757SeanTaylor21 Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 just a quick question fellas. right now im sick as a dog with no cold/flu medicine and my roommate suggested takin a shot of tequila which is 80% alchohol. his theory is tht the alchohol will kill the germs in the body thats making me sick or atleast make feel better a little...is there any proof of this or will it actually make me better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellis Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 It has worked for me. FWIW, I'm not suggesting that it's true though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissance Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 http://ask.metafilter.com/104953/Tequila-as-cold-remedy Oh and I don't think alcohol is going to "kill the germs" lol, it just might temporarily soothe or mask the symptoms you have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0ublestr0ker0ll Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 80% alcohol? Or 80 proof? I digress, I've done this before and have had mixed results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchogs Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 24 hour pharmacy sounds like a better option to me, personally, though i have definitely tried killing germs with large quantities of booze. funny thing is that i still ended up puking and woke up with a headache. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 No for the most part,though a good hot toddy is always in order,or throw it in with some tomato juice and Worcester sauce Got any apple cider vinegar..or dill pickle juice? hot tea with lemon and honey? A good steam in the shower? Tequila and lime will give some vitamin C,but it ain't gonna give much relief Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCSaints_fan Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 When I was an undergrad at VT I had this throat problem, so I called the advice nurse and she told me the exact same thing :-). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Dave Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 If the alcohol does make you feel better, it certainly isn't because it's directly treating your illness. Unless you're suffering from alcohol withdrawals, in which case, yeah, booze would do something other than make you drunk. Also, where the hell did you get 160 proof tequila? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 Heh. I remember back when I was bartending,a friend and I came up with the idea to drink screwdrivers to help get rid of the colds we had,(courtesy of the tourists). The theory,(very loose one at that), was that the Alcohol would get the virus or whatever looped,then the Vitamin C from the orange juice would bury the ****er. Obviously didn't work but testing the theory made sure we didn't care for awhile. twa as some good advice there btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special K Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 I suggest using common sense. No, drinking alcohol is not going to kill germs of your illness. It will mask your symptoms and make you forget about it. It also might lower your immune system faculties making you more sick. Go get some cold medicine. And don't mix it with alcohol, especially if there is acetaminophen in the medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 I suggest using common sense. :ols: I was about to post this. It's like your body is a blade that needs to be sterilized. I wonder if his friend suggest shining a UV light down his throat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mike Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 What kind of tequila? Is it añejo? Or at least a reposado? What brand? I'm kidding of course. Listen to keeastman. Save the tequila for a better night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbear Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 If you look at night time cough remedies, many of them contain alchohol. I have for a long time combined the night time cold meds with a (meaning ONE) shot. I had asked my doc what will happen if I do that, and he said it will make you more drowsy. My thinking has long been if I am miserable with a cold and in a position where I can take night time meds, I have already decided the way I would be most comfortable is if I could go to sleep for the time it takes me to turn the corner on the sickness. Drowsy is then not a problem. It is the preferred status. So back to your question about a shot. I say if your intention is to go to sleep, and a night cap will help, then take it. If you are drinking to get drunk, you are probably going to lower your immune system and end up in a worse state than when you started with a hangover to boot. Make sure you are drinking enough fluids with no alchohol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 The medicines don't cure the cold anyway, they just help with the symptoms. Alcohol can help with the symptoms too but you risk further dehydration. Stay hydrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosperity Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 I suggest using common sense.No, drinking alcohol is not going to kill germs of your illness. It will mask your symptoms and make you forget about it. It also might lower your immune system faculties making you more sick. Go get some cold medicine. And don't mix it with alcohol, especially if there is acetaminophen in the medicine. Doesn't acetaminophen do basically the same thing? It will mask your symptoms and make you forget about it. It also might lower your immune system faculties making you more sick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan T. Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 That is just flat out ridiculous. Everybody knows you drink bourbon for a cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark The Homer Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 Why take chances? Just chug some 190 proof grain. In fact, light it on fire just before you down it. That'll kill it for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazel-Ra Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 50/50 whiskey water enough honey to slightly alter viscosity hot buttered rum kiss of lemon juice heat in microwave Does it cure anything??? No, but lay down and get some sleep because rest does help. Now who is your provider??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special K Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 Doesn't acetaminophen do basically the same thing? You are right in the respect that Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a palliative treatement (meaning it is aimed at reducing severity of symptoms) for colds, pain, etc. However, I do not believe that it lowers the immune system like alcohol has a "tendency" to do. The reason I threw in the acetaminophen warning is that a lot of cold medicines contain acetaminophen. Some geniuses like to drink in addition to taking Tylenol and/or cold medication which is a terrible idea unless you want to fast track your way to cirrhosis of the liver Lesson of the day, if you are drinking, or have a bad hangover, take Ibuprofen (Advil). It is metabolized through a different pathway of the body and by taking that, you are making sure that your liver isn't overloaded with metabolizing acetaminophen AND alcohol...just alcohol. Thank-you. I shall be here all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special K Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 I was about to post this. It's like your body is a blade that needs to be sterilized. I wonder if his friend suggest shining a UV light down his throat. I prefer the autoclave. I believe they make those in human sizes, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
China Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 I prefer the autoclave. I believe they make those in human sizes, right? Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
757SeanTaylor21 Posted May 5, 2010 Author Share Posted May 5, 2010 excuse me, i meant to say 80 proof tequila. but readin all this i didnt take the shot i just went to the store got some nyquil cause i wanted to be asleep, apple and orange juice and called it a wrap. but now even though i didnt take it im curious still...on a open cut you pour alchohol on it to clean it so it doesnt get infected...so really why couldnt it do the same thing witha cold? now by all means im not saying its possible...and i hardly even drink much let alone im done gettin drunk but when it came to open wounds i always heard alchohol is a good cleaning agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desioreo87 Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 acetaminophen will take care of any headache you are having but heres a shortlist of things you'll need depending on symptoms headache: tylenol/motrin runny nose: antihistamine = claritin/zyrtec/benadryl (drowzy) congested: sudafed, for the good stuff ask at pharmacy counter dry cough: delsym productive cough: mucinex/ mucinex dm, drink a lot of water sore throat: no cure, just take a pain reliever and/or keep it moist with lozenges or cough drops. hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special K Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 excuse me, i meant to say 80 proof tequila. but readin all this i didnt take the shot i just went to the store got some nyquil cause i wanted to be asleep, apple and orange juice and called it a wrap. but now even though i didnt take it im curious still...on a open cut you pour alchohol on it to clean it so it doesnt get infected...so really why couldnt it do the same thing witha cold? now by all means im not saying its possible...and i hardly even drink much let alone im done gettin drunk but when it came to open wounds i always heard alchohol is a good cleaning agent. Glad to hear common sense prevailed in this case!!! It's the small victories in life.... As for alcohol for treatment, there is a world of difference in application of alcohol (which is stronger than the alcohol we drink) to a topical wound like a cut, and ingesting it as a means to combat illness. When you ingest alcohol, there are many other body processes that are affected. In addition, the alcohol doesn't specifically target the "disease" cells in your body, it just makes you....drunk. Think about it, you use betadine and peroxide on cuts too. Would you ingest those? No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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