Things like water or Advil can make you feel less awful, but there is still alcohol in the bloodstream, which only time will alleviate. A beer contains less alcohol than a shot of liquor. A 12-ounce beer and a one and a half ounce shot of liquor both contain about the same amount of alcohol. A five-ounce glass of wine also contains the same amount of alcohol. The body burns the alcohol at a rate of one drink per hour, so it takes at least an hour for each drink consumed to sober up.
All consumption of alcohol is bad.
Occasional moderate drinking can be harmless and enjoyable. Originally published in Vol. 91, Issue No. 3, September 9, 1999.