spin off - alcohol question

[Twolittleboys]

Looking at the pot thread reminded me of something I have been wondering about for a while.

 

I don't really get the whole alcohol thing. Most people seem to get tipsy and then drunk which apparently leads to acting quite differently from their normal behaviour. Now, I do drink alcohol, but it doesn't seem to have quite the same effects on me? When I drink maybe a glass of wine I do get slightly tipsy. I MIGHT do something I wouldn't normally do but nothing I really wouldn't. So for example I might sink karaoke with friends but that is about as wild as it gets. I do realize that reflexes etc. get messed up when drinking so of course I wouldn't drive or anything. In the other thread people kept talking about the "relaxing" effect of alcohol but not sure I know what exactly is meant?

 

Anyway, if I continue drinking after one glass one of two things happens: a) I drink very slowly (i.e. sipping occasionally) in which case nothing much changes/maybe I feel a bit less tipsy or b) if I drink too fast (and it doesn't have to be much) I start feeling sick to my stomach and need to lie down/take a nap.

 

I guess I am wondering if that is atypical or if I am just not "doing it right"? I am not even talking about getting really drunk, but I don't even get really tipsy. Anyone else experience this? Or maybe I just have the wrong impression about people getting drunk from movies?

[Carrie12345]

Everybody/every body is different.

[Lawana]

I think it takes more than a drink or two for most drinkers to get and act drunk. Someone my size who drinks regularly might need 2 drinks to feel significantly more social and uninhibited, and 4+ drinks to approach anything like drunk.

[Prairie~Phlox]

So many things, weight and amount of alcohol really make a difference and the amount of time that the alcohol is consumed.  Like someone said, everyone is different.

 

 

[marbel]

What do you mean by "doing it right?"  Like Carrie said, everyone's body is different.  Everyone reacts differently.  

 

If I have a glass of wine, I feel good because usually I'm drinking wine in pleasant circumstances, and I like the taste of wine.  I am capable of driving and act no differently than if I'd had water.  If I am eating a substantial meal, I can drink two glasses with the same results.  If I have 3, or if I'm not eating, I will start to feel a little more talkative and less shy with people, might have a little trouble walking in high heels, and won't be driving.  If I drank 4, I'd be going right to bed. 

 

It's the relaxing effect of alcohol that makes you willing to get up and do karaoke, or makes me less shy and more talkative with people.  

 

 

[Twolittleboys]

Well, I realize that people are different and that body size etc. has something to do with how much alcohol it takes to have any effect.

 

I guess I am wondering how people manage to get drunk (or anything remotely close) - don't they throw up first?

 

As far as the karaoke is concerned, that hasn't actually happened. It's just that I could possibly imagine it happening. And I am not even sure how much would be the alcohol and how much a general party mood etc. Anyway, getting anywhere close to this without getting sick is REALLY tricky! So how is it that most people seem to be able to get there?

[Lawana]

You may be unusual if you throw up before getting drunk. Most people I am familiar with have to be quite drunk before throwing up.

[Twolittleboys]

You may be unusual if you throw up before getting drunk. Most people I am familiar with have to be quite drunk before throwing up.

Well, that's the impression I get as well and that is why I am asking. Depending on what I ate etc. I can maybe drink several glasses of wine before I feel sick (I don't throw up because I lie down / go to bed at that point,) but I don't feel more than maybe slightly tipsy. I definitely would not do anything really out of character. And the change from slightly tipsy to needing to lie down happens quite fast (which is why I do occasionally get to the feeling sick part). I definitely have never felt sick the next day because of it.

[retiredHSmom]

Well, that's the impression I get as well and that is why I am asking. Depending on what I ate etc. I can maybe drink several glasses of wine before I feel sick (I don't throw up because I lie down / go to bed at that point,) but I don't feel more than maybe slightly tipsy. I definitely would not do anything really out of character. And the change from slightly tipsy to needing to lie down happens quite fast (which is why I do occasionally get to the feeling sick part). I definitely have never felt sick the next day because of it.

