Why Food Doesn't Actually Sober You Up

Many of us have experienced the end of a night out, especially when younger, hobbling tipsy to the local takeaway place which usually consist of either a kebab shop or the odd McDonalds.

It'll soak up the alcohol, good idea. A common belief that food will sober you up, and in the moment it feels to be true. But food doesn't actually sober you up.

by Perveen Kaur

What Happens To The Alcohol When You Drink?

When you drink alcohol, the ethanol is absorbed through the digestive system and enters the bloodstream. From there it circulates around the body and eventually reaches the liver, where most of it is broken down.

The important thing is that the body can metabolise alcohol at a fairly steady rate. It can vary from person to person for each of us, but it can only do so much in a certain amount of time. It doesn't suddenly speed up because you've eaten a burger. The liver still has to process the ethanol at it's given speed.

So if you already have alcohol circulating in your bloodstream, eating afterwards isn't going to make the liver suddenly remove it faster. Time is still required.

So Why Does Food Make You Feel Better?

There is a little bit of truth behind the myth. Food can change what happens to alcohol when you drink it and thus, your subjective experience of the alcohol.

If you drink on an empty stomach, alcohol is absorbed more quickly and can produce a higher blood alcohol concentration. Eating before or while drinking slows the absorption of alcohol and can reduce the peak level reached in the blood. This can make the effects of alcohol feel less sudden and so, you feel less tipsy.

Food can also provide carbohydrates, which can help stabilise blood glucose. If you've been drinking without eating, this can make you feel physically better. So even if you eat after drinking, you might feel better but the ethanol is still in your body, being broken down by the liver.

The Myth Of Sobering Up

Your brain activity is still affected, and the liver is still working away. The food hasn't sobered you up in terms of getting rid of the alcohol or 'soaking it up'. It alters your subjective experience making you feel less dizzy, less hungry, or less nauseous. This is an important distinction because feeling more normal isn't necessarily the same as being sober.

The same basic principle applies to coffee, cold showers and other supposed sobering-up tricks. They might change how awake or alert you feel, but they don't make the body metabolise alcohol faster. Only time allows the alcohol to be broken down.

So yes, eat something. It might make you feel better. Just don't confuse feeling better with actually being sober.