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If you are trying to figure out how to sober up fast, this is the perfect article. Read more to find out how to sober up fast, and how to drink responsibly.
How to sober up fast is a question to which the answer is very subjective. It could depend upon a lot of factors.
1. What Happens When You Sober Up?
When you are figuring out how to sober up fast, you are trying to reduce the effects of alcohol. It is a short-term process. However, it is different from sobriety, which is a long-term process to remove drugs or alcohol.
1.1. Drinking Coffee
Many of our friends suggest drinking strong coffee as one of the ways to sober up fast. Does coffee work?
No! It doesn’t sober you up any sooner. The blood alcohol level doesn’t decrease. When you have a hangover, it just makes you more aware and alert.
You will be awake but not less intoxicated. You will be slightly impaired, especially in your judgment and thinking ability for the time being.
It is advisable that it is dangerous to drink coffee after your drinking spree and drive home. However, you will feel that you are ready to drive, but you are not.
To learn more about coffee and its benefits, click here.
1.2. Fast Cold Shower
You may wonder what how to sober up fast got to do with having a shower. It is another myth that taking cold showers will reduce the blood alcohol level. No, it doesn’t; it will make you alert for some time. The sudden rush of cold water on your skin will wake you up from a deep slumber, but it does nothing to sober you up.
Also, a few people could collapse or go into shock or have a heart attack.
1.3. Drink a Glass of Water – Hydration
Coffee, alcohol, and soda -these all dehydrate you. Headache is a sign of dehydration. So to reduce dehydration, drink a lot of water.
So drinking a glass of water should help in bringing the hangover down. However, it doesn’t help in sobering up. To learn more about drinking water, click here.
1.4. Sleeping
You are giving your body rest after a drinking spree is a must. Sleeping will flush the alcohol out of the system. You should at least sleep for 8 hours. It is imperative that you sleep on your side and not on your back.
1.5. Eating Something
The best way to sober up quickly is to have something edible to eat. Food brings down the blood alcohol level to an extent and slows down the amount of time it takes for the alcohol to be absorbed in the system.
1.6. Exercising
There is no scientific backing to this that exercising makes you alert. It has been said that it will help the body to wake. It will metabolize the alcohol faster but still, your body will be impaired.
1.7. Throwing Up?
Many people throw up after drinking. It doesn’t help in bringing down the blood alcohol level, though. Also, throwing up dehydrates the body, so throwing up isn’t the best option.
1.8. Taking Supplements
After drinking, there is the production of toxic substances in our bodies. These toxic 1substances strain the liver, and you have to work hard to get rid of them.
Supplements like vitamins and minerals do not reduce the alcohol level, but they help gain the nutrients that got lost from the body due to the effect of alcohol.
2. Ways to Avoid Getting Too Drunk
2.1 Counting Your Drinks
It is an obvious thing that you could avoid all the how-to sober up fast only if you could keep a tab on your drinks and time them well, and stop drinking.
It so happens that the majority of us lose count of the drinks. It is always better to take a sober friend with you or take a pen and write it down or have an app to remind you after a particular set of drinks.
2.2 Adjust Your Drinks
You could choose drinks that have low alcohol content, like Breezer. It is better to avoid mixing drinks. Also, avoid doing shots as they are hard liquor and can get you drunk fast.
2.3 Slow Down
To avoid getting drunk, it is better to slow down your drinks. Stick to one glass per hour. Also, in between, try drinking water, and juice. This way, it helps the liver to break down alcohol.
If your pace of having drinks is fine, you may not have to worry about how to sober up fast.
2.4 Mixing Drinks
If you mix various types of alcoholic drinks, your blood alcohol level will rise, making you feel and appear intoxicated quickly. So it’s better to stick to one kind of drink.
3. Ways to Drink Safely
Before we dive into how to sober up fast, it is essential to drink safely because after drinking, we are exposed to so many hazards, leading to accidents. So it is better to take the necessary precautions.
