Hot Whiskeys- do they really help with a headcold?

whatlliwear · 04-01-2013 7:02pm #1

I have had a cold for over a week now. I have tried everything... Vit C, healthy diet, Paracetamol, garlic, Strepsils & Cough bottle.. but it's still lingering..

So what I want to know do Hot whiskeys actually help at all??

fasttalkerchat · 04-01-2013 7:03pm

Hot whiskeys help the throat but made the fever worse for me. Do not mix with antibiotics!

crockholm · 04-01-2013 7:06pm

whiskey-it makes you drunk

0ph0rce0 · 04-01-2013 7:06pm

They help you get pissed though, which is great for a cold

Where To · 04-01-2013 7:10pm

They do but you must go straight under the covers afterwards, drinking them in the pub and going outside afterwards is a waste of time.

edit; Please ignore above advice. Get taxi to pub, drink copious amount of hot ones, get taxi home. Tip taxidriver generously.

Good job I'm not a spammer, I'd be sh1t at it.

Micky Dolenz · 04-01-2013 7:10pm

Who cares.

Drinks?

uberwolf · 04-01-2013 7:15pm

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Hot whiskeys help the throat but made the fever worse for me. Do not mix with antibiotics!

there are only two types of antibiotics which actually react to alcohol

fasttalkerchat · 04-01-2013 7:17pm

uberwolf wrote: »

there are only two types of antibiotics which actually react to alcohol

Oh? Which are they?

CuriousG · 04-01-2013 7:17pm

I had a terrible cold the last two weeks it took AAAAAAAGES to shift, a hot whiskey with honey and lemon really does soothe your throat though, not a lie

Worked the trick better than other wives tales, and I only had the one so it wasn't drunkness numbing my perception :P

The only thing that got rid of it completely for me was going to bed with about ten hoodies, three pairs of pants and the radiator on. It feels like hell at the time, but wake up and straight into the shower the next morning and I swear you will feel like new, as weird as it sounds. Medicine etc didnt really do a whole lot for me, load of rubbish..

Oh, and echinachea.

uberwolf · 04-01-2013 7:19pm

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Oh? Which are they?

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/35320/35323/1363990.html?d=dmtHMSContent

MediSite wrote:

Alcohol reliably causes trouble when mixed with only a handful of the hundreds of available antibiotics. In addition to metronidazole and its close relative tinidazole (Tindamax), you'll regret drinking while taking:

Furazolidone (Furoxone), an antibiotic used for intestinal infections
Griseofulvin (Grisactin), an antifungal drug used to treat ringworm and other skin or nail infections
Quinacrine (Atabrine), an older antibiotic used to treat malaria and giardia (an intestinal parasite)

looksee · 04-01-2013 7:22pm

You wouldn't be taking antibiotics for a cold anyway.

I think hot whiskey is good, also a Lemsip enthusiast

I don't think a LOT of hot whiskey is any better than a small amount.

Sertus · 04-01-2013 7:24pm

I'd take one over a lemsip anyday. They are great for morale, take your mind off the shivers, and are an excuse to relax beside a nice warm turf fire and watch a film. So yes indeed, a few well made hot whiskies almost makes colds worth having.

FloatingVoter · 04-01-2013 7:27pm

Yes one, two at most. Necking the bottle just makes you have a cold and a hangover next day. And as the above poster said, not in a pub - at home and straight to bed.

Micky Dolenz · 04-01-2013 7:28pm

Drinking in bed is the job.

wendell borton · 04-01-2013 7:43pm

Add some cloves, honey and a cinnamon stick.

ITS_A_BADGER · 04-01-2013 7:47pm

add a slice of lemon or orange for added cold fighting properties

stimpson · 04-01-2013 7:49pm

Honey, lemon, whiskey, grated ginger.

Honey is an antiseptic, lemon for the vitamin C, Whiskey to make you feel better and ginger is a cough suppressant.

lucky_1 · 04-01-2013 7:53pm

Hot Lemsip, adding honey then a good measure of Jameson into it does the trick, best when your wrapped up in bed wathing tv.

