# How much can alcoholics really drink? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 5, 2004, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592 "2004-07-05T03:44:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/41 "2004-07-07T19:50:56Z")
**dotchan** , I don’t doubt the number, as a small woman drinking 10 drinks in an hour can get to 0.5, but that is 1/2 of 1 percent blood alchohol concentration, not 50 percent. ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/42 "2004-07-07T19:57:22Z")
By the way, [this](http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~cas2/factsOD.shtml) page at Rutgers says that the LD:50 for alcohol is in the 0.40 to 0.50 range. That means that half of a group with that blood alchohol level would be expected to die of acute alchohol poisoning. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/43 "2004-07-07T21:37:53Z")
Interesting read, that [Rutger’s page](http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~cas2/factsOD.shtml). **JohnM**. Thanks. From that site: To place this in perspective, a 100-pound woman or man who consumed 9-10 standard drinks, respectively, in less than an hour would be in the LD[Lethal Dose]:50 range. A 200-pound man would have to consume about 5-6 drinks per hour for 4 hours to reach the LD:50. **Kalhoun** , I’m sorry about your loss. Alcoholics are often egoïsts. I hope your brother wasn’t hurt too much, by her death. I guess I’m lucky.[?] I stopped in time. I \* still\* weigh 50 kilos. **Lobsang** , I’m a code? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/44 "2004-07-08T13:05:01Z")
> [@gum](#): > > Interesting read, that [Rutger’s page](http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~cas2/factsOD.shtml). **JohnM**. Thanks. > > From that site: To place this in perspective, a 100-pound woman or man who consumed 9-10 standard drinks, respectively, in less than an hour would be in the LD[Lethal Dose]:50 range. A 200-pound man would have to consume about 5-6 drinks per hour for 4 hours to reach the LD:50. > > **Kalhoun** , I’m sorry about your loss. Alcoholics are often egoïsts. I hope your brother wasn’t hurt too much, by her death. > I guess I’m lucky.[?] I stopped in time. I \* still\* weigh 50 kilos. > > **Lobsang** , I’m a code? 😃 It was my husband’s sister. It hurt everyone, but we all saw it coming. She didn’t have anything else in her life but the booze. And her husband. She didn’t have a job, hobbies, self-esteem…nothing. It was really quite sad. She had a heart of gold, but didn’t see herself as worthy of a happy life. ---
**Author:** ![FlippyFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FlippyFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlippyFly)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/45 "2004-07-08T17:21:01Z")
I have a question about all this drunkeness, specifically BAC, blood alcohol content. This is all theoretical. I go out as a 150 lb. male who went to a big ten state school and drank my fair share, and I go out with a 150 lb. male who went to a private religeous school and didn’t drink a drop in his life. Now we both have foiur beers (he has decided to change his ways). Obviously, I am just starting to get tipsy, but my non-drinking buddy is drunk. Later, we get pulled over by the cops, and they give us the breath-a-lizer. Would you expect us each to have the same BAC reading of .15 (we had the same amount of alcohol, same amount of blood, after all) or would he be at .15 and I would come in at .05? Basically, I am asking if tollerance means your body gets the alcohol out of your system faster, or if it means your body is better able to deal with it in your system? In a round-about way, is BAC a direct measure of intoxication? ---
**Author:** ![pakrat22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2bfe46/32.png) [@pakrat22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pakrat22)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/46 "2004-07-08T23:11:00Z")
Before I quit completely I could hit a pretty good consumption level. My brother tried a slow suicide (ala Vegas) by attempting to drink himself to death. We saved him, but barely. In his case it all beer but lots of it and very little, if any, food for a fairly long period of time (approx. 6 months). I’ve witnessed some prodigious (and really stupid) drinking feats. I quit quite a while back because it seemed like everyone in my family was boozing to the point of self destructive behavior, myself included. it’s a decision I’ll never regret. ---
**Author:** ![zeus713](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a9adbd/32.png) [@zeus713](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeus713)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/47 "2012-07-07T11:54:00Z")
I can drink a quart of vodka a day over a 10 hour time frame and not have a hangover. I got alcohol poisoning once. Scared the shit out of my family. That sucked but I convinced them not to call 911. Alcoholism runs in my family… It practically gallops! Not making light of it. It is what it is. ---
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/48 "2012-07-07T12:10:30Z")
3…2…1… ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/49 "2012-07-07T13:26:48Z")