What is your genetic heritage?  30% of peoples from Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam have a genetic condition that affects how they metabolize alcohol.  My husband is half Japanese and has it and 2/3 of my children have inherited it (my son is still underage so we don't know).  It cause them to metabolize alcohol very quickly.  My daughter gets headaches and feels nauseous after drinking as little as 1 bottle of beer.  She got very sick and miserable at Easter when she had a mike's hard lemonade with lunch. They all three turn bright red and you didn't mention that symptom so that may not be it but you can read more here

[MercyA]

I wonder if you might be allergic to the sulfites in wine. Do you have the same reaction (nausea) to other kinds of alcohol?

[Bluegoat]

I don't think what you are describing is that unusual.  Some people don't have to drink much and they just don't like the feeling, it bothers their tummy, they get too sleepy. 

 

Other people have a longer period between tipsy and passing out or vomiting, when they are really drunk, and some won't until they are really dangerously drunk.

 

There are some things that can affect this - some people just have weak stomachs.  Eating food can make a difference.  So can the drink - red wine is one that does make a lot of people feel especially ill if they drink a little too much, while many people actually can't drink lower alcohol beer quickly enough to get beyond being tipsy.  And with shots or hard liquor, it's also possible to get drunk very quickly and suddenly without falling asleep first - which is why that can be especially dangerous.  People who drink to get drunk more often become better at it.

 

As far as behavior - people who are very drunk indeed will do all kinds of things.  But, many people specifically use alcohol to allow themselves to act out.  In fact, studies have shown that people tart to show effects even before their blood alcohol is elevated - it isn't the drink causing it at all really.  I think that goes some way to explaining why some people do much more crazy things when drinking - they wanted to do them, at some level, in the first place.  This seems especially true in groups.

[retiredHSmom]

What is your genetic heritage?  30% of peoples from Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam have a genetic condition that affects how they metabolize alcohol.  My husband is half Japanese and has it and 2/3 of my children have inherited it (my son is still underage so we don't know).  It cause them to metabolize alcohol very quickly.  My daughter gets headaches and feels nauseous after drinking as little as 1 bottle of beer.  She got very sick and miserable at Easter when she had a mike's hard lemonade with lunch. They all three turn bright red and you didn't mention that symptom so that may not be it but you can read more here

I just read a little more on this and you do not have to be of asian descent to have alcohol flush, it is just much more common for East Asians than the general population.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

You sound about like me.  I'm pretty lightweight, literally and figuratively, and I feel good after a glass of wine, but less good if I keep going from there.  

 

When I drink a glass, I feel a warm, muscle-relaxing sensation that spreads through me, and if I lie down, I'll go to sleep pretty fast.  I'm assuming that's what the "relaxing feeling" feels like for many.  

 

The best part of having about 1.5 glasses of wine is that if I squint my eyes just right, I stop really understanding French and can totally tune out my in-laws and hang out in my own brain for a while.  :-D  

 

I've never been drunk, the idea has ZERO appeal to me.  

[MBM]

Looking at the pot thread reminded me of something I have been wondering about for a while.

 

I don't really get the whole alcohol thing. Most people seem to get tipsy and then drunk which apparently leads to acting quite differently from their normal behaviour. Now, I do drink alcohol, but it doesn't seem to have quite the same effects on me? When I drink maybe a glass of wine I do get slightly tipsy. I MIGHT do something I wouldn't normally do but nothing I really wouldn't. So for example I might sink karaoke with friends but that is about as wild as it gets. I do realize that reflexes etc. get messed up when drinking so of course I wouldn't drive or anything. In the other thread people kept talking about the "relaxing" effect of alcohol but not sure I know what exactly is meant?

 

Anyway, if I continue drinking after one glass one of two things happens: a) I drink very slowly (i.e. sipping occasionally) in which case nothing much changes/maybe I feel a bit less tipsy or b) if I drink too fast (and it doesn't have to be much) I start feeling sick to my stomach and need to lie down/take a nap.

 

I guess I am wondering if that is atypical or if I am just not "doing it right"? I am not even talking about getting really drunk, but I don't even get really tipsy. Anyone else experience this? Or maybe I just have the wrong impression about people getting drunk from movies?