Call Me Jimmy · 04-01-2013 7:54pm

Where To wrote: »

They do but you must go straight under the covers afterwards, drinking them in the pub and going outside afterwards is a waste of time.

edit; Please ignore above advice. Get taxi to pub, drink copious amount of hot ones, get taxi home. Tip taxidriver generously.

Good job I'm not a spammer, I'd be sh1t at it.

Are you a taxi driver?

Rasheed · 04-01-2013 7:58pm

Yeah, they're a mighty job. It'll sweat the cold out of you and you'll sleep like a baby after it.

That or a shot of brandy, honey and a raw egg. I know which one I'd rather.

suicide_circus · 04-01-2013 7:58pm

wendell borton wrote: »

Add some gloves, honey and a cinnamon stick.

my hot whiskey cold remedy is as follows

take a mug

generous measure of powers
two spoons of honey
juice of half a lemon
half slice of lemon studded with cloves

fill up with hot water (not fully boiling)

allow to stew for 5 mins, consume

now take a nurofen cold and flu tablet and a paracetemol washed down with a pint of water.

go straight to bed and remain there as long as possible

it works, FACT.*

*may not be fact.

Where To · 04-01-2013 7:58pm

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

Are you a taxi driver?

No. I sell hot water geysers for making hot whiskeys.

Call Me Jimmy · 04-01-2013 8:05pm

Where To wrote: »

No. I sell hot water geysers for making hot whiskeys.

Class.

Clarehobo · 04-01-2013 8:07pm

Was feeling lousy last night. Had a couple of hot whiskies last night, slept like a baby and felt far more rested and human this morning!

whatlliwear · 04-01-2013 8:17pm

Clarehobo wrote: »

Was feeling lousy last night. Had a couple of hot whiskies last night, slept like a baby and felt far more rested and human this morning!

That's music to my ears.. I have mine sitting on the table in front of me.. Looking forward to it & it's healing properties

Fanny Biscuit · 04-01-2013 8:22pm

I remember i had a runny noise and was sneezing a bit. After taking two of hot whiskeys i felt much better and the sneezing stopped.

3ndahalfof6 · 04-01-2013 8:25pm

How about calling to see the doc, he might join you having a wee tipple.

TheUsual · 04-01-2013 8:27pm

wendell borton wrote: »

Add some gloves, honey and a cinnamon stick.

^^^^^^^
I tried this and choked to death. Gloves ????

My lawyers will be in contact Sir.

wexie · 04-01-2013 8:27pm

Sertus wrote: »

I'd take one over a lemsip anyday. They are great for morale, take your mind off the shivers, and are an excuse to relax beside a nice warm turf fire and watch a film. So yes indeed, a few well made hot whiskies almost makes colds worth having.

I take my hot whiskey WITH Lemsip instead of lemon

(well... the first one anyways)

But you wanna make sure you drink it while it's still proper hot, otherwise it's pretty manky

Sertus · 04-01-2013 8:32pm

TheUsual wrote: »

^^^^^^^
I tried this and choked to death. Gloves ????

My lawyers will be in contact Sir.

Sure if you burnt your handies, you'd sue him as well, he can't win :pac:

looksee · 04-01-2013 9:16pm

Sertus wrote: »

I'd take one over a lemsip anyday. They are great for morale, take your mind off the shivers, and are an excuse to relax beside a nice warm turf fire and watch a film. So yes indeed, a few well made hot whiskies almost makes colds worth having.

I was thinking both rather than either/or

BBDBB · 04-01-2013 9:27pm

Cold Remedy

Ingredients
a bottle of whiskey
a hat

Method

Go to bed and put the hat on the left hand bedpost at the foot of the bed
Get under the covers and drink from the bottle whilst keeping an eye on the hat
Keep drinking the whiskey until the hat appears to move from the left hand bed post to the right hand bed post of its own accord. Stop drinking and sleep.

Your cold will be the last thing you will be worrying about come the morning

Abi · 04-01-2013 9:28pm

whatlliwear wrote: »

I have had a cold for over a week now. I have tried everything... Vit C, healthy diet, Paracetamol, garlic, Strepsils & Cough bottle.. but it's still lingering..

