A California dad tells his daughter that a simple breathing technique he learned in Russia can prevent sickness from alcohol. Viewers are skeptical of the science behind his advice.
On Aug. 4, Haley Marcus (@Haleyrosemarcus) recorded her father’s drinking trick in a viral TikTok that has amassed 23.8 million views as of Friday.
What Is The Trick To Avoid Alcohol Sickness?
“I was told that when you do a shot, you get sick because you breathe in the fumes of the alcohol,” he shared. “So what you wanna do is you wanna breathe in through your nose
and then out through your mouth. Then when you drink the shot, you don’t wanna breathe in any more of the alcohol fumes.”
He claims that ever since learning this trick, he has not gotten sick from alcohol.
“So if you do that, and you won’t ever get nauseous, and you won’t ever throw up,” he said. “I have never, in over 30 years, gotten sick or even close to sick because I’ve used this technique.”
While showing his daughter the trick, she asks for a chaser to help with the taste, and he tells her that she doesn’t need a chaser. “If you do it right, you don’t need a chaser,” he shared.
Do Medical Experts Back Up The Father’s Claims?
Medical experts do not support the father’s claim that breathing a certain way prevents alcohol-related nausea or vomiting. Alcohol sickness happens because ethanol irritates the stomach, slows stomach emptying, and affects the brain’s vomiting center as blood alcohol levels rise.
Those effects come from the alcohol itself, not simply from inhaling its fumes. Holding your breath or exhaling before a shot may reduce the strong smell of liquor, which some people find unpleasant, but there is no reliable evidence that it prevents nausea or stops someone from throwing up.
The breathing routine appears to be a folk drinking tip rather than a medically recognized technique. Variations of the advice have circulated for years, particularly in stories about vodka drinking in Russia and Eastern Europe.
Some people claim inhaling before a shot and waiting to breathe again reduces the harsh alcohol vapors. However, medical organizations do not list this as an effective way to avoid alcohol sickness. Instead, experts say the amount of alcohol consumed, the speed of drinking, body size, whether someone has eaten, and individual tolerance have a much greater impact on whether they become nauseous.
How Can Alcohol Sickness Be Avoided?
Nausea and vomiting are among the most common short-term effects of drinking too much alcohol. They are also hallmark symptoms of a hangover. In more serious cases, repeated vomiting can signal alcohol poisoning, which is a medical emergency. Other warning signs include confusion, slowed or irregular breathing, seizures, blue or pale skin, difficulty waking up, and loss of consciousness.
The best way to reduce the risk of alcohol sickness is much less exciting than a viral trick. Health experts recommend drinking slowly, eating before alcohol consumption, staying hydrated, and knowing your limits. Skipping a chaser may also make the experience more unpleasant because it does nothing to reduce the amount of alcohol entering the body.
@haleyrosemarcus His deep breath technique… it totally doesn’t look dumb. 🤪 #dad #funny #viral #fyp #trending ♬ original sound – Hales 😘
Subplot reached out to Marcus for comment via TikTok direct message and email.
