Does Soda Get You Drunk Faster?
There’s some talk that soda might help your body absorb alcohol quicker, which could lead to higher levels of booze in your system faster. But honestly, there’s not a ton of research on this, and the findings are all over the place.
Some folks think that carbonated drinks might speed up how fast your stomach empties, letting the alcohol hit your small intestine sooner, where most of it gets absorbed. But scientists haven’t really nailed down if that’s actually the case.
Anna Yurkevich, a doctor and Instagram blogger, has some thoughts on this. She says that while having more stuff in your stomach can speed up alcohol absorption, if you’ve got a lot of food and gas in there, it might actually slow things down. So, you could end up feeling tipsy later.
On top of that, sweet sodas can slow down how quickly you get drunk compared to diet drinks because of the carbs. So, if you mix whiskey with regular cola, you might not feel the buzz as fast as you would with a diet soda.
But that doesn’t mean these combos are good for you.
What About Your Waistline?
Sweet soda just adds more calories to your drinks. For instance, if you mix whiskey with cola in a 1:3 ratio, you’re looking at about 239 calories in just one glass. And let’s be real, most people don’t stop at one.
The bigger issue with soda isn’t just the calories, but the type of sugar it has. A lot of popular sodas are loaded with fructose, which can lead to fat storage even if you’re not eating more calories. Too much fructose can up your chances of metabolic syndrome, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.
How Alcohol and Soda Impact Your Liver
On top of being bad for your waistline, the fructose in sweet soda can also mess with your liver, especially during party season. Mixing alcohol with sugary drinks can cause even more harm to your liver. Since those sodas have a lot of fructose, any excess gets stored as fat, including in your liver.
So, what’s the takeaway?
Based on the research, here’s the scoop:
Mixing alcohol with unsweetened soda might help you absorb it faster, but it doesn’t seem to add any extra harm to your body.
The sugar in soda can slow down how quickly you get drunk compared to unsweetened drinks. But because of the high fructose content, sweet sodas are still bad for your waistline and liver.
So, it’s probably a good idea to skip the sweet soda when you’re drinking, especially when your liver is already working hard.
