Here’s Why Champagne Makes You Feel Like A Huge Lightweight Every Time You Drink It

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If you’ve ever wondered why you can pound 18 Coors Lights in a sitting and not feel a thing but after a couple glasses of Prosecco at a work happy hour you’re asking your married boss to hook up in the bathroom, wonder no more, my friend.

In a study published in Alcohol and Alcoholism, researchers found that sparkling wine and champagne contain H2CO3, a compound of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O), which can actually make you feel tipsier than regular wine, despite equal alcohol content.

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Via Business Insider:

The scientists divided twelve volunteers into two groups. Some received two glasses of freshly uncorked champagne, while others were given the same drink, only it had been stirred or shaken — in other words non-carbonated. The subjects in both groups each received the same amount of alcohol, exactly 0.6 grams per kilogram of body weight.

The two freshly uncorked glasses of champagne pushed the alcohol content in subjects’ blood to 0.54 parts per thousand after five minutes. The stirred version, on the other hand, only pushed the subjects’ alcohol levels up to 0.39 parts per thousand. The subjective feeling of being less tipsy corresponded to the values in their blood, with perception and reaction tests also confirming this result.

Nikolaus Merkt, an expert in viticulture from the University of Hohenheim, claims:

“Carbon dioxide in sparkling drinks is what increases the permeability of your biomembranes. Better circulation means more alcohol can be absorbed into the bloodstream.”

This explains why my girlfriend is always flying high after two flutes.

Moral of the story: if you’re arriving to a party late and looking to get a jump on the boozing, have a couple glasses of sparkling wine and you’ll be texting ex-girlfriends in no time.

Stay thirsty.

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And Leo, stay handsome. You devil.

[h/t Business Insider]

Matt Keohan Avatar
Matt’s love of writing was born during a sixth grade assembly when it was announced that his essay titled “Why Drugs Are Bad” had taken first prize in D.A.R.E.’s grade-wide contest. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana.