If you’ve ever been out drinking with friends, chances are you’ve heard the popular rhyme: “Beer before liquor, never been sicker; liquor before beer, you’re in the clear.” This age-old saying suggests that the order in which you consume alcoholic beverages can determine whether you’ll wake up with a pounding headache and nausea the next morning.
But is there any truth to this widely accepted drinking wisdom? Or is it simply another myth passed down through generations of social drinkers? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the science behind this saying and uncover what really influences your risk of experiencing a hangover.
Understanding the “Beer Before Liquor” Saying
The phrase “beer before liquor, never been sicker; liquor before beer, you’re in the clear” has been a staple of drinking culture for decades. It suggests that if you start your evening with beer and then switch to harder spirits, you’re more likely to feel terrible the next day. Conversely, starting with liquor and ending with beer supposedly helps you avoid a hangover.
While this saying is deeply ingrained in popular culture, it’s important to understand where it came from and whether it has any scientific backing.
The Origins of This Popular Drinking Myth
Several theories attempt to explain how this saying came to be so widespread:
The Progressive Drinking Theory
One common explanation centers on typical drinking patterns. Many people naturally start their evening with lower-alcohol beverages like beer or wine, gradually moving to stronger drinks as the night progresses. When they inevitably feel sick later that night or the following morning, they may attribute their misery to the drinking order rather than the total amount of alcohol consumed.
The Blood Alcohol Spike Theory
Another theory suggests that liquor, with its higher alcohol content, causes a more rapid spike in blood alcohol levels compared to beer. According to this hypothesis, ending your night with hard liquor after hours of drinking beer could push your already-elevated blood alcohol content over the edge, leading to worse hangover symptoms.
The reverse scenario—starting with liquor and finishing with beer—might theoretically slow down the rate at which your blood alcohol rises, potentially reducing hangover severity.
The Carbonation Factor
Some believe that carbonated beverages like beer may speed up alcohol absorption in the stomach, potentially intensifying the effects of subsequently consumed liquor.
What Science Actually Says About Drinking Order
Despite these elaborate theories and widespread belief in the saying, scientific evidence tells a different story. Research suggests that the order in which you consume alcoholic beverages has little to no effect on whether you’ll experience a hangover.
How Alcohol Absorption Really Works
Once alcohol enters your stomach, it begins being absorbed into your bloodstream almost immediately. The absorption continues as the alcohol moves into your small intestine, where the majority of absorption takes place. By the time you wake up with a hangover, all the alcohol you consumed the night before has already been fully absorbed and processed by your body.
This means that whether you drank beer before liquor or liquor before beer, the end result in terms of total alcohol absorption remains the same. Your body doesn’t distinguish between the order of drinks—it simply processes the total amount of alcohol you’ve consumed.
The Real Culprit: Total Alcohol Consumption
What truly matters is the total amount of alcohol you consume throughout the evening, not the sequence in which you drink different types of beverages. If you drink five beers followed by three shots of whiskey, you’ve consumed the same amount of alcohol as if you’d had three shots of whiskey followed by five beers.
However, there’s one important caveat: if a particular drinking pattern consistently leads you to consume more alcohol overall, then that pattern is more likely to result in a hangover—but it’s the quantity, not the order, that’s responsible.
Real Factors That Influence Hangover Severity
If drinking order doesn’t matter, what actually determines whether you’ll wake up feeling awful? Several scientifically-proven factors play a role:
1. Total Alcohol Intake
This is the most significant factor. The more alcohol you consume, the higher your blood alcohol concentration rises, and the more likely you are to experience a hangover. There’s a direct correlation between the amount you drink and the severity of your symptoms the next day.
2. Drinking on an Empty Stomach
When you drink without eating, alcohol moves quickly from your stomach to your small intestine, where it’s absorbed rapidly into your bloodstream. This causes your blood alcohol levels to spike more dramatically. Eating before and during drinking slows alcohol absorption and helps maintain more stable blood alcohol levels.
3. Drinking Frequency and Tolerance
How often you drink plays a role in hangover susceptibility. Regular heavy drinkers may develop tolerance to some of alcohol’s effects, but research suggests that repeated heavy drinking can actually increase the severity of hangovers over time.
4. Individual Genetics
Your genetic makeup significantly influences how your body metabolizes alcohol. Genes affect various factors including:
- The speed at which your body breaks down alcohol
- How alcohol affects your sleep quality
- Alcohol’s impact on your hydration levels
- Changes in blood sugar regulation
- Blood vessel dilation responses
All of these factors can influence hangover severity, which explains why some people seem more resistant to hangovers than others, even when drinking similar amounts.
