In this brief article, we will answer the question, “How much alcohol does it take to get drunk?” and provide information on what exactly is blood alcohol concentration, what is binge drinking, who should not take in alcohol as well as factors affecting alcohol intoxication.
How much alcohol does it take to get drunk?
A 0.08 percent of blood alcohol concentration can be enough to get drunk. However, people can get drunk at a much lower concentration too. Whether an individual gets quickly drunk or not would depend on their age, weight, and how much they drink.
The effects of alcohol can be seen in 10 minutes. The increase in blood alcohol concentration can increase intoxication.
Some of the effects of alcohol intoxication can include confusion, concentration issues, impaired memory, slurred speech, and memory issues.
What exactly is blood alcohol concentration?
Blood Alcohol Concentration abbreviated as BAC is the percent of alcohol found in an individual’s blood. In the US, a level of 0.08 percent is indicative of intoxication.
What can be constituted as binge drinking?
Drinking more than 4-5 drinks a day and drinking more than 7-8 drinks a week for women can be constituted as high-risk drinking for women. Drinking 5-6 drinks a day and drinking more than 15 drinks a week can be high-risk drinking for men.
Consuming 4 or more drinks within 2 hours can constitute binge drinking for women whereas consuming 5 or more drinks within 2 hours can constitute binge drinking for men.
Which groups of people should not drink alcohol?
Individuals who have reduced alcohol tolerance levels should not drink alcohol. This is because they would throw up alcohol even if it is consumed in small amounts.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women should not consume alcohol. Individuals who take certain kinds of medications should not take alcohol as alcohol can interact with such medications and cause devastating effects.
Individuals who are recovering alcoholics need to avoid taking it. Apart from these, people involved in activities that require increased concentration like driving should avoid taking in alcohol even in small amounts.
How easily can you get drunk?
There are a number of factors to keep in mind which can influence how quickly a person can get drunk. These are given below:
- Bigger or heavier people would not get drunk easily as they have a higher body mass. On the other hand, petite people can easily get drunk. When you are bigger, there is more space present for alcohol diffusion which is not the case if you are a skinny person.
- Certain drug interactions can make you drunker. For instance, taking antidepressants with alcohol can increase the time till which alcohol remains in the blood. This can cause you to become drunk more quicker.
Certain medications can make you feel drowsy. Consuming alcohol can further intensify this effect and make you drunk more quicker.
- Dehydrated individuals can get drunk quickly. This is because there is lesser water present in a dehydrated individual’s body for diluting alcohol.
- Drinking on an empty stomach can quickly make you drunk. If you consume a good, healthy meal before drinking alcohol, there can be slower alcohol absorption which can cause you to not get drunk easily.
- Your genetics can be another major factor that plays a role. According to researchers, Asians and Native Americans get drunk quickly because there is lesser production of alcohol dehydrogenase.
Reduced alcohol dehydrogenase levels can make alcohol remain in your blood for a longer time. This can make you drunk.
- Gender can play a role in how faster you get drunk. Women tend to get drunk more easily than men as they have lower body water content and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase levels.
Since men have more of this enzyme, alcohol can get quickly metabolized and they do not get drunk easily.
What is the alcohol concentration in different drinks?
- Gin has an alcohol level of 36 to 50 percent. You can consume them in neat form or mixed form (mixed with other drinks). If you consume them neatly, you are more likely to get quickly drunk.
- Rum has an alcohol level of 36 to 50 percent.
- Brandy has an alcohol volume of 50 percent. 2 shots of brandy are enough to make you drunk.
- The alcohol levels in vodka can vary from 40 to 95 percent.
- Whiskey contains alcohol levels ranging from 36 to 50 percent.
- Alcohol levels in beer and malt can be 4-8 percent.
Conclusion
In this brief article, we have answered the question, “How much alcohol does it take to get drunk?” and provided information on what exactly is blood alcohol concentration, what is binge drinking, who should not take in alcohol as well as factors affecting alcohol intoxication.
References
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-many-drinks-does-it-take-to-get-drunk
