University of Iowa Health Science Relations and
William G. Haynes, MD
Professor of Internal Medicine
First Published: November 2000
Peer Review Status: Internally Peer Reviewed

For some people, alcohol is a staple of a football tailgate on a cold fall or winter morning. Being out in the cold, we tend to believe a "little sip" will help take away the chill--and it seems to work. Our faces are flush and our skin is warm, regardless of the temperature outside. However, these misleading signs of warmth hide the chilling facts about drinking alcohol in cold weather.

While alcohol may make us feel hotter, it actually aids in decreasing core body temperature. Normally when we feel cold, it is because blood has flowed from our skin into the organs to keep our core body temperature warm. After alcohol consumption, though, blood flows into the skin, giving us that warm feeling and making our faces flush, but leaving our body temperature to decrease rapidly.

"Consumption of alcohol undoes many of the human body's healthy reflexes, one of which is keeping the core body temperature warm in cold weather," says Dr. William G. Haynes, Director of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. "We may feel warm from the blood rushing to our skin, but our body is actually losing heat faster, bringing about an increased danger of hypothermia."

The absence of this blood flow reflex during intoxication makes it quite possible for a person's body temperature to take a major dip without them even realizing it.

In addition, since coma is one of the most common symptoms in young teenagers intoxicated by alcohol, teens run a greater risk by consuming alcohol in colder weather. The decreased core body temperature brought about by intoxication could lead to fatal hypothermia in the case of an alcohol-induced coma in freezing temperatures.

If it is frigid outside, your best bet is to stay sober. If you do consume alcohol during the colder months, stay inside or bundle up before you go out.