Alcohol is a sedative hypnotic. The relaxing feeling occurs as your body begins to break it down. Feeling sick or drowsy means you need to stop or slow down because your body needs more time to break it down.

 

Alcohol is changed to acetaldehyde. An enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) changes the acetaldehyde into harmless substances. When people drink too much too quickly, their bodies cannot break down the acetaldehyde quickly enough into harmless substances.

 

Some people have low and even no ALDH2 (the enzyme). For example, 40% of Japanese have low ALDH2 activity and 10% have no ALDH2 activity.

 

Acetaldehyde is very harmful to your body which is why I don't drink too often -- even though I like certain boozy drinks.

Edited August 3, 2017 by MBM

[wintermom]

Look at the % alcohol in different drinks; beer is about 4.5%, wine is around 12%, and liquor can range anywhere from 35% up to 60% and more.  Drink a couple shots of high % alcohol, and you may react very differently than with drinking wine. And some people bypass drinking alcohol and let it absorb into the blood through other body passages with soaked tampons. Gross, but you avoid a tummy ache.  :ack2:  

[shawthorne44]

I have read that they've identified a gene that effects how much people notice the alcohol effect.   That is a very non-technical description, but that is basically what it is.    Groups of people that have had problems with alcohol, have little to none of what that gene gives them.  Where my ancestors came from, are loaded with it.   I love the taste of most alcoholic drinks.   But, there always comes a point when it just doesn't taste good anymore.   Then some time passes, and it tastes good again.   That makes it very easy to regulate consumption.   I have never done anything I wouldn't otherwise do due to alcohol.  I can see how people without that built in off switch would have more of a problem.  

 

[VaKim]

Well, I realize that people are different and that body size etc. has something to do with how much alcohol it takes to have any effect.

 

I guess I am wondering how people manage to get drunk (or anything remotely close) - don't they throw up first?

 

As far as the karaoke is concerned, that hasn't actually happened. It's just that I could possibly imagine it happening. And I am not even sure how much would be the alcohol and how much a general party mood etc. Anyway, getting anywhere close to this without getting sick is REALLY tricky! So how is it that most people seem to be able to get there?

I get what you are talking about. I hate wine, but mostly drink vodka. I have never been more than just tipsy, even with 10-12 ounces total alcohol (over a few hours). Anything more than that and I have thrown up. I can tell when to stop. I have no idea how anybody can actually get so drunk that they think they aren't (such as thinking they can drive). I wouldn't want to be like that anyway, but it is still interesting how it affects people so differently. 

[Peaceseeker]

Look at the % alcohol in different drinks; beer is about 4.5%, wine is around 12%, and liquor can range anywhere from 35% up to 60% and more. Drink a couple shots of high % alcohol, and you may react very differently than with drinking wine. And some people bypass drinking alcohol and let it absorb into the blood through other body passages with soaked tampons. Gross, but you avoid a tummy ache. :ack2:

Seriously????

 

The things I learn on this board...

[Twolittleboys]

I wonder if you might be allergic to the sulfites in wine. Do you have the same reaction (nausea) to other kinds of alcohol?

Red wine is worse than others (I get sick quicker) but the process is the same with other kinds of alcohol (i.e. slightly tipsy to nauseated without anything in between)

 

 

What is your genetic heritage?  30% of peoples from Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam have a genetic condition that affects how they metabolize alcohol.  My husband is half Japanese and has it and 2/3 of my children have inherited it (my son is still underage so we don't know).  It cause them to metabolize alcohol very quickly.  My daughter gets headaches and feels nauseous after drinking as little as 1 bottle of beer.  She got very sick and miserable at Easter when she had a mike's hard lemonade with lunch. They all three turn bright red and you didn't mention that symptom so that may not be it but you can read more here

No Asian heritage as far as I know (maybe way back when?) and I don't think I turn red. I will have to check the next time I have a drink though.

 

 

Alcohol is a sedative hypnotic. The relaxing feeling occurs as your body begins to break it down. Feeling sick or drowsy means you need to stop or slow down because your body needs more time to break it down.

Well, I do stop as soon as I start to feel sick but it just seems so different from how it is portrayed in movies etc.

