Beer before liquor, never sicker and liquor before beer, you are in the clear
Whoever said that “beer before liquor, never sicker; liquor before beer, you’re in the clear” clearly hadn’t had two Amaretto Sours and then one beer. I didn’t really drink that much last night at Media Leaders and the F5 Expo Tweetup, at all. I drank a lot of water in between. But I woke up to a splitting headache, and while not hangover (hell, 3 drinks in 5 hours is nothing!), I still had to have Tylenol 3Extra Strength in the morning (my very best friend) in order to be able to function properly for my teaching. In the future, I’m sticking with *only* beer, wine or cocktails, but just one of the same. No switching around!
Those sayings are total and utter rubbish.
[NOTE - I had to edit the Tylenol 3 comment as (a) it wasn't actually Tylenol 3 which is prescription medication but Tylenol Extra Strength, which is over-the-counter, and (b) I had Tylenol in the morning, after having spent 8 hours asleep, not mixing it as Sam was suggesting in the comments below - thus, you'll see the strike-through and inserted words on my post - all in the name of accuracy! 
]
Related posts:
- Vancouver Craft Beer Week (May 6-14)
- Splitz is getting a liquor license!
- Champagne Tastes on a Beer Budget – Guest post by J. Karen Parker
- Quick headache post
- Raul’s domestic life – Not a super crucial topic
I’ve always found that saying a bit odd too. I guess it caught on because liquors typically go down faster than beers and so while you’re drinking a beer (after liquor) there’s more time to realize how inebriated you are and subsequently slow down more?
Tylenol 3 for a headache? Yikes!! That must be one hell of a serious headache to require an opiate!! Also, Tylenol is pretty hard on the liver (I just recently read that it’s the number one cause of liver damage), so I’d be cautious of mixing it with alcohol.
Beth is right. And to anyone reading this, I would not take advice from someone taking codeine (Tylenol 3 is acetaminophen + an opiate called codeine) to treat a mere headache. This drug is prescribed for the same reasons Vicodin is prescribed and should not be taken just “in order to be able to function properly.”
1) You shouldn’t mix depressants like opiates with alcohol, which can still be in your system the morning after drinking.
2) Mixing Tylenol with alcohol is a BAD idea. If you want to prevent or treat a hangover, take something with ibuprofen (like Motrin) instead. Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, and alcohol are both processed in the liver and they can do some long-term damage when mixed.
However, ibuprofen is processed in the kidneys, so when taken in the recommended dosages it is safe to take with alcohol or to treat a hangover.
@ Beth and Sam: I should correct myself (which I did on my blog entry) in saying that I had Tylenol Extra Strength (not Tylenol 3).
@ Sam – (a) I didn’t mix Tylenol with alcohol … I had Tylenol over 8 hours after having had my last drink (b) I am not giving advice to anyone (c) I clarified (if you re-read my entry) that it was Tylenol Extra Strength, not Tylenol 3 (which as you and Beth indicated, has an opiate AND on top of that, can only be prescribed by a doctor!)