# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/41 "2015-04-30T07:15:35Z")
> [@jezzaOZ](#): > > 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. NB: breathalyzers only give accurate readings if a drink has not been consumed in ~30 minutes. You might have controlled for that, but most people don’t. Slight WAG: but the act of being aware of your own BAC may make you feel less in control than you would otherwise. Unless this person is a complete drunk/sociopath? Yes, the limit is arbitrary in many ways. There is really no better way to do it though. I assume you mean Australian state? > [@Umbridge](#): > > 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. Some women are aware immediately. My cite is _Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood_, which is as credible as any you can give. Doctors may often recommend one (1) drink while pregnant, if it reduces stress which will cause greater problems. The greatest risk is late 1st/early 2nd trimester. towards the end of pregnancy it is near minimal. ---
**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, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/42 "2015-04-30T07:33:11Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Yes, the limit is arbitrary in many ways. There is really no better way to do it though. What gets me is the demonisation of any drinking at all when driving. There’s a very good reason that alcohol is a banned drug in rifle shooting and archery. At low levels it improves muscle control enough to make a serious difference in accuracy. As I mentioned, people with a low BAC have consistently less accidents than teetotalars and the more drunk, and it’s not a matter of taking more care, it’s improved driving skills. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/43 "2015-04-30T07:57:35Z")
If I as much as sniff a cork, I become a philosopher and love you very much. Half a glass of beer, and I start humping your leg. The whole glass, and I start sobbing. I think “zero tolerance” sums it up. Needless to say, I hardly ever drink anymore, for the sake my own and everybody else’s safety and well-being. Which, of course, decreases the tolerance further, so it all feeds on itself. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/44 "2015-04-30T08:06:31Z")
Somewhere north of 700ml of whiskey to get me blotto. 350ml wouldn’t typically make me feel tipsy. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/45 "2015-04-30T11:02:33Z")
A reasonable amount. I’d say, in pints of beer, we’re looking at the following: 2-3: typical Friday evening out with colleagues. Slightly tipsy if I haven’t eaten beforehand. 4-5: Heavy Friday night. Definitely not entirely stable when trying to walk home. 6-7 in an evening, with perhaps some shots: pushing the limits. Laughing far too loud; knowing that tomorrow is likely to hurt but still going on. \> 7: Definite risk of throwing up. Very bad idea. I’ve only got to that final stage a couple of times in my misbegotten youth, and doubt I’ll get there again. I prefer to be a happy moderate drunk who enjoys a night out a couple of times a month. I hardly drink at home unless it’s a very occasional glass of wine with dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/46 "2015-04-30T13:06:25Z")
Two bottles of wine and I am hammered. One and I have a nice buzz. Beer I can seem to drink quite a lot of without getting too drunk. Maybe 5-6 pints and I am drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/47 "2015-04-30T13:37:33Z")
As others mention, it depends on the definition of “drunk”. I will generally have 2-3 boilermakers (a shot of bourbon and a beer) over 3-4 hours on a Friday evening, and I feel fairly buzzed. I weigh about 200, and according to various BAC calculators I would be under .05%, which is well below the legal limit to drive. There have been occasions when I drank enough fast enough to put me over the legal limit, and I could barely walk. I don’t know if my tolerance has gone up or down - I was always a cheap date. Hals und Beinbruch, Shodan ---
**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, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/48 "2015-04-30T13:38:05Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Two bottles of wine and I am hammered. One and I have a nice buzz. Holy shit, you make _me_ look like a lightweight. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/49 "2015-04-30T13:42:59Z")
Somewhere between 3-5 drinks there is a noticeable change in my behavior (louder, more outgoing, etc.) I’m pretty good at masking the effects of alcohol so up to about 5 drinks I can “turn off” that change if I want to. After 5, all bets are off. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/50 "2015-04-30T13:59:48Z")
