I have read somewhere that sipping alcoholic drinks through a straw makes the alcohol 'work' more quickly and intensively. Is this true? If so, how?

Alan Mazonowicz, Brussels, Belgium

• Some of the alchohol evaporates from the drink and ends up in your lungs as you breathe. From there, it has a direct route into the bloodstream (much as the nicotine does in cigarette smoke) rather than the tortuous route through your digestive system.

  Paul Wright, Basildon UK

• I disagree again, there is an area at the back of the throat that has a very thin membrane and alcohol passes across it very easily. Drinking through a straw results in less liquid being taken in each time you swallow. This means that you swallow more often and the liquid is in contact with the membrane for longer.

  Matt Coyne, London, UK