainers or heavy drinkers. However, it's not recommended that you start drinking for health benefits.
An estimated 85% of the adult Americans who drink are alcohol abusers.
Of the adult Americans who drink, approximately 15% abuse alcohol. The majority of people who drink do so in a responsible manner which does not lead to alcohol-related problems.
The 15% of drinkers who abuse alcohol account for far more than half of alcohol sales.
Alcoholic beverages do not provide weight-increasing calories.
Alcohol does contain calories:
- alcohol contains 7 calories per gram
- carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram
- fat contains 9 calories per gram
A blood alcohol concentration of 0.10% is the legal definition of alcohol intoxication in most states with respect to driving.
The blood alcohol concentration limit is 0.08% in some states. In Sweden it is 0.05%. Driving ability can be significantly impaired well below 0.10% BAC. For most people, a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05% doubles their risk of having a car crash. A chart of BAC limits by US state is provided by the National Commission Against Drunk Driving.
Alcohol is not a drug.
Alcohol is a drug. It has been used by most societies and cultures throughout history. It is our most used and most abused recreational drug.
Approximately 10% of fatal highway accidents are alcohol-related.
About half of fatal highway accidents are alcohol-related.
Eating while drinking slows the absorption of alcohol in the body.
Eating before and while drinking slows down the passage of alcohol from the stomach to the small intestine. Because 80% of the alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream from the small intestine, having food in the stomach that absorbs some of the alcohol will help slow absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream.
It takes about as many hours as the number of beers drunk for the liver to completely burn up the alcohol ingested.
Alcohol is metabolized by the liver at the rate of approximately one drink an hour. One drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof liquor.
Few women become alcoholics.
Alcohol is considered a stimulant.
The most commonly drunk alcoholic beverages in the United States are distilled liquors (e.g., whiskey, gin, vodka).
To prevent a hangover, one should sip one's drink slowly, eat while drinking, have no more than one drink an hour, and not over-drink one's limit.
"Proof" on a bottle of liquor represents half the percent of alcohol contained in the bottle.
Alcohol consumption improves sexual performance.
A person cannot become an alcoholic by just drinking beer.
Drinking milk before alcohol slows down the absorption of alcohol into the body because it coats the stomach.
Responsible drinking can contribute to a state of relaxation, enhanced social interactions, and a feeling of well-being.
Drinking coffee or taking a cold shower can be an effective way of decreasing blood alcohol levels.

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Updated June 20, 1997

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