[zoobie]

Different types of alcohol affect me differently. Rum and cachaca seem to hit me harder than vodka. Bourbon makes me warm and sleepy. 

[Twolittleboys]

I don't think what you are describing is that unusual.  Some people don't have to drink much and they just don't like the feeling, it bothers their tummy, they get too sleepy. 

 

Other people have a longer period between tipsy and passing out or vomiting, when they are really drunk, and some won't until they are really dangerously drunk.

 

There are some things that can affect this - some people just have weak stomachs.  Eating food can make a difference.  So can the drink - red wine is one that does make a lot of people feel especially ill if they drink a little too much, while many people actually can't drink lower alcohol beer quickly enough to get beyond being tipsy.  And with shots or hard liquor, it's also possible to get drunk very quickly and suddenly without falling asleep first - which is why that can be especially dangerous.  People who drink to get drunk more often become better at it.

 

As far as behavior - people who are very drunk indeed will do all kinds of things.  But, many people specifically use alcohol to allow themselves to act out.  In fact, studies have shown that people tart to show effects even before their blood alcohol is elevated - it isn't the drink causing it at all really.  I think that goes some way to explaining why some people do much more crazy things when drinking - they wanted to do them, at some level, in the first place.  This seems especially true in groups.

Interesting. I am actually not sure the slight change in behaviour I experience (e.g. maybe some giggling etc.) is due to the alcohol. I think it is more that I know I had a drink and that causes it. I definitely am aware of what I am doing (and of it being something I might not generally do) and I could easily stop it (i.e. giggling or whatever).

[Twolittleboys]

Look at the % alcohol in different drinks; beer is about 4.5%, wine is around 12%, and liquor can range anywhere from 35% up to 60% and more.  Drink a couple shots of high % alcohol, and you may react very differently than with drinking wine. And some people bypass drinking alcohol and let it absorb into the blood through other body passages with soaked tampons. Gross, but you avoid a tummy ache.  :ack2:

Yuck, no thanks. I don't want it that much...

 

Anyway, the feeling sick is more a dizzy kind of feeling not a tummy ache. And it happens with all drinks I have tried. If I drink a cocktail (or liquor on its own) the same thing happens. At what point I start feeling bad varies, but there is nothing else happening before it. I haven't tried beer as I hate the stuff. I think I had a bit too much when I was little and the smell alone turns my stomach.

[Twolittleboys]

I get what you are talking about. I hate wine, but mostly drink vodka. I have never been more than just tipsy, even with 10-12 ounces total alcohol (over a few hours). Anything more than that and I have thrown up. I can tell when to stop. I have no idea how anybody can actually get so drunk that they think they aren't (such as thinking they can drive). I wouldn't want to be like that anyway, but it is still interesting how it affects people so differently.

Ah, that sounds pretty similar. It isn't so much that I can't drink much, it is the progression (or lack thereof).

 

I wouldn't want to be really drunk either (it sounds pretty weird) but kind of would like to know what it feels like. And I would like to be just a bit more tipsy to the point where it would maybe loosen me up a bit (I am pretty uptight).

 

Do you have any idea what causes it? Does it run in your family?

[regentrude]

Bodies are very different. How tipsy you get on a certain amount of alcohol depends on the amount of alcohol dehydrogenase your body makes and whether you have eaten or not (alcohol enters the bloodstream easier from the intestine than the stomach, and if the stomach is full, the transition to the intestine is slowed down.

 

I have an extremey low tolerance for alcohol ( uch to my dismay, since I like the  taste of wine); half a glass is already my limit.

 

ETA: Here is a nice, not too techincal, explanation: http://hams.cc/metabolism/

Edited August 3, 2017 by regentrude

[Twolittleboys]

Bodies are very different. How tipsy you get on a certain kind of alcohol depends on the amount of alcohol dehydrogenase your body makes and whether you have eaten or not (alcohol enters the bloodstream easier from the intestine than the stomach, and if the stomach is full, the transition to the intestine is slowed down.

 

I have an extremey low tolerance for alcohol ( uch to my dismay, since I like the  taste of wine); half a glass is already my limit.

