Some explain that drinking large amounts of tea can increase urination, thereby flushing out some alcohol that has been absorbed or not yet absorbed by the body, which is beneficial for reducing alcohol poisoning. Others say that drinking tea can excite and clear the mind, so drinking tea after alcohol can sober up a mind confused by alcohol, thus achieving the effect of "sobering up".
However, scientific research shows that tea not only cannot sober you up but, on the contrary, may worsen the symptoms of drunkenness. Alcohol has a strong stimulating effect on the cardiovascular system, and strong tea also has the effect of exciting the heart. Combining tea and alcohol to stimulate our heart can cause significant damage to the heart, and the consequences for someone with pre-existing heart conditions are even harder to predict.
The harm of drinking strong tea after alcohol doesn't stop there. If strong tea is used to sober up after drinking, the theophylline in the tea will stimulate the kidneys to accelerate diuresis. Due to the overly rapid drainage, acetaldehyde, which hasn't been fully oxidized and broken down yet, is introduced into the kidneys prematurely, stimulating them. The kidneys, subjected to the dual stimulation from tea and acetaldehyde, result in excessive urination, overloading the kidneys. If this happens frequently, it can damage the kidneys. At the same time, as the body's water content decreases, harmful substances remain and deposit in the kidneys, potentially forming stones, causing dual harm to the body.