THE CLAIM -- Mixing types of alcohol makes you sick.

THE FACTS -- Too much alcohol of any kind is never a good idea, but some people claim that mixing beer and liquor, particularly in that order, can also be a hazard. Some even know it by rhyme. "Beer before liquor, never been sicker," goes one old saying.

While it is not entirely clear how this claim started, experts say it may stem from the way certain alcoholic beverages are digested. Carbonated drinks like beer and sparkling wines, for example, tend to irritate the lining of the stomach, increasing the rate of alcohol absorption. Starting with beer and then adding wine or liquor may conceivably lead to intoxication more quickly.

But in reality, that has little effect, said Dr. Roshini Rajapaksa, a gastroenterologist at the New York University School of Medicine. What matters most, she said, is the amount of alcohol consumed and whether it is combined with any food, which slows absorption and minimizes sickness.

There is also another explanation for the popular "beer before liquor" claim, said Carlton K. Erickson, director of the Addiction Science Research and Education Center at the University of Texas College of Pharmacy. "Most people do not drink a lot of beer after they've had liquor," he said.