Alcohol is most naturally associated with libations, or drinks if we want to put it in simpler terms. But when it’s rubbing alcohol we’re talking about no one’s going to be in the midst of socializing or anything of the sort. Instead the aim is going to kill harmful bacteria that might be entering the body through broken skin. Rubbing alcohol always stings, but that means it’s working as it should. But here’s the thing – bacteria and viruses are not the same thing, and this is very relevant if we’re going to look at can alcohol kill HIV.  

Let’s do the right thing and get the absurdity of this suggestion out of the way first. Anyone who thinks it even might be possible to overcome HIV by drinking copious amounts of alcohol is in for a massive disappointment and likely a massive hangover. The answer for can alcohol kill HIV virus is an emphatic no, it will not kill the HIV virus. It’s a virus, not a bacteria. Plus the fact that alcohol is consumed via the stomach lining into the blood stream and then filtered by the liver means it wouldn’t be effective even HIV was a bacterial infection.  

This kind of thinking is not unlike the same type that had people suggesting drinking bleach to eliminate a COVID-19 infection, and in reality it’s equally stupid of a suggestion. Yes, people were actually suggesting this and yes, they tended to be the same type of people who were vehemently in favor of Big Cheeto remaining as the President of the United States. We’ll refrain from going off on that tangent, but if a person has contracted HIV they will be well advised to not be asking can alcohol kill HIV. 

Proper Treatment Please  

No one is killing anything besides brain cells with alcohol, and that’s not advisable either. And for that matter there is currently no cure for HIV, and instead it is a manageable condition that will require a lot of commitment from the individual. If it were as simple as going through a 60oz bottle of 80-proof rum to cure AIDS then you can be sure the medical community would be well aware of it. Take this approach though and you may well kill yourself with acute alcohol poisoning, and that’s the truth of the matter.  

The way that HIV management is undertaken is with the use of antiretroviral medications, along with other very necessary aspects of a regimen that will be laid out by your doctor. Trust us when we tell you that starting on Combivir or Viramune is going to be a much wiser and guaranteed more effective approach to treating HIV than consuming copious amounts of alcohol. Again, this is a virus and so asking can alcohol kill HIV virus makes no sense whatsoever and a doctor would certainly scoff at it.