Don't drink Gatorade with vodka

[snopes]

Comment: someone told me that if you drink gatorade and vodka you could
get alcohol poisoning because the gatorade rehydrates you faster than the
alcohol dehydrates you causing you to die of alcohol poisoning.

[Richard W]

So presumably if you drank Gatorade without vodka, you'd die of alcohol poisoning (caused by rehydration) even more quickly?

[snopes]

And if that were the case, wouldn't you be killed by Gatorade poisoning, not alcohol poisoning?

[Dactyl]

The logic is completely lost on me. Why would getting rehydrated quicker by Gatorade 'cause you die of alcohol poisoning?

I don't have any Gatorade here but am willing to try it with Lucozade Isotonic, which I assume it pretty much the same thing.

[Squirt]

I suppose it might be possible that Gatorade somehow changes the rate at which alcohol is absorbed, but I've a feeling alcohol gets into your blood pretty quickly anyway, so it won't change too much.

However, I imagine drinking two litres of vodka with some Gatorade may well put you at risk of alcohol poisoning, so you should probably avoid that.

[Swordmaster]

I have, in the past, mixed vodka and Gatorade (as well as vodka and Powerade), and I'm still alive and kicking. Just for the record.

[Richard W]

It seems as though somebody might be mixing it up with the idea that drinking lots of water to rehydrate rapidly is a bad idea (because it dilutes your body fluids and makes your brain swell and potentially kills you), but that doesn't really make sense in this context. You have to drink an awful lot of water at the same time as losing salts for that to happen. And Gatorade is probably closer to the right isotonic balance than water, so less likely to cause the problem anyway. And the alcohol has nothing to do with it.

[DaGuyWitBluGlasses]

I think the logic might be assuming that passing out is caused by dehydration.

IE You would be able to drink more vodka if you keep hydrated with gatorade.

Ordinarly it's difficult to drink enough alcohol to reach a fatal level.

[moonfall]

My dad says Gatorade is good for re-hydrating yourself when you have a hangover, but I don't know anything about mixing it. Sounds like a disgusting combination to me.

[Em]

Originally Posted by DaGuyWitBluGlasses

I think the logic might be assuming that passing out is caused by dehydration.

IE You would be able to drink more vodka if you keep hydrated with gatorade.

Ordinarly it's difficult to drink enough alcohol to reach a fatal level.

I suspect it goes something like:

Drinking Gatorade = Rehydration,
Rehydration = absorbing water,
Water = fluid, and
Vodka = fluid, therefore:
mixing Gatorade and vodka = absorbing more vodka,
absorbing more vodka = alcohol poisoning.

[llewtrah]

This reminds me of my sister's favourite cold remedy - Lemsip-and-rum hot cocktails.

[LizzyBean]

Originally Posted by snopes

Comment: someone told me that if you drink gatorade and vodka you could
get alcohol poisoning because the gatorade rehydrates you faster than the
alcohol dehydrates you causing you to die of alcohol poisoning.

Is it just vodka then? Can I mix it with rum or something and be safe?

[Casey]

Originally Posted by Squirt

I suppose it might be possible that Gatorade somehow changes the rate at which alcohol is absorbed, but I've a feeling alcohol gets into your blood pretty quickly anyway, so it won't change too much.

That may their theory, but it's incorrect. Alcohol, aspirin, and a very small amount of water get absorbed directly by the stomach. No matter how much Gatorade you cut the vodka with, the alcohol's in your blood long before the water gets absorbed in the large intestine.

[Jusenkyo no Pikachu]

Isn't this what's called a "sonic screwdriver"?

[geminilee]

I would imagine drinking gatorade would prevent hangovers, because that is caused by dehydration. I think that the OP is under the impression that the intoxicated feeling is caused at least in part by dehydration, and that staying hydrated would make you feel less drunk so that you will drink more. Total BS, of course, and bad advice to boot; you are supposed to stay hydrated when drinking or doing anything else which may dehydrate you.

[justusfour]

Originally Posted by geminilee

I would imagine drinking gatorade would prevent hangovers, because that is caused by dehydration. I think that the OP is under the impression that the intoxicated feeling is caused at least in part by dehydration, and that staying hydrated would make you feel less drunk so that you will drink more. Total BS, of course, and bad advice to boot; you are supposed to stay hydrated when drinking or doing anything else which may dehydrate you.

This is exactly why I do it. And it's pretty good, actually.

[compass]

I heard this about vodka and red bull
( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...n-experts.html )
but that's supposed to be related to the caffeine. Also heard the "feel less drunk, drink more" argument somewhere.

[LizzyBean]

Originally Posted by snopes

Comment: someone told me that if you drink gatorade and vodka you could
get alcohol poisoning because the gatorade rehydrates you faster than the
alcohol dehydrates you causing you to die of alcohol poisoning.

I feel I've been issued a challenge!

After all, I have both in my fridge right now.

[rangerdog]

People have been drinking rum and Coke for decades with out warnings. How is Red Bull different? More caffine? Pullease...

[geminilee]

They are taking a truth and stretching it, then using it to demonize something new.

Caffeine does make you feel "less drunk", in the same way that coffee "sobers up" a drunk; the caffeine counteracts the sedative effects of the alcohol. It can take longer to pass out, so if someone is on a binge they may be in danger. But if they were on a binge, they probably were in danger anyway.