Soakage: Is it a myth?

Ubbquittious

Before having a feed of pints are you better off eating dry, bready stuff to line the stomach? I'd imagine if you eat foods that would soak up a lot of liquid before drinking the drinks will be slower to go to your head but is there any truth to it?

Will a plate of spuds and carrots do the same thing?

Billy86

I don't think it slows down the speed at which is goes to your head, but more so the speed and volatility at which it swishes and swashes around in your belly.

Zebra3

Absolute myth no doubt about it. Don’t eat for a week, go out on the sauce, and you won’t notice any difference.

D3V!L

I find the best thing to help a pint go down is strangely enough another pint.

Wildcard7

D3V!L wrote: »

I find the best thing to help a pint go down is strangely enough another pint.

Incidentally, that's also the best thing to help a pint come back up again.

GLaDOS

The food helps prevent the alcohol hitting your system all at once, it's absolutely true.

seamus

It depends on what you think "soakage" is supposed to do. If you're eating it with the intention of getting drunk less quickly, then you're spot on. The only drawback is the tendency for the alcohol to linger. Meaning you're drunk a little longer the next day.

If you're trying to avoid feeling sick the next day, then what you eat is more important than how much you eat. Alcohol itself is quite acidic and usually comes in very acidic compounds - cider, beer and wine are all acids by default. When breaking down in the stomach, they form more acid.

Your stomach is good at dealing with acid (it produces the stuff!), but not impervious. The lining will break down and you will feel like sh1t the next day. Splurging on acidic foods, or foods that break down into acids, will only hasten this. Bread is not good; anything very sugary and simple carbs will all break down into acid. Most meat and dairy are acidic by default, so they won't help either.

The best thing is complex carbs and fibres. Potatoes & vegetables. Fruits are good, but not citrus ones. Water and oils are good for diluting the acid and making them less effective.

So if you want to feel less sick the next day, the best thing you can actually eat is a big greasy chipper; before your pints.

Homer

seamus wrote: »

So if you want to feel less sick the next day, the best thing you can actually eat is a big greasy chipper; before your pints.

and a big greasy chipper on the way home to be sure

awec

Zebra3 wrote: »

Absolute myth no doubt about it. Don’t eat for a week, go out on the sauce, and you won’t notice any difference.

I definitely notice a difference if I have 2 or 3 pints after having a big dinner vs 2 or 3 pints on an empty stomach.

GBX

I'll let you know in an hour or so if it had any effect.

cbyrd

There a a flap/muscle at the bottom of your stomach that closes once food hits goes in. This is how your food is digested. It stays in the stomach to be broken down by the acids and then intermittently passes to the small intestine... Liquids pass straight through. This is why you'll get drunk quickly on an empty stomach. It's what the European do.. Drinking with food.

GreeBo

cbyrd wrote: »

There a a flap/muscle at the bottom of your stomach that closes once food hits goes in. This is how your food is digested. It stays in the stomach to be broken down by the acids and then intermittently passes to the small intestine... Liquids pass straight through. This is why you'll get drunk quickly on an empty stomach. It's what the European do.. Drinking with food.

I dont think that makes sense....

If the flap closes when there is something in your stomach how/when/why would it ever open?

A-Ha !maybe this is why we have fat people, faulty flaps.
and there was me thinking it was just they eat too much.

theyoungchap

Eating is cheating......

Mackerel and Avocado Sandwich

Food definitely helps, like really helps. Problem with work drinks where I am, we always say yeah we'll grab some food after a drink or two as we haven't eaten since lunch, but I lose my appetite after one pint, as do many people, and you just keep on drinking. Queue blackouts and 2 day hangovers. Yup, try to eat something, anything, before you drink, it's silly not to, I can attest to that as a complete idiot.

harry Bailey esq

Homer wrote: »

and a big greasy chipper on the way home to be sure

Just to be safe.

seamus

GreeBo wrote: »

I dont think that makes sense....

If the flap closes when there is something in your stomach how/when/why would it ever open?

A-Ha !maybe this is why we have fat people, faulty flaps.
and there was me thinking it was just they eat too much.

