# Alcohol: How many drinks to get you to your happy place? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 25, 2016, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139 "2016-03-25T16:34:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/1 "2016-03-25T16:34:32Z")
Not asking how many to get you drunk. But how many to get you to that just right state of mind where all is right with the world. [for the poll, a drink equals, one 12oz beer, a 5oz glass of wine, or 1.5oz of alcohol in a mixed drink or shot.] ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/2 "2016-03-25T17:02:34Z")
Two’s enough these days. Unfortunately, I can’t hold my liquor like I could when I was young. Two is enough and 2.1 puts me into my sloppy, surly place. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/3 "2016-03-25T21:19:34Z")
Three or four glasses of wine are just the ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/4 "2016-03-25T21:32:10Z")
2 are sufficient. 3 is pushing it. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/5 "2016-03-25T21:47:07Z")
Less than one. First sip of beer at the end of a long day and all is right with the world. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/6 "2016-03-25T21:49:23Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Less than one. First sip of beer at the end of a long day and all is right with the world. Yep. It isn’t so much the alcohol as it is the acknowledgement that the day’s work is over and it is time to relax a bit. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/7 "2016-03-25T21:50:58Z")
Zero. I can get to my happy place without it. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/8 "2016-03-25T22:31:54Z")
3 or 4 is the start of my window…then the goal is to slow down and maintain that for the rest of the time I’m awake. So if do it right, I can be in said window all day and end up drinking 12+. If I do it wrong and drink too quickly, then I just go to bed. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/9 "2016-03-25T22:42:53Z")
It’s highly variable for me. Some nights, even one is enough to get me extremely woozy, others I can pack away 7 or 8 before I really start feeling the effects. I think it’s largely a factor of my attention scope. If I’m having fun and paying attention to other things, the drinks go down without me really noticing. But if I’m bored or unhappy, I’m focusing more on the drink and it has a more noticeable effect. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/10 "2016-03-25T22:44:27Z")
For me, one is too many and a thousand never enough. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/11 "2016-03-25T22:44:51Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Zero. I can get to my happy place without it. Same. Alcohol makes me feel like crap, actually. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/12 "2016-03-25T22:49:42Z")
I answered 2 largely because of alcohol volume standards. My usual preference if I’m out drinking is a pint of something like a Porter or Stout. So that’s 1.25 standard servings, but those beers are often substantially higher alcohol than mainstream beer, often 5 or 6%. This amount helps me feel a little more relaxed. Calling it a “happy place” wouldn’t be my choice of words. More than that just makes me feel uncomfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/13 "2016-03-25T23:06:59Z")
One is usually enough, and sometimes half is sufficient. Actually, I don’t drink very often, comes from having had a hobby incompatible with alcohol in a fairly severe manner. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/14 "2016-03-25T23:52:08Z")
I said 3 but it is between 2 and 3. The line between a happy place and an unhappy place is very, very thin. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/15 "2016-03-25T23:53:45Z")
I said 4, but it’s anywhere from 2 to 5, depending on mood, state of appetite, etc. If I want to relax NOW and do it with alcohol, I order a beer and a shot and that gets me relaxed, and the next beer or two gets me in my happy place. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/16 "2016-03-26T01:49:54Z")
On an empty stomach one will get me a nice light buzz. If it’s with a meal or snacks probably two. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/17 "2016-03-26T02:15:13Z")
Other: Zero. Even a single sip of alcohol makes me sick, so my happiness is maximized at zero. I think it’s probably an enzyme deficiency. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/18 "2016-03-26T04:28:10Z")
Though I’ve drank to excess on occasion, I’ve never drank and felt all was right with the world - possibly because I get dizzy as quickly as I get any type of buzz. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/19 "2016-03-26T05:02:23Z")
One, maybe two. My tolerance for alcohol is very low. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139/20 "2016-03-26T05:07:19Z")
What did I eat and how long ago? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-how-many-drinks-to-get-you-to-your-happy-place/750139.md?page=2)