Doctors Say Drinking Whiskey Can Help Relieve Cold Symptoms, So Bottoms Up!

When you’re sick with a cold, it can be downright miserable. A nose that’s simultaneously runny and stuffy, that hacking cough, sore throat… it’s the worst. However, before you down your next dose of Nyquil, why not reach for a whiskey glass instead? It might do more to help your symptoms, according to doctors!

Why not make yourself a hot toddy? According to Huffington Post, the classic recipe consists of whiskey, honey, lemon juice, and hot water. The concoction can relieve nasal congestion due to the steam from the hot water, which is always a good thing.

The whiskey helps too. According to Dr. William Schaffner in an interview with ABC News, “The alcohol dilates blood vessels a little bit, and that makes it easier for your mucus membranes to deal with the infection.”

Unfortunately, whiskey can’t cure or prevent colds. While it might make you feel better when you already have one, it’s not going to keep you from getting a cold or make it go away more quickly when you do have one. It will simply make the experience a little bit more bearable. “It would not have an effect on the virus itself, but its effect on the body can possibly give you some modest symptom relief,” Schaffner explained. “The alcohol dilates blood vessels a little bit, and that makes it easier for your mucus membranes to deal with the infection.”

Being a little tipsy helps too. While you definitely shouldn’t get hammered while sick since alcohol is a diuretic and will deplete your body of fluids it desperately needs to clear your infection, having a minor buzz does make being ill just a little bit more bearable. Plus, when it’s freezing outside, that warm burn you get from a bit of whiskey can really go down a treat.

Check out a video of how to make a hot toddy below.

Frankie Napier