Narcologist dispelled myths about speeding up the elimination of alcohol from the body

There are no precise household signs by which you can say for sure that alcohol has worn off and you can get behind the wheel. This was stated by psychiatrist-narcologist Marina Kalyuzhnaya on Friday, May 29.

"An adult's liver outputs about 0.1-0.15 ppm per hour — and this is not accelerated by coffee, a cold shower, or a walk. In women, this process is slower than in men, simply because they have lower activity of the enzyme that breaks down ethanol. This is physiology," she explained in an interview with Lenta.Ru .

According to Kalyuzhnaya, many people mistakenly think that if the head is not spinning, speech is normal, and the legs are not slurred, it means that the person is sober. However, the feeling of sobriety returns much earlier than alcohol actually leaves the blood, she added.

"You can feel quite bearable, but you still have 0.3—0.5 ppm in your blood. Coordination is slightly reduced, the reaction is slowed down, but the brain does not report this to itself. That is why most accidents with drunk drivers occur with people who were sincerely convinced that they were already fine," the narcologist explained.

The specialist also dispelled the myth that a good night's sleep helps to sober up.

"The only reliable way to check yourself is with a certified breathalyzer," the expert concluded.

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Alexander Umnov, Senior lecturer at the Department of Surgery at the Medical Faculty of the State University of Education, spoke on May 15 about the timing of the formation of domestic alcoholism. The specialist noted that domestic alcoholism develops with regular alcohol consumption throughout the year.