So what I want to know do Hot whiskeys actually help at all??

I think it's a good idea buck up on multivitamins anyway as you come into the colder months, eat plenty of oranges too.

Regarding the whiskey, well if I've a head cold I'd take a glass or two but you have to leave it there. Or you'll still have hangover to go with your head cold in the morning!

I swear by them. One or two before you go to bed for a night or two till the symptoms begin to wane a bit, the rest you can beat with beechams or whatever

Throw in a clove or two, slice of lemon or orange if you have it, small amount of honey to sweeten.

Hope you feel better soon

Jarrod · 04-01-2013 9:30pm

Jameson, lemon, honey and cloves. If you really want to hit that cold use a lemon flavoured lemsip instead of the lemon juice.

listermint · 04-01-2013 9:30pm

Whiskey is the boss for colds. it sorts me right out doesnt have to be hot either. On the rocks it warms you right up and makes the head instantly forget its pains.

Yum.

Awe now i want a 12 year

blackdog2 · 04-01-2013 9:38pm

BBDBB wrote: »

Cold Remedy

Ingredients
a bottle of whiskey
a hat

Method

Go to bed and put the hat on the left hand bedpost at the foot of the bed
Get under the covers and drink from the bottle whilst keeping an eye on the hat
Keep drinking the whiskey until the hat appears to move from the left hand bed post to the right hand bed post of its own accord. Stop drinking and sleep.

Your cold will be the last thing you will be worrying about come the morning

A bedpost? What about those of us who must sleep upon the most pliable postless matresses? A corner could not possibly suffice in this situation

What about the common man? The man whom Joan Burton would love to narrate, who can't afford a bedpost yet has everything else he could possibly wish for, except for a cure for the cold?

3ndahalfof6 · 04-01-2013 9:38pm

BBDBB wrote: »

Cold Remedy

Ingredients
a bottle of whiskey
a hat

Method

Go to bed and put the hat on the left hand bedpost at the foot of the bed
Get under the covers and drink from the bottle whilst keeping an eye on the hat
Keep drinking the whiskey until the hat appears to move from the left hand bed post to the right hand bed post of its own accord. Stop drinking and sleep.

Your cold will be the last thing you will be worrying about come the morning

What if he sleeps on a bed with no posts, it just wont work, but if he drank the bottle of whiskeyness in the living room and woke up on a bed in the same spot he drank the whiskeyness, the cold would be the last thing on his mind, so it would be gone, vanished into the nightness or dayness depending on when he decided to do it,

now his problem is, how the fook do I get this fook off bed out of the sitting room, I need some coffee not spelt like coffee.

Mr. CooL ICE · 04-01-2013 9:58pm

If its a head cold, eat something spicy and use a sinus rinse

3ndahalfof6 · 04-01-2013 10:04pm

LordChessington wrote: »

If its a head cold, eat something spicy and use a sinus rinse

Shakes some curry powder on the viginaness while sniffing pepper.

Biggins · 04-01-2013 10:24pm

whatlliwear wrote: »

I have had a cold for over a week now. I have tried everything... Vit C, healthy diet, Paracetamol, garlic, Strepsils & Cough bottle.. but it's still lingering..

So what I want to know do Hot whiskeys actually help at all??

listermint wrote: »

Whiskey is the boss for colds. it sorts me right out doesnt have to be hot either. On the rocks it warms you right up and makes the head instantly forget its pains.

There are some dangerous myths around about drinking for a cold.

The truth is that taking something like whiskey does to some extent numb pain but alcohol of any kind eventually lowers body temperature.
This fools a person into thinking their body has warmed up - when in fact ones body temp' is actually gone lower matching more so the surrounding outside temp closer.

This is why its is particularly dangerous for the elderly to be sitting at home in the cold drinking alcohol and is regularly advised against.

Drinking alcohol lowers body temp - not raise it.
If one is going to drink Whiskey, Gin, etc do so in a warm place that at least matches normal body temperature.
Also don't mistake any possible 'burning' sensation of a short as it passes down ones throat, as an indication that its part of a warming effect. The two matters are not related.

