Does alcohol keep people warm?

[Deja Q]

I just listened to a beer commercial on the radio where they say how it's never too cold... and one they warm up is to drink this new _____ brand of flavored beer.

:wtf:

[SPKrazy]

1. actually no it doesn't

it creates the illusion of warmth
but it is also the cause of many people freezing to death because they pass out and are "warm" and freeze to death.

[Deja Q]

2. Cool. I expect a class action lawsuit for misadvertising coming soon...

[XemaSab]

3. Um.... it makes people FEEL warm,

therefore it's a contributing factor to many hypothermia deaths. :P

"Persons with hypothyroidism are at increased risk for hypothermia (4). In addition, a variety of drugs, principally sedative-hypnotics, may predispose users to hypothermia; ethanol and neuroleptic medications particularly increase susceptibility to cold (2)."

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001319.htm

"Persons can reduce their risk for hypothermia by taking the following precautions: 1) wear a hat, mittens, and clothing that creates a static layer of warm air, provides a barrier against the wind, and keeps the body dry; 2) avoid alcohol and other mood- and cognition-altering drugs; 3) recognize the signs and symptoms of hypothermia (e.g., shivering, slurred speech, and somnolence) that indicate the need to seek shelter and call for help; and 4) keep emergency kits containing blankets, radios, noncaffeinated fluids, high-energy food, and an extra supply of medications for chronic conditions readily available."

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5510a5.htm

[JBoy]

4. No, but it can make others look hotter

[idgiehkt]

5. nuh uh

as someone who spent 12 days in the hospital after getting 'drunk, stoned, lost in the woods' hypothermia, I can testify.

[CJCRANE]

6. AFAIK

alcohol causes the capillaries in your skin to dilate so there's more warm blood on your bodies surface - this will prob make you feel warm to the touch but in fact causes you to lose more body heat.

[Swede]

7. No,but it does make you cool.

:toast::beer:

[xmas74]

8. No.

But it does give you the courage to hit on that smokin' hot guy in the bar who WILL keep you warm later that night. (nudge, nudge/wink, wink)

[zanne]

9. Let an alcoholic explain.....

Finally, my alcoholism is good for something! When I used to drink, many moons ago, I'd go to a bar in the winter that was about two blocks from my house. I'd share a pitcher with my boyfriend, then we'd be all warm and walk back home. About halway home, "warm" would turn into "icicle cold". It only warms a person up temporarily, then it actually lowers your body temperature. So NO, if you think that bringing a flask with you on a winter hike will keep you warm, you're wrong.

[ashling]

10. It depends

are you going to ingest it, ...

or pour it all over yourself and set fire to it?

[havocmom]

11. Only if you use it to get the firewood going

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

12. Yeah, if you have an alcohol-burning stove

Might be a little dangerous, since you can't see alcohol flame in bright light.

But you can get warm.

[Breeze54]

13. The Coast Guard hands out shots of whiskey

or they used to do that, to keep the guys on the ship from freezing as they were chipping the ice off the ship.