 

ETA: Here is a nice, not too techincal, explanation: http://hams.cc/metabolism/

Well, yes, I understand that some people get tipsy after half a glass while others can drink the whole bottle. And yes, depending on what I drink/whether I have eaten etc. I can drink a different amount before feeling sick. The part I do not understand is how anyone can get drunk (as in changed consciousness, strongly reduced inhibition, untypical behaviour). I really are in full command (well maybe 98% and I wouldn't drive or anything) and the next minute/sip I feel sick.

[regentrude]

Well, yes, I understand that some people get tipsy after half a glass while others can drink the whole bottle. And yes, depending on what I drink/whether I have eaten etc. I can drink a different amount before feeling sick. The part I do not understand is how anyone can get drunk (as in changed consciousness, strongly reduced inhibition, untypical behaviour). I really are in full command (well maybe 98% and I wouldn't drive or anything) and the next minute/sip I feel sick.

 

A lot depends on what you drink. It is easy to get drunk if you consume beverages where you ingest a lot of aclohol in a short time. If I were drinking vodka, I'd be drunk before feeling sick. Carbonated drinks get in the blood stream faster, too.

[Twolittleboys]

A lot depends on what you drink. It is easy to get drunk if you consume beverages where you ingest a lot of aclohol in a short time. If I were drinking vodka, I'd be drunk before feeling sick. Carbonated drinks get in the blood stream faster, too.

Believe me, I have tried. Possibly I just don't know how much alcohol it does take to get anywhere close to drunk and I don't want to get alcohol poisoning (or a hangover for that matter). But I have definitely drunk different wines/liquors and at different speeds. I just skip the tipsy stage and get straight to feeling sick.

[regentrude]

Believe me, I have tried. Possibly I just don't know how much alcohol it does take to get anywhere close to drunk and I don't want to get alcohol poisoning (or a hangover for that matter). But I have definitely drunk different wines/liquors and at different speeds. I just skip the tipsy stage and get straight to feeling sick.

 

Consider yourself lucky. 

[SKL]

I have observed that people who feel like they are only "tipsy" are sometimes actually drunk.  :P  One of the effects of alcohol is that you aren't as aware of yourself as usual.  Like, you may not realize how close you are standing to the pretty girl who is NOT your girlfriend.  :P  You may not realize your sense of humor is completely inappropriate for the young girl down the street.

 

I agree, everybody is so different.  I know respectable people who have done insane things, publicly, while drunk.  Some of these people didn't normally drink enough to know their "limit."  Some were just unable to process the alcohol like most people.  I remember a wedding reception being destroyed by the best man beating up his fiance (he had just proposed and she had accepted about a half hour earlier).  Blood, police, ambulance.  Best man was the groom's brother, and I heard the bride say that he always gets violent when he drinks.  I have known people who were both allergic to and addicted to alcohol.  Very sad situation.

 

Of course, most people I know are responsible drinkers.  I also know some people who can drink quite a lot and not appear impaired.  I know people who are nicer to be with after a drink or two.  It just depends.

[Twolittleboys]

Consider yourself lucky.

You are probably right. Still, it is slightly disappointing...

 

 

 

I have observed that people who feel like they are only "tipsy" are sometimes actually drunk.  :p  One of the effects of alcohol is that you aren't as aware of yourself as usual.  Like, you may not realize how close you are standing to the pretty girl who is NOT your girlfriend.  :p  You may not realize your sense of humor is completely inappropriate for the young girl down the street.

Hm, something to ponder on. I don't think that is the case with me though, at least not as far as behaviour is concerned. As I said, I wouldn't drive and coordination/reflexes is probably not what it should be.

 

I generally just have wine or whatever with/after dinner so I am on my own (yes, that makes it sound worse because you are not supposed to drink on your own but I hardly ever go out so it is the only possible time)and I guess there isn't too much trouble I could get into. But I have had wine etc. on vacations and I am pretty sure I didn't do anything strange.

[VaKim]

Ah, that sounds pretty similar. It isn't so much that I can't drink much, it is the progression (or lack thereof).

 

I wouldn't want to be really drunk either (it sounds pretty weird) but kind of would like to know what it feels like. And I would like to be just a bit more tipsy to the point where it would maybe loosen me up a bit (I am pretty uptight).

