# Beer before liquor, never sicker... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 10, 2002, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775 "2002-04-10T03:04:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775/1 "2002-04-10T03:04:27Z")
Any truth to this hoary old saw, or is it just a ploy by the bourbon industry to get you drinking the hard stuff sooner? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775/2 "2002-04-10T03:39:05Z")
That’s backwards to what I’ve always heard: Beer on (after) whiskey, very risky; whiskey on beer, never fear. The rationale is that carbonation speeds the absorbtion of alcohol into the blood, and thus beer imbibed after a quantity of whiskey gives it an express ride to the brain. I don’t know how large a factor this is, but the effect of carbonation is known. Champagne is famous for providing a quick drunk, and drinks mixed with soda get to you quicker than those without. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775/3 "2002-04-10T03:45:55Z")
That’s backwards to what I’ve always heard: Beer on (after) whiskey, very risky; whiskey on beer, never fear. The rationale is that carbonation speeds the absorbtion of alcohol into the blood, and thus beer imbibed after a quantity of whiskey gives it an express ride to the brain. I don’t know how large a factor this is, but the effect of carbonation is known. Champagne is famous for providing a quick drunk, and drinks mixed with soda get to you quicker than those without. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775/4 "2002-04-10T03:55:37Z")
That’s backwards to what I’ve always heard: Beer on (after) whiskey, very risky; whiskey on beer, never fear. The rationale is that carbonation speeds the absorbtion of alcohol into the blood, and thus beer imbibed after a quantity of whiskey gives it an express ride to the brain. I don’t know how large a factor this is, but the effect of carbonation is known. Champagne is famous for providing a quick drunk, and drinks mixed with soda get to you quicker than those without. ---
**Author:** ![Hemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775/5 "2002-04-10T04:17:29Z")
Isn’t there a German expression - “beer after wind, that’s fine; wine after beer, never fear”? I would have thought the weaker drink should come later. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775/6 "2002-04-10T04:18:56Z")
Hard before beer, you’re in the clear. Beer before hard, you’re in the yard. I don’t think carbonation would have much to do with how fast alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream. I think the saying makes sense just because people are able to drink hard liquor quicker after they are already drunk - a person who normally gags on a shot of tequila will be able to take swigs straight from the bottle after they are drunk - so if you drink beer first and get a nice buzz before you start drinking hard liquor, there’s a chance you will drink too much too fast, while if you get drunk on liquor before drinking beer, your alcohol intake is limited somewhat by how fast you can drink beer. ---
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775/7 "2002-04-10T05:31:39Z")
i’ve always assumed that lesser alcohol before harder alcohol will make one puke, because the body has adjusted to absorbing a certain amount of alcohol, and then you rock its world by kicking in a much stronger proof drink. ergo, one pukes. jb ---
**Author:** ![billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775/8 "2002-04-10T05:53:44Z")
Having done it both ways, I say the concept is to prevent the drunk from killing himself with the new bottle of wiskey and if you start with wiskey, then switch to beer, how much damage can you do? You’re gonna throw up before you get too much more beer in you. The drunk that can drink from the bottle, and doesn’t know when to stop, may drink to death, or at least to a 3 day hangover. Of which I 've a couple. The expression as I’ve heard it is, “Liquor first, then beer, never fear. Beer first, then liquor, never sicker.” ---
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775/9 "2002-04-10T06:31:14Z")
oops, sorry. here’s the ol’ saying i’ve heard: beer before liquor, never sicker. liquor before beer, you’re in the clear. and something about a red sky at morning, stand back, Jack. jb ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775/10 "2002-04-10T10:12:08Z")
Where I grew up it was “Beer then wine, feel fine. Wine then beer, feel queer”. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775/11 "2002-04-10T13:11:44Z")
Ah, the range of subjects that fall within Cecil’s (and his humble teeming minions’) realm. Anyway, it’s beer before liquor never sicker. Because you start by draining a some 12 or 16 oz brewski’s. Hey, no problem. Then you pick up some whiskey and keep drinking at the same rate. Sixteen oz of whiskey later, you’re what’s scientifically termed a hurting puppy. Conversely, liquor before beer, never fear. Start by getting used to sipping something. Now when you pick up a beer, you’re still in sipping mode, and you probably won’t drink enough to put you in that ugly bad place. Hope that helps. ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775/12 "2002-04-10T19:53:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Badtz Maru \* > \*\*I don’t think carbonation would have much to do with how fast alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream. \*\* Wrong. Carbonation _does_ speed absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, as it stimulates the pyloric sphincter to more quickly transport it from the stomach to the small intestine. As such, vodka & Sprites will get you drunk more quickly than screwdrivers. Lagniappe: eating starchy foods also speeds absorption, whereas chowing down on fatty foods slows absorption. So eat potato chips, buffalo wings, or fries, and leave the bread alone. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-before-liquor-never-sicker/102775/13 "2002-04-10T20:29:42Z")
My take on this is when you are drinking beer and then someone suggests lets drink whiskey now the evening will not end well because you are drinking a lot more than usual not because of the order of drinking.