Can you warm up with alcohol? Does alcohol keep you warm in the cold? Is it good to drink outdoors

Another extra reason to pour alcohol into yourself is for heating. However, isn't the sensation of warmth after drinking an illusion? The opinion of doctors and the expert community will allow us to answer the question of whether alcohol warms.

Myths about strong drinks

Alcoholization of a significant part of the country's population could not but lead to myth-making regarding alcoholic beverages. In part, this is a protective psychological mechanism: it is difficult for people to realize that harmful substances poured into the body are poison, so they, on the contrary, tend to attribute miraculous properties to them.

Among the most common myths relate:

Drinking red wine prolongs life;
Beer - the best remedy from thirst;
Vodka with pepper cures all diseases;
Alcohol is very high in calories;
Alcohol helps keep you warm in the cold.

The last misconception is the most popular, since not only popular rumor and the all-powerful alcohol lobby are to blame for its spread. It is reflected even in Russian classical literature: Vasily Terkin, the hero of the poem of the same name by Alexander Tvardovsky, warms up with vodka. As a result front-line "one hundred grams" for warming become an integral part of the culture.

Use for colds

Vodka with pepper is one of the most popular folk recipes, which supposedly should be applied immediately at the first sign of a cold. It should be noted that the myth has some foundation. Vodka, as a means of increasing heat transfer, acts like aspirin, so that the fever can really subside. And the substances that are present in red pepper slow down the oxidation reaction of ethanol, which is why the vasodilating effect lasts a little longer. Vodka in this pair also acts as an anesthetic and anesthetic, softening the burning effect of red pepper on the mucous membrane.

However, it should be noted that the beneficial effect of taking small doses of red pepper can be achieved without drinking alcohol, simply by adding it to the broth or decoction.

The fact is that drinking vodka for a cold able to render a weakening body a disservice:

The body during the cold period is severely dehydrated, and drinking alcohol during this period can only aggravate the situation;
Alcohol reduces resistance to infections, especially in large doses;
This method is categorically not suitable for people with problems of the intestines and stomach.
Pepper can burn a sore throat, which can only delay treatment.

In this video, bartender Kirill will tell you how to prepare a delicious warming cold cocktail:

Does alcohol keep you warm in the cold?

The influence of alcohol on the regulation of heat in the body is expressed primarily by the fact that there is an expansion of blood vessels. With an increase in blood supply, heat transfer also increases. This is achieved due to the inhibition of the vasomotor center. Thus, the sensation of warming that alcohol gives in the first minutes after drinking is deceptive; it can lead to serious frostbite due to significant heat losses in the human body.

The effect of "heat" can be really useful to the body, but only under the following conditions:

The amount of alcohol consumed no more than 50 grams. At high doses, the body will begin to lose heat;
If you drink alcohol, then only indoors. A person must be warm for at least three hours.

Only in this case, the blood flow can come into balance.

Doctors use alcohol in the cold only as a means of combating cold shock. That is, such a condition when there is a spasm of almost all the vessels of the body, except for the heart, brain, lungs and skeletal muscles. The use of alcohol in such an emergency suggests that the victim will then be taken immediately to a warm room.

For external use

Perhaps the only case when folk rumor and the opinion of medicine do not contradict each other is the use of alcohol externally. True, vodka is more often used at home, and doctors use the so-called medical antiseptic solution.

A vodka compress, if done correctly, will help to avoid such ailments as otitis And sore throat. The warming effect of such a compress leads to local vasodilation.

For this you need:

Vodka or diluted 40-degree alcohol (additional additives are not welcome);
Gauze;
Cotton wool;
Oilcloth;
A piece of cloth - a scarf or bandage is suitable - for fixing.

Warmed up to 37 degrees with vodka or an alcohol solution, moisten the gauze, squeeze it out and apply it to the sore spot. Gauze is immediately covered with oilcloth or a layer of polyethylene, then covered with cotton wool and fixed with a bandage. The duration of the procedure is about four hours.

Improper preparation of the compress can lead to burns or hypothermia and only aggravate the patient's situation.

Use of alcohol as fuel

If we consider ethanol as a source of thermal energy, then it should be noted that the fuel balance (that is, the ratio of energy for its production and that which it gives) is greater than, for example, that of gasoline. True, its energy density is somewhat inferior to gasoline - by about a quarter, but ethanol is absolutely harmless to the environment.

In general, not only pure alcohol can burn, but any alcoholic drink, and, the more its fortress, the better. The burning of alcohol vapor is much more active if the drink is hot and if it is poured on a wide saucer. The fire is bluish in color (a green tint indicates a low quality of the liquid).

The amount of heat that is released during the combustion of vodka is about 12.22 MJ / kg. This indicator is several times inferior to gasoline, but almost the same as that of paper and wood.

So alcohol can really help keep you warm, only for this it must be set on fire.

So, the answer to the question of whether alcohol warms when taken orally, there can be only one - No. Rather, on the contrary: as a result of vasodilation and increased heat transfer, the body is waiting for severe hypothermia. The use of alcohol to combat hypothermia is possible only in emergency cases and subject to the removal of the victim from the frost.

Video about the warming effect of alcohol

In this video, nutritionist Georgy Kornov will talk about whether alcohol can warm a person, or is it still a common misconception:

Frost and alcohol are incompatible! Drinking alcohol to keep warm in the cold is life-threatening! Here is a typical situation. He drank for heating, went out into the cold, fell asleep in a snowdrift. Woke up, frostbitten legs, or something else. It's good that he survived, but he could freeze to death. There are many such cases! What is the matter here?

