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I have a good friend who’s an asthmatic. Asthmatics never know when they’re going to go into an attack, and while most of them carry inhalers and even pills, sometimes those aren’t enough to stop an attack dead. What does this have to do with hard alcohol? What a lot of people don’t know is that 40-50 years ago, asthma medicines had a high alcohol content.

My friend, and a variety of her asthmatic friends, have discovered a “natural cure” to knock attacks out. Strong alcohol. One shot of tequila, scotch, or whiskey can burn through the “crud” that is causing their shortness of breath. Two shots, and usually they’re cured. It takes about an hour or two to feel the full effects.

The positive, for those asthma sufferers over age 21, is that a shot of tequila, for example, doesn’t make you shake like a palsey sufferer. Most asthma medications today have a great deal of adrenalin in them. The adrenalin works, yes, but it causes shaking, a feeling of both hyperactivity and lethargy at the same time, and an inability to sleep. A shot of tequila usually just relaxes the drinker.

Now, I’m not a doctor, and before you try this, you should verify that your own doctor thinks it’s at least an okay idea to try. And, as a reminder, this doesn’t work with every kind of alcohol. White and sparkling wines cause things to get smaller and close up — meaning it’s harder to breathe if you’re drinking a white or sparkling wine and going into an asthma attack. Liqueurs, particularly cream-based ones, will help create phlegm, which creates huge problems for asthmatics.

If you can’t handle hard alcohol, red wine (not rose) also works to help clear the breathing passages. It’s slower than a shot of hard alcohol, though.