Milk can neutralize alcohol and drugs in the blood, right?

Milk is often used as first aid when poisoning because it has the property of dissolving and absorbing toxins. This is what then makes many people believe that milk can neutralize alcohol and drugs in the blood. However, is that really so?

The process of absorption of alcohol and drugs in the body

Before knowing whether milk can neutralize drugs and alcohol, it is better if you know in advance how the process of absorption of alcohol and drugs, aka illegal drugs in the body.

The absorption of alcohol in the body is relatively fast. Unlike other nutrients that are only absorbed when food enters the small intestine, alcohol is absorbed since it is in the stomach. About 20 percent of the alcohol you drink is absorbed here.

The rest, the alcohol is then absorbed by the small intestine. After that, alcohol will enter the blood and circulate throughout the body. Waste substances from alcohol metabolism are then excreted from the body through sweat, urine and saliva.

Meanwhile, drugs taken by mouth are more or less the same as food in general. The illegal drugs will be smoothed in the stomach, absorbed into the small intestine, and then carried by the blood.

The difference is, blood carries the medicine to the liver first, then circulates it throughout the body.

Meanwhile, the types of drugs that are injected into the veins go through a different process. Drugs taken until finally through the digestive tract can reduce several percent of the components of the drug.

However, injected drugs will enter completely into the blood.

Can milk neutralize alcohol and drugs?

It is long thought that the fat in milk can coat the stomach and inhibit the absorption of alcohol. Finally, many people drink milk or consume sources of fat, such as olive oil to "coat" their stomachs.

In fact, so far there has been no research that proves whether milk can actually neutralize drugs and alcohol.

Instead of coating the stomach, milk is actually broken down in the stomach into various simpler nutrients. Among them are protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and sugar in the form of lactose and glucose.

This is in line with a study in The British Journal of Medicine . The study found no significant benefit from ingredients that are often thought to coat the stomach wall or to provide relief hangover after getting drunk.

The assumption that certain foods and drinks can coat the stomach is just a myth.

The interaction between milk and alcohol in the stomach does not cause a significant effect. The reason is, some of the alcohol has been absorbed and the milk has broken down.

Apart from alcohol, milk has also not been proven to neutralize drugs and drugs in general. The interaction between milk and certain drugs can indeed inhibit drug absorption by the intestine, but not neutralize it.

This condition occurs because the calcium in milk binds to certain ingredients in drugs. Even though in the end, drugs or drugs that are consumed by mouth will still be absorbed by the intestines and enter the bloodstream.

The same is true for injecting drug users. Once it enters the bloodstream, substances in drugs will move rapidly to various organs in the body. At this stage, milk has changed its form into the simplest nutrition.

So, the assumption that milk is able to neutralize alcohol and drugs is not true. Milk also cannot coat the stomach and protect it from certain substances as many people believe.

Instead of drinking milk, the best way to neutralize the effects of alcohol and drugs on you is to stop consuming it. By avoiding both, you protect yourself from the harmful effects of addictive substances.

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