Why does frostbite come on so quickly? Why alcohol does not warm a person, but on the contrary, contributes to faster cooling. Scientists have found that drinking alcohol to keep warm in the cold is based on an erroneous perception of people. The drunk is not able to correctly and adequately assess the temperature of his own body.

Why you can't drink in the cold

In humans, under the influence of alcohol, the skin vessels expand rapidly, and more blood flows to the surface of the body. It seems to a person that he has warmed up, but a pleasant feeling of general warmth is a deception. After all, only the skin heats up, but it quickly gives off the heat it receives. Numerous measurements have shown that the very same body temperature goes down.

Under the influence of alcohol, the body loses its normal sensitivity to cold, as a result, the skin ceases to appropriately respond to the action of cold by constricting blood vessels. The stronger the frost, the more dangerous the intake of alcohol becomes. Drunk people are easily exposed to colds.

After all, despite the rapid cooling of the body, a person does not feel it, so frostbite and even freezing can so easily occur. You should not go on a long journey in the cold and cold, because the understanding of the danger is lost and the danger of cooling increases.

People who live in the North know this well. Experienced Siberians will never allow themselves to drink before a long journey. In Rus', if people had to go home after a party, they were always accompanied by a completely sober person. Summary: drank in the cold - stay at home!

It is believed that alcohol is a good remedy to warm up - it is enough to drink a glass of strong alcohol from the frost, and hypothermia does not threaten a person.

We hasten to debunk this myth: alcohol intake is not able to restore normal body heat exchange, moreover, it can be dangerous for human health.

We will understand the mechanism of the effect of alcohol on our body. Alcohol enhances blood circulation by expanding the surface vessels and increasing their blood supply, while increasing the heat transfer of the body. That is, one or two glasses in the cold can create a feeling of warmth for a short time, but at the same time, the heat loss of the body will be greater than if you did not drink anything at all. If a person is in the cold for a long time, this method of heating is unacceptable.

You can take alcohol as a warming agent only in a warm room after at least three to four hours after you come from the street. The main thing is not to get involved in alcoholic beverages, so that after daily use of alcohol as a “warming medicine”, as a result, withdrawal from binge and complex treatment of addiction is not required.

In what cases is it permissible to drink alcohol in frosty weather?

Alcohol can be used as an anti-shock agent. From a medical point of view, shock is a special condition during which centralization of blood circulation occurs - the vessels of the heart, brain, lungs, and skeletal muscles expand. All other vessels of the body are spasmodic, so in many organs there is a lack of blood supply. At some point, the shock redistribution of vascular tone acquires an independent pathological significance, independent of the cause that caused the condition. One of the most common types of shock is cold shock. That is why in extreme, as well as military field medicine, alcohol is often used in first aid to a frozen person. It is assumed that immediately after this, the victim will be taken to a warm room, where they will provide further medical care. It is important to understand that alcohol in this case helps to overcome the shock caused by hypothermia, and not hypothermia itself.

In addition, the action of vodka is very similar to the action of aspirin. Just like aspirin, alcohol enhances heat transfer, so with a cold it can lower the temperature by 0.5-1 degree. Pepper enhances the effect of alcohol - the substances contained in pepper (allein, allyl mustard acid, allylcin), when oxidized, give metabolites similar to those given by alcohol. By adding products chemical reaction the initial reaction slows down, and the effect of ethanol on the body is prolonged.

Should you drink alcohol outdoors?

On fresh air alcohol is much easier to tolerate, because the speed and efficiency of metabolism is higher. However, if you drink on the street, then the risk of injury, getting lost, freezing, etc. increases. AlcoSpas experts recommend not drinking alcohol in cold weather and always limiting yourself to minimal doses of alcohol. If the occasional alcohol intake has turned into an addiction, you can undergo a comprehensive treatment for alcoholism in our medical center and return to a full, healthy life.

There is an opinion that during cold weather, in order to warm up, you need to drink a glass or two of strong alcohol. Alcohol "for warming up" becomes almost main tradition and panacea for all ills. But is it safe to drink alcohol in extreme cold, in the cold?

How alcohol affects the body and what it actually warms

Alcohol, especially strong alcohol, is really capable of dilating blood vessels on the surface of the body, which leads to a feeling of warmth. And the stronger the alcohol, the warming sensations arise faster and are felt stronger. But if you conduct a scientific experiment, it turns out that such warming, firstly, is limited to a very short period, and secondly, it leads to significant heat losses by the body and, as a result, to even greater hypothermia. Moreover, hypothermia also applies to internal organs, which can have more serious consequences than frostbite of the skin.

Conclusion: alcohol, especially strong alcohol, is able to warm in the cold or extreme cold for a fairly short time. With a long stay in the cold, this method is unacceptable. But a glass of something stronger will help to quickly get rid of the feeling of cold if a person has already entered a warm room.

Why can't you keep yourself warm with alcohol in the cold?

Firstly, only quite strong alcohol warms noticeably - for example, vodka, whiskey, gin, pure alcohol. And if you drink dry wine or beer in the cold, then these drinks will not help you warm up and can even provoke a sore throat or a severe cold.

Secondly, the safe dose of alcohol in the human body is relatively small. That is, if you need to hold out in extreme cold for quite a long time, then, warming yourself with strong alcohol, you simply poison the body. And the consequences of such poisoning can be fatal.

Statistics record a large number of deaths from hypothermia in a drunken state. Alcohol only in small quantities causes euphoria and uplifting. And after a certain glass of alcohol, it has the opposite effect - it puts a person to sleep, makes him poorly mobile and vulnerable. The worst thing is to lose consciousness or fall asleep in the cold while intoxicated. If in summer such an immoderate libation will lead to a maximum of severe poisoning, then in winter an overdose of alcoholic beverages often means a quick death.