Example article: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/alcohol-warms-up.htm

Sertus · 04-01-2013 10:32pm

No one is proposing they sit outside in the snow and drink it. I bet you were a blast at Christmas.

Biggins · 04-01-2013 10:34pm

Sertus wrote: »

No one is proposing they sit outside in the snow and drink it. I bet you were a blast at Christmas.

I was dynamite!

phasers · 04-01-2013 10:42pm

if you're ever out of lemsip and feel like shyte, make some fruit squash (miwadi or whatever) with boiling water. You'll get vitamins or whatever but mainly it gives you that comfy feeling lemsip gives you.

RikkFlair · 04-01-2013 10:49pm

Get in some of that cheap brandy from Lidl.
Boil kettle.
Proceed to mix boiled contents with aforesaid cheap brandy.
Add one teaspoon of brown sugar (any type, none of your fancy ****)
Repeat process and consume until approximately 67% of the brandy has been obliterated.

It probably wont cure your cold but you'll be pissed as a fart and forget about it for a bit.

jluv · 04-01-2013 10:49pm

My eldery mother got advise from a friend to take honey,lemon and whiskey before bed. She goes to bed in afternoon for nap and then again at night. Her"cold" only gets bad around these times. Think she might have a fondness for the whiskey:)

Oregano_State · 04-01-2013 10:49pm

Your immune system is the only thing that will have any effect on getting rid of your cold. A hot whiskey or three will make you notice it less though.

Cedrus · 04-01-2013 10:59pm

whatlliwear wrote: »

I have had a cold for over a week now. I have tried everything... Vit C, healthy diet, Paracetamol, garlic, Strepsils & Cough bottle.. but it's still lingering..

So what I want to know do Hot whiskeys actually help at all??

Technically, No. But yes-ish

The Cloves, Lemon and Hot water are all heading in the right direction, but alcohol actually destroys the vitamin C in the tiny bit of lemon and the 4 cloves are not really going to have the required Bolus effect.

Other suggestions of ginger and honey are also good-ish, but again you need to whack up the dosage. Curries with loads of garlic and ginger are reasonably good just because they are palatable enough to get loads down you, try eating a full plate of clove studded lemons and you'll regret it.

The Antibiotics issue is confusing, alcohol with a small few antibiotics can produce a nasty reaction, it can sometimes be very personal and can vary massively depending on the EXACT balance. However there are many many more antibiotics which are just rendered ineffectual or useless by even a small amount of alcohol.

I think the main benefit of a Hot Whiskey/Rum/etc. is just the cosiness and cuddle up to the fire/duvet feeling it creates, it's more the mood it creates that works rather than any pretend chemical/pharmaceutical effect.

.jacksparrow. · 04-01-2013 11:05pm

Tried one over Christmas when had the flu,ten mins later was sweating like a Hooore,felt much better.

Placebo or a cure I dunno...

bluecode · 04-01-2013 11:48pm

Without reading any previous posts. The answer is no. But in my experience after a hot whiskey you care a lot less. After two you care a lot, lot less. After three, perhaps you should consider stopping now because you'll have a hangover and a cold in the morning. Not good.

A few years ago my neighbour was taken to hospital, a dying woman. She smoked far too much, drank a lot. The Doctor, old school pointed out she'd have been dead a lot sooner if it wasn't for the fact that her tipple of choice was whiskey.

Uisce Beatha, water of life. Perhaps there is something to be said for it.

Stephen P · 05-01-2013 12:20am

As soon as you feel a cold coming on crush one glove of garlic and eat it raw. The symptoms shouldn't get any worse and the cold will clear up. Worked for me a few times.

Smidge · 05-01-2013 12:49am

uberwolf wrote: »

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/35320/35323/1363990.html?d=dmtHMSContent

The brand of metronidazole prescribed here goes by the name Flagyl and should never be mixed with alcohol(nasty side effects).

Hot Whiskeys- do they really help with a headcold?

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