Well it's half-and-half. The pyloric sphincter prevents the contents of the stomach from passing through to the intestine, and regulates the flow of what does come through. It would be incorrect to say that liquids pass straight through it, since it's the same muscle around your urethra and anus, which are very effective at preventing leaks. However, when it does pulsate to bring the contents through, when you haven't eaten, then all that's hitting your intestines, is alcohol.

There are 3 factors that cause you to get drunk faster on an empty stomach:

1. You feel hungry, so you drink faster.
2. A small amount of absorption takes place through the stomach wall. If all you've consumed is alcohol, then all you're absorbing is alcohol.
3. When it passes into the intestine, all you're absorbing is alcohol. If it's a food/alcohol mix, then you're processing a diluted food/alcohol mix, so the rate that alcohol passes into the bloodstream is reduced.

If you don't want to eat though, you can simulate the soakage effect by drinking a pint of water with every drink. This will both fill you faster (slowing down your drinking), and dilute the alcohol, meaning a slower absorption rate.

A big dirty chipper on the way home won't help that much, because most of the alcohol is either in your blood, or on the way at that stage. What it can do is reduce the acidity of the stomach just before you go to bed and ensure your bloodstream is full of glucose come morning time.

taserfrank

I'm a really self-conscious drinker, so I have to have 8-10 drinks before I head out to take the edge off.

PTH2009

Having tenders and chips in supermacs before I hit the sauce

Only have limited funds so have to take my time

Got 3 bottles of Peroni to have before I head out thankfully

Defunkd

I stay sober longer when i've had steak for dinner pre-pub. 5 pints, no difference.

Eating is cheating while beering but it never sobered me up. A puke or coffee are my only tried and trusted methods.

Pauliedragon

Eating before u go out is a good idea to slow absorbtion. What is a myth is eating before sleep for soakage to ease the oncoming hangover. That greasy burger on the way home is bad news. You're body can't deal with the alcohol and the food together so the alcohol get's pushed to the side and deals with the food first so the alcohol absorbtion is delayed meaning the hangover is worse when you wake up and lasts longer.

JohnnyFlash

I’d have a massive feed of spuds if I knew I’d be drinking a double digit number of pints later that evening. Definitely helps.

Birneybau

Ubbquittious wrote: »

Before having a feed of pints are you better off eating dry, bready stuff to line the stomach? I'd imagine if you eat foods that would soak up a lot of liquid before drinking the drinks will be slower to go to your head but is there any truth to it?

Will a plate of spuds and carrots do the same thing?

I've side linked to the *shudder* Daily Mail:

https://med.news.am/eng/news/389/eat-mashed-potatoes-before-your-first-drink-to-avoid-hangover.html

facehugger99

seamus wrote: »

the best thing you can actually eat is a big greasy chipper; before your pints.

I'm not going to fact-check this because I want it to be true so much.

TerrorFirmer

I usually have a decent carb-fest pizza before drinking.

Not having a proper meal before a decent session is asking for trouble. I find drinking on an empty stomach makes me feel sickly pretty quickly though.

_Dara_

Zebra3 wrote: »

Absolute myth no doubt about it. Don’t eat for a week, go out on the sauce, and you won’t notice any difference.

Well, that's not true. Whatever about not eating dinner and then drinking, if you don't eat for a week, you'll be dealing with light-headedness and weakness. Drinking in that state will absolutely be different to drinking after skipping a meal.

Noveight

I’ve always found beer to hit me a small bit harder if I’ve skipped dinner.

Class of 82

Mackerel and Avocado Sandwich wrote: »

Food definitely helps, like really helps. Problem with work drinks where I am, we always say yeah we'll grab some food after a drink or two as we haven't eaten since lunch, but I lose my appetite after one pint, as do many people, and you just keep on drinking. Queue blackouts and 2 day hangovers. Yup, try to eat something, anything, before you drink, it's silly not to, I can attest to that as a complete idiot.

blackouts and 2 day hangovers

The scourge of my drinking sessions these days.