 

Do you have any idea what causes it? Does it run in your family?

No idea. My mom can drink liquor and process it pretty quickly. Don't think she has ever even had enough to get tipsy though, and doesn't drink but maybe a couple times a year anyway. I do know that her brothers, her dad and his brothers, and some of her cousins (all men) were straight up drunks. They were the redneck type that would go out and beat up people or try to kill them. Thank God I didn't inherit that. 

 

I never even drank at all for 25 years or so. Just started again a year ago or so, after losing some religious legalism I had acquired. I only drink on Fridays or Saturdays, and then only when I am staying home. We watch some shows then (which are quite a bit funnier with a buzz, lol), and then I go to bed. I sleep so much better on those nights. Like you, I am totally aware of how I am feeling and acting, and can change it if necessary (like when someone calls or something). I even discussed it with DH a couple weeks ago, wondering how people actually ever drink enough to get drunk without barfing. 

 

Also, I am only 5 feet tall and about 125 pounds, so I am not sure size has a whole lot to do with it. I had always heard that women and small people can't drink as much.

Edited August 3, 2017 by VaKim

[Arcadia]

In the other thread people kept talking about the "relaxing" effect of alcohol but not sure I know what exactly is meant.

I grew up in an Asian country with a legal drinking age of 18. We had drinking parties after college semester exams. Some of us puke after a bottle. Some puke after a few. Some don't puke until the next day during the hangover period.

 

My hostel mates and I have seen many people flirt in a suggestive manner after a few drinks. While we didn't have smartphones in those days, we do have plenty of cameras and video cameras. The people were shocked by the photos of themselves and some really have no recollection of what they said or did. Majority of us were in the 18 to 25 age range.

[SKL]

Once I was traveling with a boss (my performance counselor) and he was drinking and blabbing at me in the hotel lobby.  He was talking about my career.  Nothing bad happened.  But suddenly he said, "Am I being an asshole?  I'm being an asshole, aren't I?  I'd better go to bed."  Got up and left.  LOL.  Must have made bad decisions in the past and felt one coming on.  (I had seen him drunk enough times to know he could be an idiot, but I never saw him do anything severely damaging.)

[regentrude]

We get together with friends often, I entertain a lot at home, and wine is usually part of the evening. Since I barely drink, I think I am often a sober observer, and I honestly can only remember one instance where a person had a noticeable reaction, talked more loudly and  silly. I have never seen any of my friends drunk, or tipsy to the degree that they said or did anything inappropriate. Nobody even flirts. (Maybe we are all too old?) I wonder how much is culture of the group(s)?

Likewise, I have never seen a family member visibly intoxicated growing up. 

 

ETA: Now *I* have a reaction from the first sip of a margarita; I get silly. They should serve those in shot glasses; that would be about the right amount for me. (I still woudl be unable to drive.)

Edited August 3, 2017 by regentrude

[Bluegoat]

A lot of young unmarried people I suspect will drink in order to flirt.  It's why some venues specialize in drinking and picking up.

[luuknam]

Look at the % alcohol in different drinks; beer is about 4.5%, wine is around 12%, and liquor can range anywhere from 35% up to 60% and more.  Drink a couple shots of high % alcohol, and you may react very differently than with drinking wine. And some people bypass drinking alcohol and let it absorb into the blood through other body passages with soaked tampons. Gross, but you avoid a tummy ache.  :ack2:  

 

 

http://www.snopes.com/risque/kinky/vodka.asp

 

ETA: a shot of vodka is much smaller than a glass of beer - if you drink alcohol from the right size glass, they're all about the same amount of alcohol per glass (though yes, it's easier to down a few shots in rapid succession).

Edited August 3, 2017 by luuknam

[gardenmom5]

my own ND has discussed this as it related to the MTHF mutation. (she focuses on that, which is why I choose to go to her.  I'm homozygous.)  when she was in college and drank - booze didn't affect her. the guys - were drunk.   she had a patient come in, started treating him for mthf - and he went from being able to drink his friends under the table - to only being able to handle one.

