system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why does alcohol kill them germs when you put it on your skin, but not when you drink it?

When you pour alcohol(lets say 190 proof Everclear) on a cut it kills bacteria(and healthy flesh which disrupts the healing process, can result in longer heal-times), but how come when you drink it when sick(sinuses, fever, the flu), it doesnt kill the bacteria but seems to help it grow fast and makes you more sick.

Sorry for the run on sentence, I have a fever now and everything is all blurring together anyways lol.
gpt
Alcohol kills cells through direct contact. If you have an infection and you drink alcohol, its never going physically come in contact with the infectious germs. Its just going to enter your blood stream and make your body less efficient at fighting the disease.