# Alcohol tolerance (or what's it take to get you drunk). **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 29, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850 "2015-04-29T22:12:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/21 "2015-04-30T00:51:05Z")
After 1/2 a drink I can sense a change in myself. After 6 drinks, everyone can sense a _slight_ change in myself. But everyone else thinks I am sober because before this I look like a tightass. After 9 drinks, everyone can tell me that I should stop drinking. But I can’t. Those are my ONLY breakpoints. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/22 "2015-04-30T01:06:10Z")
What’s the definition of drunk here? I’m relaxed after one, a bit more relaxed after two, more social and above the legal driving limit at three, even more social at four, and at probably at my most social/outgoing self at five or so. I don’t generally have more than seven (I think the most I’ve ever had was nine, on my birthday a couple years ago, and I threw up afterwards). I was starting to notice my tolerance to increase last year, so I cut back my consumption by about a third, and I noticed my tolerance dropped after a few weeks (I feel after two drinks what I would feel after three a year ago). ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/23 "2015-04-30T01:07:47Z")
I’m a massively heavy drinker when the occasion calls for it. If I’m home and bent on getting shitfaced, I’ll do between 12 and 15 shots (1.5 oz. jigger) of some form of 80 proof liquor in the space of 2-3 hours, then stop drinking alcohol entirely, coasting on water or diet soda for the rest of the evening. That far in, I speak slowly but clearly, my handwriting is still neat, and I can walk a straight line. I obviously wouldn’t try to operate a car or any heavy machinery at that point, but I know from experience that I can still make a mean grilled cheese sandwich. 🙂 I absolutely wouldn’t drink that much in a bar or at a party full of people I didn’t know well. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/24 "2015-04-30T01:09:13Z")
It used to take two drinks (usually ordinary-sized glasses of beer) to get me drunk. Or rather, the first beer wouldn’t get me drunk, and I’d start getting drunk while drinking the second. Considering I haven’t had a drink since December 2013, it’d probably take less alcohol to get me drunk nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/25 "2015-04-30T01:25:56Z")
I feel two pints of beer. I guess I’d call it tipsy. Four beers is drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/26 "2015-04-30T01:28:19Z")
I frighten Russian sailors. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/27 "2015-04-30T01:34:46Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > I frighten Russian sailors. What? I can’t hear you from under the table. ---
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/28 "2015-04-30T01:44:48Z")
I used to enjoy beer a lot and when I was working around the house I could knock back over a dozen easily. I would be drunk, but not incoherent by any means. Then about three years ago, for no special reason, I stopped drinking almost completely. I’ve had perhaps 10 beers in the last year. One evening about a month ago I was shooting stills of the stars with my new camera and I had 3 light beers. And boy I felt it… ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/29 "2015-04-30T01:59:02Z")
I have rarely gotten drunk in my life. It started that I didn’t like alcohol (and the only alcoholic beverage I was exposed to was Manischewitz wine). In college, I drank more, but I hated beer (still do). In any case, I don’t drink enough to get drunk (maybe once or twice). One or two glasses will give me a buzz, but I metabolize it quickly and the buzz ends about a half hour after I stop. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/30 "2015-04-30T02:06:13Z")
I drink a good bit. I quickly reach a state of relaxation. From that point I can drink pretty steadily, maintaining a perfect equilibrium. I usually toke intermittently, decreasing my alcohol intake accordingly to achieve the perfect effect. Cheers! ---
**Author:** ![Umbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Umbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Umbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/31 "2015-04-30T02:15:01Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Nobody asked for advice. The ENTIRE point of this thread is for people to give their personal information experience, not your trademark completely theoretical input. I do not disagree with your point. However, I only made that post to give some possibly useful information about safe drinking for men and women. You do not have to pay any attention. Now that you’ve mentioned personal experience, I am going to give my personal experience. I drank a sip of beer. It burned my mouth, and I spat it out as soon as possible. I drank a sip of wine. It was bitter. I had wine with bread. The intinction was merely tolerable. I drank carbonated grape juice in a glass bottle that looked like a wine bottle. It was great! And I didn’t get drunk! I loved it so much that I drank the whole bottle. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/32 "2015-04-30T02:16:58Z")
I’m a lightweight. I start feeling buzzed on my first or second drink. In compensation, my body burns through alcohol fast as well - if I stop drinking, I’ll feel back to normal in less than an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/33 "2015-04-30T02:23:55Z")
If I’ve had a lot to eat, I can drink quite a bit and only get a wee buzz. (At Christmas I probably had about three shots of moonshine, and didn’t even feel it, that’s how full I was!) Other times if my stomach’s empty, a glass of wine can have me have me just a bit tipsy. So I’d say about average. I try not to push it because of all the medication I’m on. The one thing that gets me drunker than shit is amaretto. That stuff puts me on the freaking moon. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/34 "2015-04-30T02:37:52Z")
i could possibly get a buzz if i chugged 3 or 4 beers as fast as i could swallow. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/35 "2015-04-30T02:43:23Z")
I’ve never been drunk. I have had very few alcohol drinks in my life and it’s been 20 years since the last one. So I don’t know my tolerance. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/36 "2015-04-30T05:00:28Z")
> [@Umbridge](#): > > If you are pregnant or want to become pregnant, then please do not drink at all. You may regret it, unless you want a child with fetal alcohol syndrome. Bullshit. [Fetal alcohol syndrome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fetal_alcohol_syndrome) may develop in a fetus after high alcohol consumption during pregnancy, not occasional consumption of alcohol prior to conception. I haven’t seen you around much, but you shouldn’t post rubbish like this. Our community values scientifically accurate information. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/37 "2015-04-30T05:02:23Z")
I feel it after a single drink, but I require about three in an hour to reach the point where the mood-altering effects kick in but I’m not getting sloppy yet. After that, a drink per hour works as a sustainer. Five or six drinks in an hour will get me legitimately drunk. I weigh 125 lbs. ---
**Author:** ![jezzaOZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/38 "2015-04-30T05:22:54Z")
I used to experiment with a proper Police breathalyser. 0.05 was about the same as .00 but I felt more relaxed. .08 and I was definitely not good to drive. These days the numbers of where I get affected have moved up but the legal limits have moved down. The stats say that the present legal limit of .05 is actually exactly the same accident risk as 0.00. In fact 0.025 has significantly reduced accident risk to 0.00 - but they don’t tell you that. (numbers for my home state) I don’t drive when drinking - or only if I’ve had say one beer earlier in the evening. I could probably drive fairly safely at 0.08 these days but don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Umbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Umbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Umbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/39 "2015-04-30T05:34:26Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > Bullshit. [Fetal alcohol syndrome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fetal_alcohol_syndrome) may develop in a fetus after high alcohol consumption during pregnancy, not occasional consumption of alcohol prior to conception. > > I haven’t seen you around much, but you shouldn’t post rubbish like this. Our community values scientifically accurate information. Women don’t usually know that they are pregnant right during or shortly after conception. That’s why I mentioned intention. Some women may be trying for pregnancy, and during this time, it may be safer to not drink too much, because they don’t know when they will actually conceive. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/40 "2015-04-30T06:03:09Z")
> [@jezzaOZ](#): > > The stats say that the present legal limit of .05 is actually exactly the same accident risk as 0.00. In fact 0.025 has significantly reduced accident risk to 0.00 - but they don’t tell you that. (numbers for my home state) Can I see a cite for that? I was under the impression there was no threshold for effects of alcohol on driving. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850.md?page=3)