# How do you figure out your drinking limit? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 20, 2011, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344 "2011-03-20T10:30:21Z")\ **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:** [March 20, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/21 "2011-03-20T19:27:27Z")
Enough depends on whether I am going to be driving later in the evening, in which case it is one if I am going to be there at least 3 hours, or 2 if I am going to be there longer than 6, and never more than two. Elsewise, it depends on what I want to do with the night. If I’m drinking to kill emotional pain or just to see how drunk I get, I stop when I start to black out, fortunately that’s only happened 3 times in my life. If I’m drinking to loosen up at a party where I might also play games or meet people who I want to interact with on an intellectual basis, I stop at 4. I also stop at 4 temporarily if it’s going to be a long party night so I can have more room later. If it’s just a party where I’m chilling out, then I drink up to 8\* (but usually not more like 4), and some more when the buzz wears off. \*Drinks worth! Not drinks total! I mix strong mixed drinks when I’m at a Real Party, or I’d be in the restroom the entire night from all the water. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/22 "2011-03-20T19:36:21Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > I just stop drinking when I get buzzed, and only resume if the buzz wears off quickly. My alcohol tolerance increases hugely the more I drink total, so ‘three drinks’ or whatever doesn’t work very well for me. At some points in my life that’s enough to get me buzzed, at others I don’t feel anything. I also tend to scope out whether I want/need another drink by feel, and the “bit of buzz” is normally where I find my happy medium. Since I’ve switched over to higher gravity beers and the occasional wine/hard liquor, I’ve found that my tolerance has gone up a bit. Part of it is probably regularly imbibing small amounts of more potent stuff, and part of it is just exposure to any alcohol on a semi-regular basis. > [@Ludovic](#): > > If I’m drinking to kill emotional pain or just to see how drunk I get, I stop when I start to black out, fortunately that’s only happened 3 times in my life. I never have done this and don’t understand it. After having grown up around people who would engage in this behavior, I decided it was a BAD idea and made a strict rule: If I am emotionally unwell, I avoid screwing with it by adding alcohol, stimulants or other depressants to it. Then again, I’ve only gotten sick from drinking about four times in my life, and I don’t think I have ever been drunk enough to black out. I found my “happy medium” fairly early in my drinking life, which was a matter of paying close attention and having some lucky guesses along the way. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/23 "2011-03-20T19:50:16Z")
I don’t drive after more than one drink. I never buy more than a six-pack at a time. (Except for when I invite people over.) The SO usually drinks slow, and stops at two. That leaves four for me. If I have occasion to have more than four drinks a night, I’m overly tired. I used to drink like a fish in college though. ---
**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 20, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/24 "2011-03-20T20:20:01Z")
Trial and error. As someone who has a drink maybe once every five years, at most, I know that my limit is one drink. I once had two drinks, and the experience is not one I want to repeat. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/25 "2011-03-20T20:22:05Z")
> [@Sakuma\_Drops](#): > > If I’m at home I will usually have a little more, but I don’t like getting drunk, so once my vision starts to get a little blurry, I switch over to soft drinks. > [@Waxwinged](#): > > AIt’s a feeling after the initial “happy cheery yay” fuzziness, when you close your eyes and the fuzziness doesn’t go away. This is kind of what I was looking for. Is there a signal you look for? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/26 "2011-03-20T20:31:57Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Seriously, the hardest thing in the world to control is ingesting substances. Our brains seem to figure that more is better. The easiest way to see this is with food. You eat a great, satisfying meal and decide you need to top it off with dessert. Does this really happen with food, though? I see food and alcohol as separately. With food, I physically am unable to eat after a certain point, where I’m full. Even if it’s the best dessert in the world waiting for me, I’m not going to eat it. With alcohol, there’s no feeling of being physically full but you do have to think about when you’re too drunk for it to be safe/fun/etc. ---
**Author:** ![FrancisCastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@FrancisCastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrancisCastle)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/27 "2011-03-20T20:56:35Z")
After one or two drinks, I just feel more relaxed. After 3 or 4, my lips feel tingly and I more than likely have a perma-grin going on. Anything past that is the point of no return. I like to stop at the lip tingling stage. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/28 "2011-03-20T21:12:00Z")
As someone who drinks too much, I know my limit for driving. It’s zero. Boring, but safe. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/29 "2011-03-20T21:16:38Z")