5. Type of Alcohol and Congeners
Not all alcoholic beverages are created equal. Drinks contain varying levels of congeners—chemical compounds produced during fermentation that contribute to the flavor, aroma, and color of alcoholic beverages. These compounds are also linked to worse hangovers.
Darker spirits like whiskey, bourbon, and red wine typically contain higher levels of congeners compared to clear spirits like vodka and gin. Beer falls somewhere in the middle. This means that the type of alcohol you choose may have a greater impact on your hangover than the order in which you drink different types.
6. Dehydration
Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it increases urine production and can lead to dehydration. Dehydration contributes to many classic hangover symptoms including headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. The more you drink without adequate water intake, the more dehydrated you’ll become.
7. Sleep Disruption
While alcohol may help you fall asleep initially, it significantly disrupts sleep quality, particularly REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Poor sleep contributes to the fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and irritability associated with hangovers.
8. Smoking
Research indicates that people who smoke while drinking are more likely to experience hangovers compared to non-smokers. The combination of alcohol and tobacco appears to compound negative effects.
The Lucky Quarter: People Who Don’t Get Hangovers
Interestingly, studies suggest that approximately 25% of people who drink alcohol never experience hangovers, regardless of how much they drink or their drinking behaviors. This phenomenon appears to be largely genetic, though researchers don’t fully understand all the mechanisms involved.
If you’re in this fortunate group, count your blessings—but remember that avoiding hangovers doesn’t mean alcohol isn’t affecting your health in other ways.
Evidence-Based Strategies to Prevent Hangovers
Since drinking order doesn’t matter, what actually works to prevent or reduce hangover symptoms? Here are scientifically-supported strategies:
Pace Yourself
Limit yourself to one standard drink per hour. This gives your body time to metabolize the alcohol and helps prevent blood alcohol levels from spiking too high.
Eat Before and During Drinking
Never drink on an empty stomach. Eating food—especially foods containing protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates—slows alcohol absorption and helps maintain steadier blood alcohol levels.
Stay Hydrated
Alternate alcoholic drinks with water throughout the evening. This helps combat dehydration and naturally slows your drinking pace. Drinking water before bed can also help.
Choose Your Drinks Wisely
If you’re prone to hangovers, consider choosing clear spirits over darker ones, as they contain fewer congeners. However, remember that the total amount of alcohol still matters most.
Know Your Limits
Understand how much alcohol your body can handle and stick to those limits. Standard drink sizes are: 12 ounces of beer (5% alcohol), 5 ounces of wine (12% alcohol), or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits (40% alcohol).
Avoid Smoking
If you smoke, try to avoid doing so while drinking, as this combination increases hangover risk.
Get Adequate Sleep
Plan for a full night’s sleep after drinking. While alcohol disrupts sleep quality, getting more hours of rest can help your body recover.
When to Be Concerned About Your Drinking
While an occasional hangover is unpleasant, frequent hangovers or heavy drinking patterns can indicate a more serious problem. Consider speaking with a healthcare provider if:
- You regularly drink to the point of experiencing hangovers
- You find it difficult to control how much you drink once you start
- You feel you need to drink to relax or have fun
- Your drinking is affecting your work, relationships, or health
- You experience withdrawal symptoms when you don’t drink
Healthcare professionals can provide guidance, support, and treatment options if needed. Don’t hesitate to seek help if you’re concerned about your relationship with alcohol.
The Bottom Line on Beer Before Liquor
The popular saying “beer before liquor, never been sicker; liquor before beer, you’re in the clear” is essentially a myth. Scientific evidence shows that drinking order has little to no effect on whether you’ll experience a hangover.
What really matters is the total amount of alcohol you consume, not the sequence in which you drink different beverages. Your risk of experiencing a hangover is influenced by multiple factors including how much you drink, whether you eat before drinking, your genetics, the types of alcohol you choose, your hydration status, and whether you smoke.
The most effective way to prevent a hangover is straightforward: drink in moderation, stay hydrated, don’t drink on an empty stomach, and know your personal limits. While following these evidence-based strategies won’t guarantee you’ll never experience a hangover, they’ll significantly reduce your risk compared to relying on drinking order myths.
Remember, the only surefire way to avoid a hangover is to not drink alcohol at all or to drink in moderation. If you choose to drink, do so responsibly and be mindful of the factors that truly influence how you’ll feel the next morning.
Sources:
- National Center for Biotechnology Information – Alcohol Absorption and Metabolism
- National Center for Biotechnology Information – Hangover Research
- National Center for Biotechnology Information – Factors Affecting Hangovers
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Alcohol and Public Health
⚕️ Medical Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet, taking supplements, or starting any health regimen. Individual results may vary.