 

my ND has the research in addition to the anecedotal - but there is a link to the snp.   and why it is considered to put someone at higher risk of addiction. 

[gardenmom5]

We get together with friends often, I entertain a lot at home, and wine is usually part of the evening. Since I barely drink, I think I am often a sober observer, and I honestly can only remember one instance where a person had a noticeable reaction, talked more loudly and  silly. I have never seen any of my friends drunk, or tipsy to the degree that they said or did anything inappropriate. Nobody even flirts. (Maybe we are all too old?) I wonder how much is culture of the group(s)?

Likewise, I have never seen a family member visibly intoxicated growing up. 

 

ETA: Now *I* have a reaction from the first sip of a margarita; I get silly. They should serve those in shot glasses; that would be about the right amount for me. (I still woudl be unable to drive.)

 

they're probably not downing an entire bottle by themselves either.

I've been in decent! restaurants (multiple times) where one table the booze would be free flowing in short order.  the volume would increase over time, as would how obnoxious they were.   there's one (now out of business.) - I regret not having demanded remuneration from the restaurant for being seated next to these oafs and how it ruined our celebration.  (the owner didn't want to anger them - so forced them on everyone else.  including his own staff.)

[J-rap]

I'm not sure if I understand your question, but I think everyone is different.  I can have a glass of wine with dinner and am not affected at all.  Typically I stop there.  If I have a second glass during a long dinner and am sipping it slowly, then again, no effect at all.

 

If I have a glass of wine on an empty stomach, I can tell I do feel more relaxed, or not as worried.  I don't do this very often though.

 

I'm often at events where wine is served in a proper fashion (not wild or overdone!), and I never see people acting inappropriately.  Now and then we go to a friend's home who is a wonderful old Irishman.  He does tend to drink a little more and become louder as the night goes on, but he never does anything inappropriate.  I suppose if it got to that point we wouldn't go there.

 

[SKL]

they're probably not downing an entire bottle by themselves either.

I've been in decent! restaurants (multiple times) where one table the booze would be free flowing in short order.  the volume would increase over time, as would how obnoxious they were.   there's one (now out of business.) - I regret not having demanded remuneration from the restaurant for being seated next to these oafs and how it ruined our celebration.  (the owner didn't want to anger them - so forced them on everyone else.  including his own staff.)

 

I was so nervous the first time I took my tots to a fancy restaurant.  I didn't let them make a peep lest they disturb other diners.  But pretty soon the table across the way got so loud, we could have had screaming kids and nobody would have noticed.  Since then I've always wondered why it's considered acceptable for adults to be loud, but if your kid can be heard at the next table, you're out of line.  :P  In the past 10 years of eating at restaurants, about 99% of the time, the loudest person in the room is an adult.  Yes, I notice these things.  :P

 

[gardenmom5]

I used to have a drinking problem. I would get so drunk that I'd be unable to walk. So humiliating to admit this, btw. 😔 It almost ruined my marriage. Anyway, I never, not once had a headache or threw up or had what most describe as a 'hangover'. So drunk I couldn't remember anything, but no hangover. Go figure. All this to say, every body is different.

 

 

have you ever been tested for mthf?

 

congratulations on beating it.

[gardenmom5]

kind of an aside.

 

mythbusters did an episode on "why do you feel warmer when you drink?"

 

they include thermographic scans in their testing.

 

they also went into a nice big (and cold) commercial freezer.  (I admit testing some of the cold weather gear I bought for dds in a big commercial freezer at a local store - that is kept about 0F.  or maybe it was 15F)

 

the alcohol opens up the circulation to the extremities.  so, the core actually loses warmth, making the person more susceptible to hypothermia.

[wintermom]

http://www.snopes.com/risque/kinky/vodka.asp

 

ETA: a shot of vodka is much smaller than a glass of beer - if you drink alcohol from the right size glass, they're all about the same amount of alcohol per glass (though yes, it's easier to down a few shots in rapid succession).

 

Sure, when you order a drink at a bar, but if you pour your own liquor or drink 100 proof you can put in a lot more alcohol, right? Just don't dilute as much with mix. Or drink multiple shots. There is a huge difference between 5% beer and 60% whiskey. Drink a few pints of beer and you'll also feel full and be peeing a lot and getting more dehydrated. Drink a few shots of Tequila and you'll probably have to crawl to the potty. 

