Myths are a fun part of every culture. Sometimes they’re stories told around a campfire, but sometimes, they’re advice passed down about health and medicine. Most myths are harmless, but that doesn’t mean you should continue to believe them. Read on to learn which myths you thought were true are really fiction.

You can get sober from drinking coffee. Although the caffeine in coffee can perk you up a bit, nothing is going to impact the alcohol that you’ve got in your system. Your body can only metabolize so much alcohol in a certain period of time, and coffee will do nothing to neutralize the amount of alcohol in your blood.

Cracking your knuckles will cause arthritis. Although cracking your knuckles may weaken your finger joints over time, doing so will not result in arthritis later in life.

Sugar makes kids hyper. According to pediatricians at the Riley Hospital for Children, sugar induced hyperactivity is all in the parents’ mind. In their trails, children did not have differences in behavior when exposed to sugar, even artificial sugar.

Chewing gum lives in your system for 7 years. You may have been told that if you swallow gum, it will take seven years to leave your body. Although it can’t be digested by your body, it will just pass through your system without sticking.

You can catch a cold by being cold. Cold weather has no impact on whether or not you have a cold or not. You have to catch the virus from a sick person instead. Colds are more common during winter months because people spend more time inside.

Turkey will put you to sleep. Although turkey often makes people who eat it sleepy, the fact is that it has no more tryptophan than chicken or ground beef. It’s likely that turkey makes you sleepy because it’s served in large meals that are eaten in the daytime instead of the evening.

These are just a few of the popular medical myths out there. They’re fun to believe and be a part of, but the next time someone mentions one of these to you, you’ll know the truth!