# How long does it take to lose alcohol tolerance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 22, 2006, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-alcohol-tolerance/341049 "2006-01-22T00:47:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-alcohol-tolerance/341049/1 "2006-01-22T00:47:13Z")
How long would it take for an alcohol tolerant person abstaining from alcohol before he looses the tolerance he has built up and becomes a “lightweight” again. ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-alcohol-tolerance/341049/2 "2006-01-22T01:01:44Z")
This is only anecdotal information, but I was just thinking of this the other night. I think I have a pretty good alcohol tolerance; however, it’s not uncommon for me to go a couple of weeks alcohol free, then have a few nights in a row of drinking quite a bit each night. Even though the amount I drink is pretty much consistent from night to night (on the nights that I **do** drink), I’ve always noticed the effects more the first night I drink, even if it’s only been about a week since I last drank. If, say, I go for a week without drinking, then drink the same amount both Friday and Saturday, I’ll definitely notice the effects more on Fri. over Sat., generally speaking. (It’s not so significant a difference that it would be noticable to someone observing me, but I certainly _feel_ the difference; however, that difference I feel may be attributable simply to the power of suggestion). ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-alcohol-tolerance/341049/3 "2006-01-22T03:21:50Z")
Another anecdote, I quit drinking around the end of 2003, drank nothing for about a year and a half after, and now drink only occasionally. While before I could drink pretty heavily, now one drink will have me slurring and two will just about put me to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-alcohol-tolerance/341049/4 "2006-01-22T03:53:29Z")
I misunderstood the OP. I was gonna say I’ve been out of the bar scene for several years now and as each year goes by, I can tolerate a f\*\*kin’ drunk less and less! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![KesMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/49beb7/32.png) [@KesMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KesMan)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-alcohol-tolerance/341049/5 "2006-01-22T05:55:02Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > Another anecdote, I quit drinking around the end of 2003, drank nothing for about a year and a half after, and now drink only occasionally. While before I could drink pretty heavily, now one drink will have me slurring and two will just about put me to sleep. lightweight ---
**Author:** ![deevee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@deevee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deevee)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-alcohol-tolerance/341049/6 "2006-01-22T15:43:10Z")
I have a rather large tolerance and have frequently taken a sabbatical from the bottle in an effort to reduce the tolerance. I have found that my tolerance for the most part remains the same but I feel it more the next day. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-alcohol-tolerance/341049/7 "2006-01-22T16:01:39Z")
Age and metabolism also figure into your alcohol tolerance. To continue on the anecdote train, I found that my tolerance virtually disappeared once I turned the corner of 30 years old (or thereabouts) and I know a few folks who report the same thing. The thing I’m trying to figure out is that it wasn’t a complete loss of tolerance… physically I can still handle large amounts of alcohol quite well, walking, talking, making omlettes, etc… but my judgement takes a huge nosedive and the hangovers are worse than ever before. They’ve gone from a morning cottonmouth to day-long existential/depressive crises. (Needless to say, I’m quite careful about my drinking these days). ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-alcohol-tolerance/341049/8 "2006-01-22T16:13:28Z")
Alcohol tolerance is a funny thing. From a simpleminded physiological perspective, you’d expect it to take about 5 days to induce liver alcohol dehydrogenase, and maybe a week or two to de-induce the enzyme. The reality is a good deal more complicated: > [@](#): > > ‘Rapid tolerance’ results from a single intoxicating dose, whereas ‘chronic tolerance’ is produced by repeated or continuous exposure to alcohol over longer periods of time." > … > there are differences in the mechanisms underlying tolerance produced by different protocols of previous alcohol exposure. First, pre-treatment with **a drug inhibiting protein synthesis blocked the development of chronic but not of rapid tolerance**. Second, a fly mutant that lacks octopamine – a neuromodulator that serves as the fly version of norepinephrine – showed reduced rapid tolerance but unchanged chronic tolerance. In sum, two different lines of experiments provide pharmacological and genetic support for the idea that rapid and chronic tolerance may utilize at least partially distinct pathways in flies." > **[Alcohol Tolerance May Lead to More Damaging Effects](https://www.verywellmind.com/alcohol-and-tolerance-66572)** > > Developing a tolerance to the effects of alcohol can influence drinking behavior and create negative consequences in many different ways. With tolerance having been shown to be affected by [environmental cues:](http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/alerts/l/blnaa28.htm) > [@](#): > > Environment-dependent tolerance. The development of tolerance to alcohol’s eff ects over several drinking sessions is accelerated if alcohol is always administered in the same environment or is accompanied by the same cues. This effect has been called environment-dependent tolerance. Rats that regularly received alcohol in one room and a placebo in a different room demonstrated tolerance to the sedative and temperature-lowering effects of alcohol only in the alcohol-specific environment (11). it’s going to be tough to come up with a hard and fast number as to how long it lasts. Are you asking about tolerance in the bar, or at your second cousin, twice removed’s wedding reception? The answer will be different. ---
**Author:** ![StewieGriffin420](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@StewieGriffin420](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StewieGriffin420)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-alcohol-tolerance/341049/9 "2006-01-22T23:52:37Z")
for me, about a month ---
**Author:** ![Mordib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@Mordib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mordib)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2006, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-alcohol-tolerance/341049/10 "2006-01-23T20:21:10Z")
ive investigated this very literally. i used to drink a hell of a lot as a student, very high tolerance, very expensive habit. after uni i totally quit and didnt touch a drop for 3 years. i have now returned to having the occasional drink in social situations but i did have one big drinking session shortly after starting again. i found i got merry after the very first drink, however my capacity turned out to be not much less than it used to be, just the process of getting drunk took hold faster.