--- title: Research Results: 5 Things You Should Know About Alcohol and Drinking description: It's the most harmful drug canonical: https://time.com/3923378/alcohol-research-findings/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-18T04:01:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:34.173Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 5 Things You Need to Know About Alcohol, Backed By Research og:description: It's the most harmful drug og:url: https://time.com/3923378/alcohol-research-findings/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94fce2a18b13c063/698854c00b72e364446e47f1/529171439-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: beer-cup og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Things You Need to Know About Alcohol, Backed By Research twitter:description: It's the most harmful drug twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94fce2a18b13c063/698854c00b72e364446e47f1/529171439-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Things You Need to Know About Alcohol, Backed By Research ## Video: Should I Drink Red Wine? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Drink Red Wine?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JLVLyuEq.m3u8) (1:35)  _Published 2015-03-12. Cheers to your health! All five of our experts give red wine a purple-stained smile._ by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jun 18, 2015 4:01 AM UTC  Beer with drops Beer with dropsGetty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jun 18, 2015 4:01 AM UTC * If you want to crack someone’s skull, [use an empty beer bottle](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/if-you-want-to-crack-someones-skull-should-yo), not a full one. Are you a mean drunk but don’t want to get into fights? Take [Prozac](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-should-you-do-if-youre-a-mean-drunk-but). Just [thinking about alcohol](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-merely-thinking-about-alcohol-increase-a) can increase aggressiveness. People who [suppress their anger](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whos-most-likely-to-get-violent-after-drinkin) are most likely to get violent when drinking. Force bars to close early and [violent crime goes down](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-happens-when-you-force-bars-to-close-ear). Ban liquor and [the homicide rate goes up](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-drug-and-alcohol-prohibition-increase-th). Alcohol increases aggression because intoxicated people [are more likely to interpret things as deliberate vs accidental](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/why-does-alcohol-increase-aggression). Booze [reduces anxiety but not fear](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-booze-reduce-anxiety-and-fear). Yes, that big drunk guy at the bar [is as dangerous as you thought](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-dangerous-is-that-big-drunk-guy-at-the-ba). You can predict the level of violence in an area [just by looking at alcohol sales](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-you-predict-violence-in-an-area-just-by-l). Vodka is [more associated with homicide](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-some-alcoholic-beverages-more-associated) than beer or wine. * You drastically underestimate how much alcohol it would take for you to [vomit or blackout](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-much-alcohol-would-you-guess-it-takes-for). Alcohol is [the most harmful drug](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-is-the-most-harmful-drug). You’ll act drunk whether you’ve had real alcohol or [a placebo](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-a-placebo-just-as-effective-as-a-heineken). Letting your teenager drink at home while supervised [is a terrible idea](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-letting-your-teenager-drink-at-home-make). Ban smoking and you [get more drunk driving](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-is-banning-smoking-related-to-drunk-drivi). Yes, [the Irish drink as much as you think](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-the-irish-really-drink-that-much) but they also have a very high number of abstainers. Drink too much and want to clean up your act? [Have a daughter, not a son](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/drink-too-much-smoke-too-much-wanna-clean-up). 31% of rock star deaths are [related to drugs or alcohol](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-rockstars-really-live-fast-and-die-young). You don’t function better after when you add Red Bull to your Vodka — [you just think you do](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-you-function-better-after-a-red-bull-and-v). * Drinking makes you [wealthier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-drinking-and-smoking-make-you-wealthier), can [stave off dementia](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-alcohol-be-good-for-your-brain) and help you [live a long life](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/if-you-want-to-live-longer-should-you-give-al). Have the bartender [use a tall, thin glass](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-the-size-or-shape-of-the-glass-affect-ho), not a short, fat one. Bar owners get you to drink more by [turning up the music](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-do-bar-owners-get-you-to-drink-more). You’re [more creative when you’re drunk](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-you-more-creative-when-youre-drunk). [These](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/which-drugs-produced-which-classic-works-of-l) great works of literature were created thanks to drinking. Mild drinking during pregnancy [can lead to smarter and healthier kids](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-pregnant-women-who-drink-alcohol-have-smar). Alcohol may help you [achieve your goals](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-drinking-more-beer-help-you-achieve-your). * Smart people are [more likely to binge drink](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-smart-people-more-likely-to-binge-drink). Binge drinking the night before a test [doesn’t negatively affect grades](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/should-you-get-wasted-the-night-before-a-big) but overall [drinking does hurt academic performance](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/did-all-that-drinking-you-did-in-college-real). Drunk people are [just as effective an eyewitness](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-drunk-people-or-sober-people-better-eyewi) as sober people. Getting drunk makes you more [think more politically conservative](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-getting-drunk-make-you-more-politically). 1 in 5 country music songs [refers to alcohol](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/1-in-5-country-music-songs-refers-to-alcohol), 1 in 3 to tears, 1 in 7 to mama. It’s [not the booze talking](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/its-not-the-booze-talking). You know what you’re doing when you’re drunk, alcohol just [makes you care less about the consequences](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-drunk-people-responsible-for-their-behavi). We [crave alcohol](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-do-we-desire-most-frequently) slightly less than coffee but more than sports or shopping. It’s easier to resist booze [than checking email](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/which-is-hardest-to-resist-alcohol-cigarettes). Women [like wine better when they think it’s expensive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-women-like-things-better-if-theyre-expensi). [These](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/which-countries-drink-the-most) countries drink the most. * One of the best predictors of how sexual a woman is is how much she drinks. Yes, [drinking leads to sex](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-drinking-lead-to-sex). No, alcohol [doesn’t make it much harder](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-alcohol-really-affect-mens-sexual-functi) for a guy to perform sexually. Men get more sexually aggressive when they drink because alcohol [makes it hard for them to distinguish when women are being flirty vs friendly](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/why-do-men-get-so-sexually-aggressive-when-th). Drinking (or just thinking you’re drinking) can [make you feel more attractive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-quickest-way-to-feel-more-attractiv). Beer goggles [are real](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-beer-goggles-really-make-people-seem-mor) but it’s not just the beer causing [goggles](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-it-really-beer-that-causes-beer-goggles). Women [probably get beer goggles worse](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/which-sex-gets-beer-goggles-worse-men-or-wome) than men. The answer to whether people like the taste of beer [can predict if they have sex on the first date](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-predict-who-will-have-sex-on-the-fir). **Join over 190,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/06/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-alcohol/)**_._** Related posts: [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) [How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/10/how-to-get-people-to-like-you/) [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3923378/alcohol-research-findings/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3923378/alcohol-research-findings/"},"headline":"5 Things You Need to Know About Alcohol, Backed By Research","datePublished":"2015-06-18T04:01:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:49:34.173Z","description":"It's the most harmful drug","url":"https://time.com/3923378/alcohol-research-findings/","keywords":["Psychology","Food & Drink","Alcohol"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94fce2a18b13c063/698854c00b72e364446e47f1/529171439-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94fce2a18b13c063/698854c00b72e364446e47f1/529171439-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"beer-cup","caption":"beer-cup","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3923378/alcohol-research-findings/","name":"5 Things You Need to Know About Alcohol, Backed By Research"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Should I Drink Red Wine?","description":"Cheers to your health! 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