After parties, many people have a common reflex of immediately making a cup of warm lemon water with the hope of getting more alert, less tired, and quickly getting rid of drunk. This habit is so common that it has almost become a folk experience. However, from a medical perspective, does drinking warm lemon water really help relieve alcohol or only bring a temporary feeling of comfort?
How is alcohol metabolized in the body?
According to medicine, most alcohol is metabolized in the liver. When drinking alcohol, ethanol enters the bloodstream and is processed by the liver through specialized enzymes. This process takes place at a relatively constant rate, averaging about one standard unit of drink per hour. This means that no type of drink or food can detoxify alcohol in the sense of making alcohol disappear faster from the body.
Dr. Aaron White, Deputy Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, USA), affirmed: "There are no measures to help the liver metabolize alcohol faster. Time is still the only decisive factor." According to him, folk remedies only affect symptoms and do not reduce blood alcohol levels.
What does warm lemon juice help with after drinking alcohol?
Although it cannot detoxify alcohol in a medical sense, warm lemon water still has some indirect positive effects. First of all, alcohol has diuretic properties, causing the body to lose water quickly. Drinking water, whether filtered water or warm lemon water, helps replenish water, thereby reducing feelings of dry mouth, headache and fatigue.
Lemons contain vitamin C and have a mild sour taste, which helps stimulate the taste buds and reduce nausea in some people. Warm water also helps the stomach feel more comfortable, especially for people who feel restless and indigestion after drinking alcohol.
According to Dr. Robert Swift, an alcohol research expert at Brown University (USA), drinking warm lemonade after drinking alcohol "can help drinkers feel more tinh tao subjectively, but that does not mean that the body is no longer drunk". He emphasized that a more comfortable feeling sometimes makes drinkers subjective, while blood alcohol levels remain high.
Common misunderstandings when dealing with alcohol
A common misunderstanding is that the sour taste of lemon or vitamin C can neutralize alcohol. In fact, ethanol is not neutralized in that way. The liver still has to work to break down alcohol according to its inherent biological mechanism.
In addition, drinking lemon water when the stomach is still full of alcohol can irritate the mucous membranes, especially in people with a history of stomach inflammation or reflux. In these cases, filtered water or light warm water is usually a safer option.
Medical experts also recommend not drinking more coffee or stimulant-containing drinks to "cool down". These drinks can make the heart beat faster, increase feelings of restlessness without helping to reduce alcohol levels.
The safest way to limit the harms of alcohol
According to experts, the best way is not to find a way to relieve alcohol after drinking, but to control alcohol intake from the beginning. Drinking slowly, eating with food and alternating with filtered water during drinking helps reduce drunkenness and limit dehydration.
After drinking alcohol, you should rest, drink enough water and let your body have time to recover. Warm lemon water can be used as a sensory support, but you should not expect it to be an "alcoholic".
In short, warm lemon juice does not help alcohol leave the body faster, but it can help drinkers feel more comfortable by replenishing water and soothing the stomach. Understanding correctly to use correctly, that is how to protect long-term health.
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