The concept of “breaking the seal” is the idea that during a night of drinking if you pee once you’ll have to pee a million more times after that. Luckily, that’s all just a myth. When you decide to go pee has zero effect on how often you’re going to pee after that. So, just go to the washroom already.
In this Tonic article, Blaine S. Kristo, a urologist at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, said that the reason you actually end up having to pee more is for two very simple reasons. Firstly, you’re drinking liquid, which inevitably will make you pee. Secondly, alcohol makes your body produce more urine than however much liquid you’ve actually consumed.
This is because when you drink alcohol, “the brain temporarily stops producing vasopressin, an antidiuretic hormone (ADH) that helps the kidneys manage the amount of water in your body,” according to the article.
Kristo says that “breaking the seal” doesn’t cause you to pee more often, it’s the fact that you’ve already waited so long to pee that your body has produced a lot of urine.
Forget the old myth, because holding in your pee is actually pretty bad for you. Obviously, your body sends you signals and you should listen to those signals. So, if you have to pee you should deal with that. Holding in your pee for extended amounts of time can stretch your bladder, says Kristo. It can also lead to UTIs.
Kristo advises sticking to drinks that simply contain less liquid. “Just drinking cocktails or shots, you’re consuming a lot less liquid than if you’re consuming pints of beer,” he said.
So, don’t worry the next time you’re at the bar or a concert and desperately trying to hold in that initial pee. Do your body a favor and go the washroom, because whether you do it sooner or later won’t have an effect of how many times you’re going to pee that night.