Does Drinking Alcohol In A Hot Tub Make You Drunker? [No, Here Is Why]

Drinking alcohol in a hot tub causes one to become more intoxicated at a faster rate.  This happens for several different reasons. First, the heat of the hot tub causes an increase in blood pressure which causes blood vessels to dilate, or open.

This effect allows for alcohol to enter one’s bloodstream much more quickly, speeding up the rate of intoxication. After the alcohol enters the body at a quicker rate, it also circulates at a quicker rate which creates the sensation of being even drunker than one would normally be consuming the same amount of alcohol. 

Additionally, the combination of the previously mentioned heat from the hot tub and its effects on the body with the consumed alcohol circulating through the bloodstream creates a state of dehydration within the body. This dehydration leads to a slowing effect on the removal of the alcohol from one’s body. 

Overall, drinking in a hot tub leads to increased blood pressure, an increased heart rate, dehydration, and an increase of alcohol within the bodily system all of which works to make individuals become very intoxicated very quickly. 

Is it Bad to Drink Alcohol in a Hot Tub?

Alcohol should never be consumed while in a hot tub. As previously mentioned, consuming alcohol while relaxing in a hot tub can cause individuals to become very drunk very fast.

As a result, the activity is considered to be extremely unsafe leading to extreme dehydration, heat exhaustion, the potential for passing out and drowning, and the possibility for dangerous broken glass to fall in the hot tub or hurt those involved. 

Does Being in Water Make you More Drunk?

Spa parties are all the rage. Everyone wants to take a relaxing dip in a heated hot tub after a stressful day at work with friends. Unfortunately, most people aren’t aware of the dangers of combining alcohol and hot tubs and adding alcohol to their party refreshments. You can also read this paper to get more sense of how alcohol in a hot tub affects your body. Read on to learn why you should never drink and use a hot tub at the same time.

Dehydration

Drinking alcohol dehydrates the body, just like soaking in a hot tub. If you combine the two, you will quickly become extremely dehydrated. You will feel like you have a terrible hangover, but you will keep drinking.

Dizziness

Hot tubs can lower your blood pressure and if you have been drinking, both combinations can cause you to stumble, have a slow reaction time and possibly slip in the hot tub.

Unconscious

Hot tubs are very relaxing and can make you feel calm and peaceful and may even put you to sleep. Alcohol also relaxes the muscles and the brain. If you combine the two, you can pass out while bathing, slip underwater, and possibly drown. Alcohol also causes you to lose your ability to take care of your body, which increases the likelihood of this happening.

Heat exhaustion

Alcohol and baths dilate blood vessels and increase body temperature. If too much is consumed, it can lead to unconsciousness, stroke or heart attack. If you start feeling dizzy, nauseous, sweating excessively, confused, etc., drink water immediately. If the problem becomes too extreme, you may need to be hospitalized.

Inattention

Drinking alcohol lowers your inhibitions and can make you do crazy things. There are thousands, if not millions, of videos on the Internet of people doing reckless things while intoxicated. It can be fun or funny, but when you combine reckless behavior with water, dangerous things can happen. There are many accidental deaths caused by alcohol and hot tubs. If you think you’re fine, think about the other people you’re bathing with. If you are supervising children, you may not be able to focus on them and they may be harmed by your irresponsibility.

Broken Glass

When glass gets too hot, it breaks. If you put a cold beer in your hot tub, it can break and fill your hot tub with tiny shards of glass. Glass shards can only be removed by completely draining the spa, wiping off the shards, and then refilling the spa.

Does Hot Tub Heat Make you More Drunk?

Hot tub heat increases the rate at which one becomes drunk while consuming alcohol but does not cause intoxication on its own. This effect is a result of the effects that alcohol has on the body.

For example, alcohol is a known diuretic which means that it causes dehydration. In addition, it interferes with the body’s ability to regulate body temperature and causes enlargement of blood vessels. When these effects are combined with extreme heat it becomes very easy to suffer from heat related illnesses which may even lead to death. 

Can you Go in a Hot Tub After Drinking?

Alcohol and hot tubs should never be combined under any circumstances. Even if one waits to enter a hot tub after consuming alcohol, the dangers are still at play.

Dehydration will start to take effect due to the elevated heat and alcohol within the bloodstream, and the already consumed alcohol will stay in one’s system for a longer period of time than it would if they refrained from hot tub time. 

In addition, it becomes extremely easy to become drowsy and lose coordination which may result in one falling asleep, drowning, breaking glass or other items, or hurting themselves trying to get in and out of the hot tub. 

Is Bathing After Drinking Alcohol a Good Ddea?

Bathing after consuming alcohol is never a good idea. While the activity may seem enticing, it is best to wait until one sobers up to ensure proper cleanliness and safety measures are achieved.

The risk of slipping and hurting oneself is too great a threat to outweigh any perceived benefits as it may even lead to drowning and death.

Why does Drinking in a Hot Tub Intensify the Effects of Alcohol?

Hot tubs intensify the effects of drinking due to dilated blood vessels, elevated body temperatures, and an increased rate of dehydration.

As previously discussed, the high temperatures created with a hot tub cause an elevation in one’s internal body temperature.

As a result, blood vessels are triggered to dilate in order for more blood to flow through the skin enabling more heat to be lost. However, when sitting in a hot tub, this natural cooling response is not effective. So, the body temperature stays elevated along with blood vessels which slows down the rate at which alcohol stays in one’s system. 

Additionally, this extreme heat creates a state of dehydration even when one is sober. Coupled with the dehydration caused by alcohol, it becomes very easy to reach a state of lightheadedness or extreme and dangerous dehydration. 

What are the Effects of Mixing Alcohol & Hot Water?

When combined with hot water, alcohol loses a percentage of its alcoholic content. This effect takes place due to evaporation caused by heat.

However, in the most popular of warm alcoholic drinks including hot ciders, hot toddies, and mulled wines roughly eighty-five percent of the alcoholic content stays in the drink. No matter how one mixes, cooks, or stirs their warm adult beverage, not much alcohol will be lost in the process.  

Is it Good to Have a Bath when Hungover?

Taking a warm bath after a night of drinking is a great way to cure hangovers, and the hotter the temperature the better.

The elevated body temperature and potential sweat caused by the heat of the water will help one sweat out any toxins that remain in their system during a hangover more quickly. 

Why do you Get so Drunk in a Hot Tub?

Elevated rates of intoxication are experienced in hot tubs due to a raise in bodily temperature and dehydration. The hot tub does not cause increased intoxication on its own.

Rather, it elevates the effects that alcohol has on the body at an increased rate. As a result, individuals become intoxicated at high levels with less of or the same amount of alcohol with which they would typically experience mild effects. 

How many People have Died in a Hot Tub?

At least one person dies in a hot tub every day. The death rates in the United States are disproportionately high compared to the rest of the world with some areas such as Wyoming and New Mexico reporting deaths at three times the national average.

However, worldwide hot tub related deaths are attributed to the consumption of alcohol prior to and during hot tub time.