Nipplin' at the bottle to keep warm? Not so fast.

We love a good, warm drink to take the winter chill off: Hot buttered rum and Wassail are just two. And sure, after a few nips, you're going to definitely feel warmer. If you're in front of a roaring fire, that alcohol may, in fact, help warm you up. If, however, you're at the Bears game and sipping on the bottle to warm up...you're going to do yourself more harm than good. Let's see why:

Alcohol is a vasodilator. This means that it makes your blood vessels open up and expand, thereby bringing more blood to the surface of your skin. That blood flow to the surface of your skin makes you feel nice and toasty. But it's at the surface of your skin that heat exchange takes place.

So, if you're outside and you take a nip, you'll initially feel warmer from the increased blood flow to your skin. However, your core temperature will drop as the increased blood flow causes a greater heat exchange on the surface of your skin - basically, your warm blood is cooling down. Now, if you're in front of a warm fire, the heat exchange may work in your favor. But otherwise...not so much.

We're not going to discourage you from taking a bit of buttered rum in your flask to those outdoor events. Properly bundled, you may not do yourself much harm. Plus, by the time you see the bottom of your flask, you probably won't be able to feel your toes anyway.