Well, what worked for me was turning 30 and starting to get a hangover from two beers. My limit now is none, because a hangover from two beers just ain’t worth it. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/30 "2011-03-20T21:18:11Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Does this really happen with food, though? I see food and alcohol as separately. With food, I physically am unable to eat after a certain point, where I’m full. Even if it’s the best dessert in the world waiting for me, I’m not going to eat it. With alcohol, there’s no feeling of being physically full but you do have to think about when you’re too drunk for it to be safe/fun/etc. I’m the opposite. I can’t remember the last time I finished a fourth drink, and finishing a third is fairly rare. I physically can’t because I fall asleep. I joke I should pour a quarter of each bottle down the drain as soon as I open them, since that is what ends up happening, anyway: I wake up the next morning and pour the drink that seemed like a good idea but I never took more than a sip of down the drain. Food, on the other hand . . .it takes a lot of food for me to be physically incapable of eating more. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/31 "2011-03-20T21:39:44Z")
One puke at a time. At 5:38 PM, I still have a hangover from yesterday after waking up drunk. It turns out that a bottle of wine plus 3-5 ounces of rum is above my limit. I’ll know that next time and will go for at most one bottle of wine and no mixing. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/32 "2011-03-20T21:45:05Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > One puke at a time. > > At 5:38 PM, I still have a hangover from yesterday after waking up drunk. It turns out that a bottle of wine plus 3-5 ounces of rum is above my limit. I’ll know that next time and will go for at most one bottle of wine and no mixing. Yeah that’s usually how I do it too but it doesn’t work. That’s why I’m asking for physical cues people use. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/33 "2011-03-20T21:59:48Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Yeah that’s usually how I do it too but it doesn’t work. That’s why I’m asking for physical cues people use. If you haven’t seen this yet, you might want to look at the “effects at different levels” section and workout the effects/number of drinks you want. In my experience, you want to keep you BAC below 0.2: [Blood alcohol content - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_alcohol_content#Effects_at_different_levels) A major problem with controlling one’s alcohol consumption is that the more you drink, the less you’re able to determine you’ve had too much and the less willing you are to stop yourself from drinking more since alcohol makes you less attentive, dumber and less determined\*. Slurred speech and getting the impression you’re aboard a boat in a stormy sea when you’re walking are signs you should have stopped one or two drinks ago. You can do experiments to figure out how many drinks you need to get there, that way you’ll know when it matters. \*Except when you’re determined to do something stupid, then alcohol adds +3 to your willpower throw. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/34 "2011-03-20T22:20:13Z")
My wife always ribs me for wasting beer, because I always seem to leave a just-opened beer out on my desk or the kitchen island to be found in the morning. Somehow I never figure out that I’m done when I take my _last_ swallow of a beer, I have to take the _first_ swallow of the next! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/35 "2011-03-20T22:34:19Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > I know my limit for driving. It’s zero. Boring, but safe. This. I live in the city, and have absolutely no need to drink and drive. If necessary, I can always get a cab. So why chance it? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/36 "2011-03-20T22:40:03Z")
One thing I don’t use is whether I will get a hangover. While I’ve had the individual components of a hangover (headache and malaise), they don’t usually rise very much above random noise. Even when I’ve had almost 12 drinks worth. Now, when I drink enough that I am still _very_ drunk when I get up, _that_ is pretty horrible. Trying to walk to your bathroom when you can’t even walk straight and your head is still spinning, and you need to sleep because you went to be at 3 am but your circadian rhythm and sunlight are forcing you to get up is not pretty. But that requires around 12 drinks right after midnight. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/37 "2011-03-20T22:42:12Z")
Through error and error. One glass of wine with a meal for me is my best limit (above zero). Two and I think I’m funnier and more fun to be with than I am. These days, I don’t ever go past 2 (and I really shouldn’t go past 1). ---
**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 21, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/38 "2011-03-21T00:52:48Z")
I learned that one was too many and a thousand never enough. So I stop at zero. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/39 "2011-03-21T01:45:25Z")
X = (vomit - 1) Is there really another formula? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-figure-out-your-drinking-limit/575344/40 "2011-03-21T01:51:59Z")
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