The best way to drink alcohol is to do it in moderation. It means not drinking more than one drink per day for women and 2 per day for men.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a woman is drinking more than four drinks, and a man is drinking more than five drinks in 2 hours. It is considered binge drinking and not at all safe.
1. After drinking, it is better not to drive any vehicle as there are high chances of getting into an accident.
2. After drinking, always take a cab or have someone drive you home
3. It is advised to not drink on an empty stomach
4. Never take any medications with alcohol. It is very dangerous, and if these are mixed, and can lead to a medical emergency.
In general, everyone‘s capacity is different. It all depends on height, weight, stress levels, BMI2, and sex. While sobering up, time is the best healer. However, it is always better to lower your alcohol intake if you have something important event to attend.
Also, it is advisable not to drive the next day as you are still tired and lethargic.
4. Effects of Alcohol on Your Body
It isn’t enough to know how to sober up fast. Along with it, you should know the effects of alcohol on your body.
When you drink alcohol, it goes through quickly into your bloodstream and hits every part of your body. First, it affects your brain, kidney, lungs, and liver. It also depends on the age, gender, and weight of the body.
4.1 Bloodstream
When alcohol enters your bloodstream, it causes you to blush, and feel warm, your temperature decreases and your blood pressure also decreases slightly.
4.2 Brain
Alcohol affects the brain the most. It dulls you and affects your actions and decision-making ability. It can make you moody and also aggressive. Initially, you will be happy, but you will have speech slurred, terrible eyesight, and lousy coordination after a few drinks.
4.3 Kidneys
When you drink alcohol, you need to urinate often. It will cause thirst and dehydration3.
4.4 Digestive Distress
There will be chances of you getting gas and bloating. It usually happens after heavy drinking. Also, it could lead to diarrhea because the alcohol is damaging the intestines.
4.5 Liver
After drinking alcohol, your liver oxidizes it. Which means it converts alcohol into water and carbon monoxide. Also, the liver can oxidize 1 unit of alcohol per hour.
5. Affects of Alcohol Depending on Physical State
5.1 Drinking with an Empty Stomach
If you drink alcohol with an empty stomach, the alcohol will go directly into the bloodstream, and you will be drunk in no time.
5.2 Age
Children and young people weigh less. If they drink alcohol, it can affect them quickly. Also, their brains are still developing, and even a tiny amount can be dangerous.
Older adults who drink more than required are at high risk of medical problems like stroke, heart disease, cancer, depression, etc.
5.3 Gender
Women weigh less than men and have less tissue to absorb alcohol. A woman’s body has more fat and less water than a man’s body. The alcohol will be more potent in the woman’s blood. So women tend to get drunk faster, and the effects remain for a longer duration.
5.4 Weight
If your weight is low, you feel the effects of alcohol more quickly because you have less tissue to absorb alcohol.
6. FAQs
Q. How long does alcohol stay in the body?
Alcohol is expelled from the body at different rates depending on your weight, metabolism, and how much and how quickly you drink. One ordinary drink is processed and eliminated by the body on average in around an hour.
Q. Is it possible to become sober right away?
No, there is no quick method to get sober. Your body can only effectively process and eliminate alcohol over time. Before driving or performing any other tasks that could be dangerous while under the influence of alcohol, it’s crucial to be entirely sober.
Q. Can I get sober fast by consuming water or other liquids?
Water and other non-alcoholic beverages might help avoid dehydration and ease some alcohol intoxication symptoms, but they do not hasten the process of sobriety. While hydration is crucial for overall health, it has little impact on how quickly alcohol departs your body.
- Islamoglu, Timur, et al. “Metal–organic frameworks against toxic chemicals.” Chemical reviews 120.16 (2020): 8130-8160. ↩︎
- Soeroto, Arto Yuwono, et al. “Effect of increased BMI and obesity on the outcome of COVID-19 adult patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews 14.6 (2020): 1897-1904. ↩︎
- Edmonds, Caroline J., et al. “Dehydration in older people: A systematic review of the effects of dehydration on health outcomes, healthcare costs and cognitive performance.” Archives of gerontology and geriatrics 95 (2021): 104380. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Suchi
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