WARNING!
This is an older article that may not reflect Dr. Mercola’s current view on this topic. Use our search engine to find Dr. Mercola’s latest position on any health topic.
Alcohol may seem like the perfect cold-weather beverage, because it creates a sensation of warmth. But it actually decreases core body temperature and increases your risk of hypothermia.
In cold weather, blood flows away from your skin and into your organs, causing a sensation of coldness but increasing core body temperature. Alcohol reverses this process, increasing the flow of blood to your skin. This causes a sensation of warmth, but sets off a sharp drop in body temperature.