Depends on how fast I’m drinking, and whether it’s before or after dinner. Generally, I’m noticeably lightheaded after three drinks (or sometimes two, if they’re consumed quickly and on an empty stomach) and genuinely drunk after five. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/51 "2015-04-30T14:25:22Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > Holy shit, you make _me_ look like a lightweight. :eek: A bottle isn’t all that much. It’s like 4 medium-sized glasses. I think “bottle” just sounds like a lot. Haha That’s what I tell myself anyway. ---
**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, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/52 "2015-04-30T14:30:24Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > A bottle isn’t all that much. It’s like 4 medium-sized glasses. I think “bottle” just sounds like a lot. Haha That’s what I tell myself anyway. (Mathing) Standard bottle of wine = 24oz. At 13%, that’s 3.12oz. of alcohol. Two bottles = 6.24oz of alcohol. Which equates to…about 12 of my shots of 80 proof liquor. Well all right. Carry on, then. _clink_ 🆒 😛 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/53 "2015-04-30T14:35:11Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > (Mathing) > > Standard bottle of wine = 24oz. > At 13%, that’s 3.12oz. of alcohol. > Two bottles = 6.24oz of alcohol. > Which equates to…about 12 of my shots of 80 proof liquor. > > Well all right. Carry on, then. _clink_ 🆒 😛 😃 I don’t do math…hahaha ---
**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, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/54 "2015-04-30T15:13:17Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > A bottle isn’t all that much. It’s like 4 medium-sized glasses. I think “bottle” just sounds like a lot. Haha That’s what I tell myself anyway. That’s why we’ve switched to box wine.😃 ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/55 "2015-04-30T15:14:05Z")
I only drink 5 or 6 days a month, and as a consequence I’m feeling a bit buzzed after 1 or 2 beers. Contrast that with some of my gaming friends that can drink a 12-pack on a Tuesday night. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/56 "2015-04-30T15:18:42Z")
I didn’t used to drink very much at all - maybe 3-4 drinks a year, but a few years ago I started drinking a little more, trying more things and eventually discovered that I actually do like wine, I just don’t like cheap, sweet wine. Now it’s not unusual for me to drink 1/2 bottle of wine with dinner a couple times a week, but I am rarely drunk. There is this little switch that goes off, I’m not even really aware of it but I just stop drinking when I get to a certain point. I would call that point tipsy, but not drunk. One factor that might have impacted my gradually increasing consumption is that I discovered my tremors go away when I’ve had a couple drinks. It’s amazing, my hands stop shaking, I can eat rice without tossing it around the room! ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/57 "2015-04-30T15:25:53Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > That’s why we’ve switched to box wine.😃 Oh yeah, I love some of the boxes. It seems like they last forever. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/58 "2015-04-30T16:07:59Z")
I usually drink beer (maybe 4 to 5 per week), and haven’t gotten drunk in over a decade, I think. A “splurge” night for me might be 4 beers once every few months, and I’ll be a bit tipsy. In college when I drank heavily, about 10 beers would get me moderately drunk, and 12 beers very drunk. I alternated every beer with a glass of water which significantly reduced the strength of the hangover. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/59 "2015-04-30T16:16:27Z")
I think maybe once in my life I was drunk, and that was 40 years ago. I didn’t like the feeling at all. I don’t remember how much it took me to get there, I just know one friend kept buying rounds and I was too much of a wuss to let my glass sit. I have a very low tolerance for alcohol - it makes me sleepy. One glass of wine or one mixed drink is all it takes for me to start feeling like taking a nap. So I pretty much don’t drink unless I want to go to sleep. And I don’t have to worry about hangovers, fret about what I might have done, or wonder where all my money went. I’m not anti-alcohol. I just don’t bother with it. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850/60 "2015-04-30T16:45:10Z")
I drink Manhattans pretty regularly, so I’ll base my scale on those. 1 - fine and dandy 2 - lubricated and relaxed 3 - slightly slurring and might stumble on the kids toys 4 - Holding on to the wall 5 - Holding on to the floor 6 - Holding on to the toilet [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcohol-tolerance-or-whats-it-take-to-get-you-drunk/718850.md?page=4)