[MistyMountain]

I am very lightweight and never drank much. I got drunk maybe once years ago and it did not make me act completely different, act obnoxiously or do something I normally would not like it seemed most people at parties were doing when drunk. I also took a lot to go from feeling the effects to feeling drunk which did not really happen. I was also prone to puking but that usually happen after I was asleep already.

 

I do not really like drinking. It has been over a decade since I drank more then one drink and I do that super infrequently as in there are years where I do not drink one drink. I do not like feeling effects of alcohol or being around a lot of people who are drunk.

Edited August 3, 2017 by MistyMountain

[gardenmom5]

Ty! No, I've never been tested. Off to google... I'm assuming my gp can test me?

 

Is mthfr the same thing? Am I testing for a mutation?

 

your gp can test you - it is a genetic test.   word is starting to get out.  I've discussed it with my OD (gone to her for nearly 30 years), and was actually tested by my DO.  (who automatically put me on 15mg.s  big.huge.mistake. I didn't tolerate more than about 2 - 3 mgs.)

 

if you have one (estimate 52% of the population has at least one mutation) - thorne is the OTC brand of mthf.  start low, and slowly to ramp up the dose for what works for you.  if you need it.  if you generally have a good diet with lots of fresh produce, you may be fine without supplementing.  but it can also be good to know about because there are health issues associated with them.

 

it was my ND who was telling me about the link between mthf and tolerance for drinking.

[ktgrok]

Red wine is worse than others (I get sick quicker) but the process is the same with other kinds of alcohol (i.e. slightly tipsy to nauseated without anything in between)

 

 

 

 

 

I've vomited only 3 times after drinking. Once my very first time drinking, after having it with chinese food which is iffy on my tummy anyway. I was definitely drunk. 

 

Once when I had alcohol poisoning. i didn't drink again for 2 years. Obviously, very very drunk. (multiple beers than multiple very large "margaritas" there were pretty much plastic cups mostly full of tequila). 

 

Once at my bachelorette party. I was drunk, but I think the vomiting was from the red dyes in the crazy alcoholic slushy drink at a daqueri bar. I vomit red dye even when sober. 

 

Drunk or tipsy plenty of other times in between, with no nausea at all. I only vomit if I've had WAY too much. 

[ktgrok]

Different types of alcohol affect me differently. Rum and cachaca seem to hit me harder than vodka. Bourbon makes me warm and sleepy. 

 

Beer makes me want TeA. Wine makes me giggly. 

[ktgrok]

Yuck, no thanks. I don't want it that much...

 

Anyway, the feeling sick is more a dizzy kind of feeling not a tummy ache. And it happens with all drinks I have tried. If I drink a cocktail (or liquor on its own) the same thing happens. At what point I start feeling bad varies, but there is nothing else happening before it. I haven't tried beer as I hate the stuff. I think I had a bit too much when I was little and the smell alone turns my stomach.

 

That spinning sensation = drunk in my experience. 

[ktgrok]

I used to have a drinking problem. I would get so drunk that I'd be unable to walk. So humiliating to admit this, btw. 😔 It almost ruined my marriage. Anyway, I never, not once had a headache or threw up or had what most describe as a 'hangover'. So drunk I couldn't remember anything, but no hangover. Go figure. All this to say, every body is different.

thats me as well. I get more of a hangover from sugar than booze.

[Bluegoat]

http://www.snopes.com/risque/kinky/vodka.asp

 

ETA: a shot of vodka is much smaller than a glass of beer - if you drink alcohol from the right size glass, they're all about the same amount of alcohol per glass (though yes, it's easier to down a few shots in rapid succession).

 

Volume makes a difference though, to how they are imbibed.

 

With lower alcohol beers, like American beers, for many people they really can't get drunk.  There is just too much water proportionally, so their body can metabolize it as fast as most people can take it in.  Whereas with wine, it's a lot easier to drink more than you can metabolize.  And coolers which go down like pop or jusce are often even worse.