Zombie thread, off and running. Somehow seems appropriate given the topic. I had a roommate who insisted he was not an alcoholic. His infamous quote, “Alcoholics drink _three_ litres of whiskey a day. I only drink _one_.” ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/50 "2012-07-07T13:47:57Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > Zombie thread, off and running. The thread passed out and then woke up looking for another drink. I can’t find a link right now, but there are alocholics who have survived having a BAC of over .5. That’s the [dead zone](http://www.new-hope-recovery.com/articles/stages-of-intoxication). I seem to recall hearing it refferred to as the 50 club or somesuch. Not only can alcoholics drink a lot, but there is research indicating that people who start off with a proverbial hollow leg–people who can drink more than others without getting falling down, sloppy drunk–are more likely to become alcoholics. (Sorry no cite, but I can look later if there is interest.) ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/51 "2012-07-07T18:04:26Z")
Back when I was still diving down into my own personal hell, I knocked down a handle (1.75 liters) of rum with Coke mixer in about 5 hours. Killed the bottle. I’m still here. Thank God I don’t drink anymore. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/52 "2012-07-07T18:16:36Z")
> [@SiXSwordS](#): > > Not only can alcoholics drink a lot, but there is research indicating that people who start off with a proverbial hollow leg–people who can drink more than others without getting falling down, sloppy drunk–are more likely to become alcoholics. (Sorry no cite, but I can look later if there is interest.) I have always seemed to have a.resistance? to alcohol and appearing drunk, I was able to polish off a liter of vodka during a two hour movie to impress people. They couldn’t believe I wasn’t fall down sloppy drunk. Never cared for alcohol though. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/53 "2012-07-07T18:33:59Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Back when I was still diving down into my own personal hell, I knocked down a handle (1.75 liters) of rum with Coke mixer in about 5 hours. Killed the bottle. I’m still here. :eek: That’s ~35 drinks! I’m glad this zombie got resurrected. I can get through a 6-pack if I’m in the mood for some drinks, but that’s about it. Maybe a couple more if it is a football Sunday and the party starts early. Sometimes I wonder if this is something I ought to be worried about, but now I see it ain’t _nothing_. ---
**Author:** ![MizGrand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@MizGrand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizGrand)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/54 "2012-07-07T19:01:04Z")
I am 17 days sober after trying for about four months. I would drink typically a 750 a day of vodka. With an iced tea chaser. So I was basically drinking it straight up. Nasty. On the 20th of June I didn’t drink and as a result, the next four days were miserable. Profuse vomiting and extreme stomach/abdominal pain. For four days straight. Oh, I didn’t mention that those days were supposed to be my family vacation time out-of-town. I couldn’t go. My husband took my two small boys to Santa Cruz without me. It really sucked. I’ve been really lucky though. After my detox I haven’t had so much as a craving and am doing really well. My energy is back and I’m interacting with my family much better. I’m actually pretty happy. Yay me! ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/55 "2012-07-07T19:46:16Z")
> [@zeus713](#): > > I got alcohol poisoning once. Scared the shit out of my family. That sucked but I convinced them not to call 911. Perhaps I’m missing something obvious, but why not call 911 in that situation? ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/56 "2012-07-07T22:15:03Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > That would be close to 2 liters of 40% ABV booze. Youch. Uh oh. Are you sure about that? I guess I’ll try to run the numbers, but I’ve been known to crush a 5L box of wine over five or so hours, and I wasn’t as drunk as if I’d had 2 quarts of 80 proof. Wait a minute. 1.5L of wine has about 10 units of alcohol – so 10+10+10+3.3 is only 33 drinks. That’s not all that much alcohol for an experienced drinker (read alkie) ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/57 "2012-07-07T22:22:09Z")
I’ve woken up in different states. I don’t mean states of being, I started in Illinois and woke up in Navada once. It took about 24 hours to piece it all together. I do not miss those days. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/58 "2012-07-07T22:40:26Z")
I am really, really, (REALLY) having a hard time buying that _ANYONE_ could drink 2 entire quarts of 80 proof liquor in a 24 hour period and live to tell the tale… ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/59 "2012-07-07T23:29:21Z")
Really? 2 quarts is about 1.9 litres, 80 proof is 40% ABV right? I’ve got no trouble believing a hardened drinker can get through that in a night. Hell I’ve drunk 750 ml of whisky and a few beers in a night and not been too badly affected the next day. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592/60 "2012-07-07T23:45:09Z")
Well [according](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_poisoning) to Wikipedia, respiratory failure and coma usually result after around 400+ mg/dl (bac). So my question is how much does one’s tolerance potentially affect these numbers? If all these anecdotal stories are to be believed? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-alcoholics-really-drink/253592.md?page=4)