Maybe that is the reason, I dunno. But (for my own undoubtedly thread-shattering anecdotal input) I must say that absinthe is the only case where the effects seem different to me than other alcoholic drinks. I realize that the thujone content was likely not high enough to have a measurable effect (as per everything I’ve read on absinthe including Cecil’s column). But whatever the reason, everytime I’ve drank absinthe I’ve felt a sorta warm glow on top of the usual effects, and those that I’ve been with report the same.
Could be related to the fast onset time but now that I think about it, there was a time, many moons ago, that I got drunk off of straight grain alcohol (really) a few times, and I don’t remember similar effects.
Well, in my case it’s DEFINITELY not the thujone, since I’ve only had the US-legal petite wormwood stuff with no thujone. Barely counts as absinthe.
I’m gonna guess confirmation bias for you on this one – if you’re drinking real absinthe, it means you’re probably in a comfortable place, playing at the ritual of the drink, and have a little cash to spare. All those things would leave me a little glowing.
On the other hand, I doubt the experiences with reticulated spirits were equally jolly circumstances.
A comfortable place and with a lovely lady. (No cash to spare, but OK, enough of a circumstance to create some glow undoubtedly). I’ll accept that there may be some perceptual bias at work but I don’t expect this will be my last word on the subject. I felt a glow damnit! (not just this time but the 2 previous ones as well under very different circumstances).
When I do actually have some cash in my pocket I’ll go down to the local absinthe store and conduct some experiments.
I know that drinking a sangria at home can get me tiddly faster than drinking a shot in a bar, but I also know it is because it is in a social situation where I am relaxed and happy and predisposed to relaxing and enjoying myself. I know I do not have to drive home.
Otherwise, any alcohol affects me the same except tequila. I did 16 shot equivalents of tequila in margaritas one evening and though I did not get sick, pass out or black out I hit a barrier where I just knew if I had one more sip I wold vomit, and to this day I can not smell it without becoming queasy. Not a clue why as I have no bad memories of it, other than reaching what I jokingly refer to as my lifetime limit of tequila
The key to alcohol is that it affects your judgement. Because of that, it lowers your inhibitions. And, you will probably do things you would normally not do. (Which is probably why we do drink).
Much of the “this drink does that to me” comes from the amount of alcohol and the environment it is normally done in. If you’re having a beer or two with some buds, the environment is a bit different from a party where everyone is downing Jager shots one after another.
If you drink to excess and so does everyone around you, and it’s done in an atmosphere where there is a lot happening, you’re going to see fights. If you’re alone with someone of the opposite sex (or whatever turns you on), and you both are somewhat interested in each other and you both drink and get drunk, you’ll be doing some things you might regret the next day.
It really is all about the environment and bad judgement.
Types of liquor have been said to affect one’s state of mind once drunk, and i suppose a lot of that has to do with state of mind, etc. BAC is supposed to be an absolute measure of “drunkenness”, but ability to function seems to be a better measure of being affected to me.
Now, %alcohol/ml/hour or minute should be a more scientific approach. I have done these calculations, many, many times using many types of (mostly beer) and have seen results that do not match the math at all.
I have had beer at x strength, times y beers over z hours and gotten to a state of drunkenness that could be repeatable over many sessions. The BAC I don’t know, but a college drinker knows their relative level of drunkenness to at least some degree. I have also had beer at x-1 strength, times y and some other factor equaling more than the original x*y amount of total alcohol, for the same z period, and been close to sobriety as far as I felt. Again, BAC was not measured, but one is, in my estimation less drunk when he can stand than when he cannot.
Wait, is this GQ?
Anyways, I think there are too many individual factors for anyone to be able to predict exactly what affect any one beverage might have on one person over a given time, even given the same %alcohol by volume.
Hangovers are a different issue. I have trouble with different types of alcohol based on what they’re made off and it’s related to allergies. I drink mostly a single brand of beer because it is brewed with rice versus corn. I love bourbon but can’t drink it. If I want a horrible sinus headache that develops into a migraine then I wash a bag of corn chips down with bourbon and seven. It hurts just typing that.
