OF course it isn’t a race. But it is a fact some types of alcohol will get you pissed faster than others.

Thankfully we break down the science so you don’t have to the next time you’re eyeing up the optics or agonisingly poring over the booze aisle in Tesco.

It turns out fizzy drinks are your friend if you’re looking to get smashed in record-breaking time.

“Aerated drinks or those that are fizzy (even if you’ve added a fizzy mixer such as Coke) cause more gas to be present in the stomach which increases the pressure and helps force alcohol through the stomach lining and into the bloodstream faster. As a result, you get drunk faster.” Dr Simran Deo told Ladbible.

Without stating the obvious she added: “Drinks with higher alcohol content are more likely to increase your blood alcohol levels more rapidly, for example sherry will increase it more rapidly than beer.” That is of course unless it is the strongest beer available in the UK.

“Those drinks with higher alcohol strength will result in us getting drunk faster, whilst drinking a larger amount of a lower strength alcohol can also lead to blood alcohol levels rising,” Deo added, to no one’s surprise.

However, what may come as a shock is Deo’s revelation about mixing drinks.

“Mixing drinks doesn’t directly cause you to get more drunk, however when lots of different drinks are imbibed we often underestimate how much we have actually drunk, and due to the different alcoholic strengths of different drinks higher levels of blood alcohol may be achieved faster,” she explained.

The Doc then went on to explain that, just like mother said, lining your stomach is one of the best ways to reverse and slow down the process.

Deo explained: “On an empty stomach the blood alcohol levels tend to reach their highest about one hour after drinking and this then reduces over the next four hours. When food is present in the stomach it reduces the absorption of alcohol by slowing down the processes used in emptying it.”

She added: “Some studies have found the blood alcohol levels achieved on drinking on an empty stomach can be up to four times higher than after eating.”

So there you have it… stuff your face, stay off the pop, stick to one drink… and you may just remember getting home.