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Diet Coke Can Make You Drunk Faster Than Regular Coke — Here’s the Science Behind It
Vinepair ^ | DECEMBER 16, 2022 | Nicolette Baker

Posted on 12/16/2022 2:05:21 PM PST by nickcarraway

It’s a concept that’s been circulating around TikTok as of late — users claim that using Diet Coke as a mixer can make you drunk faster than sipping on spiked regular cola. Taylor Swift had also famously cited vodka Diet Coke her favorite drink in a 2016 interview. But does the mixer truly make Tay feel tipsier?

Turns out that the theory is indeed supported by science. Here’s why, according to a recent article by The Mirror.

Tiktok creator Loryn Powell (@lorynpowell) tested out the rumor in a video, utilizing a breathalyzer to clock her blood alcohol content (BAC). She first filmed herself drinking four glasses of Jack Daniels-spiked cola in two different sessions, comparing the diet and regular cola in side-by-side videos.

@lorynpowell How is this even possible? I tested whiskey with Diet Coke and Coke on 2 separate days to see if that theory going around is true. #dietcoke #whiskey #breathalyzer #cocktails #jackandcoke #science

♬ original sound – Loryn Powell

After waiting for thirty minutes, Powell used the breathalyzer to gauge her level of intoxication.

When mixing the liquor with regular Coke, she recorded a 0.061 percent BAC. With the diet version, her blood alcohol content clocked at 0.086 percent. (In many states, 0.08 percent BAC is considered the legal limit for intoxication, for context.)

After waiting an additional 30 minutes she tested again, this time hitting 0.051 percent BAC for regular and 0.088 percent BAC for diet. The video covers several hours of Powell’s experiment, as she regularly recorded her BAC levels. After five hours, her BAC hit at 0.00 percent BAC for regular cola but still hit 0.058 percent for the diet.

So what does the difference boil down to?

That question was soon answered by fellow TikTok creator Dr. Karan Raj (@dr.karanr) in a Nov. 29 video. Raj revealed that the type and quantity of sugar found in these drinks accounts for the BAC differences.

“It has nothing to do with a diet mixer, but more to do with the fact that sugar in regular Coke makes your stomach empty more slowly into the small intestine, slowing down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream,” he states in the video. “It’s the same principle as why you get drunk faster on an empty stomach.”

Diet Coke or regular? Based on this information, it seems like it depends on what type of night you’re planning to have. If you’re choosing the diet version, sip responsibly!


TOPICS: Food; Hobbies; Science
KEYWORDS: alcohol; dietcoke; soda; whocares
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1 posted on 12/16/2022 2:05:21 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
Jack Daniels and Diet Coke. Good to know...
2 posted on 12/16/2022 2:07:52 PM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /Sarc tag really necessary? Pray for President Biden: Psalm 109:8)
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To: nickcarraway

But does eating a stick of butter prevent you from getting drunk at all?


3 posted on 12/16/2022 2:07:55 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom (If you're not part of the solution, you're just scumming up the bottom of the beaker!0)
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To: Yo-Yo

Or Captain Morgan and Diet Coke. I like that.


4 posted on 12/16/2022 2:08:36 PM PST by MayflowerMadam
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To: nickcarraway

I always have preferred sweet drinks and am usually FAR soberer than the people I am drinking with. Apparently unknown to me the sugar in my drinks was making me soberer!


5 posted on 12/16/2022 2:08:39 PM PST by TexasFreeper2009
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To: Yo-Yo

Shots of Jack while drinking Golden Monkey and watching Tombstone...

There’s a secret for you.


6 posted on 12/16/2022 2:09:24 PM PST by EEGator
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

I would empty my stomach, so yes.


7 posted on 12/16/2022 2:10:10 PM PST by EEGator
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To: ProtectOurFreedom
According to Murder She Wrote it does.
8 posted on 12/16/2022 2:10:22 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Get after it people!


9 posted on 12/16/2022 2:12:01 PM PST by sonova (That's what I always say sometimes.)
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To: Yo-Yo

They sell a pre-mix Jack Daniels and Cola in stores. Not real strong but very tasty.


10 posted on 12/16/2022 2:19:15 PM PST by ImJustAnotherOkie
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To: nickcarraway

If I still imbibed, maybe Jack and Coke Zero, if I wanted a diet soft drink.


11 posted on 12/16/2022 2:30:40 PM PST by Roadrunner383
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To: ImJustAnotherOkie; EEGator; MayflowerMadam

Thanks all for the suggestions.

Well, hell, there goes my Friday night...


12 posted on 12/16/2022 2:45:06 PM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /Sarc tag really necessary? Pray for President Biden: Psalm 109:8)
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To: nickcarraway
Because I couldn't disagree,


13 posted on 12/16/2022 2:46:28 PM PST by outofsalt (If history teaches us anything, it's that history rarely teaches anything.)
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To: nickcarraway
"Diet Coke Can Make You Drunk Faster Than Regular Coke — Here’s the Science Behind It"

Drunkology.

14 posted on 12/16/2022 3:04:47 PM PST by UnwashedPeasant (The pandemic we suffer from is not COVID. It is Marxist Democrat Leftism.)
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To: nickcarraway

Just drink it straight from the bottle and get drunk even faster.


15 posted on 12/16/2022 3:06:19 PM PST by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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To: nickcarraway

Feasible theory (sugar reduces absorption rate) but hardly proven by this.

One person only, only two time points, no validation - I.e. how did they measure the amount of alcohol intake in each experiment, did she drink them at the exact same rate etc…

Interesting exercise and I don’t reject the theory, but hardly an experiment, much less a well controlled one.


16 posted on 12/16/2022 3:07:36 PM PST by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: nickcarraway
“It has nothing to do with a diet mixer, but more to do with the fact that sugar in regular Coke makes your stomach empty more slowly into the small intestine, slowing down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream,” he states in the video. “It’s the same principle as why you get drunk faster on an empty stomach.”

The breathalyzer numbers make no sense. If the sugary drink slows down absorption, then I would expect the alcohol to last longer in the blood. If you were to inject the alcohol into your vein, your liver would start processing it right away rather than having to wait for an hour to hit the blood. The numbers look like less alcohol was drunk with the sugary drink.

17 posted on 12/16/2022 3:34:41 PM PST by KarlInOhio (Soon the January 6 protesters will be held (without trial or bail) longer than Jefferson Davis was.)
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To: nickcarraway

At least you won’t be a fat drunk.


18 posted on 12/16/2022 3:34:42 PM PST by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)
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To: Organic Panic

Use Everclear as the mixer for your tequila.


19 posted on 12/16/2022 3:35:34 PM PST by KarlInOhio (Soon the January 6 protesters will be held (without trial or bail) longer than Jefferson Davis was.)
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To: ifinnegan

did she drink them at the exact same rate etc…
==

Same time of day, same amount of sleep, same diet/solid and liquid before hand.

Was she watching Trump or Biden before drinking?


20 posted on 12/16/2022 4:21:43 PM PST by Scrambler Bob (My /s is more true than your /science (or you might mean /seance))
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