Why do some people get drunk more easily than others?

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

My friend is 172 cm and she gets drunk very easily, she falls down all the time, and I have to help her get up,

while i am just 16 0 cm and even though I also get drunk, no one notices that and of course I never fall down.

She’s bigger than me but she gets drunk easier why?

[dynamicyandere]

Genetics x Hydration x Tolerance x Food


As mentioned before there are people who have more or less enzymes to process the alcohol.


How quickly your body can detoxify itself will depend on how much of these alcohol-metabolizing enzymes your body can produce.


This factor would be genetically determined, just like how someone who has a naturally fast or slow metabolism is genetically determined. (Though that can be adjusted with the right conditioning.)


The next is hydration. You’ll notice that the less hydrated you are, the faster you’ll feel tipsy. That’s because your blood alcohol level can rise quicker if you’re dehydrated.


The more hydrated you are, the more diluted the alcohol will be when it’s in your bloodstream.


Also, bigger carry more blood in their bodies, so that helps them dilute the percentage of alcohol in their blood.



The next is tolerance. And by this I mean developed tolerance. People who drink more regularly will adapt to higher amounts of alcohol. Their body is trying to adapt to more alcohol consumptions so it creates more enzymes to prepare itself. More enzymes = faster processing of the alcohol = harder to get drunk and faster to recover.


Lastly is food. If you eat the right foods, they can act like a sponge so that alcohol is released into your body at a slower rate. You can imagine drinking alcohol on an empty stomach and it going straight into someone’s system. Then you can imagine drinking alcohol and that alcohol soaking into a sponge. It’s going to turn it into a slow drip.


By being super hydrated and eating the right foods before drinking, I’m able to literally double my “tolerance” so that’s a little hack if you purposely want to hold your liquor better.


My tolerance though is actually higher than most of my peers, so I actually do the opposite and eat a little less so that we can all feel buzzed around the same time. 🙂

[dynamicyandere]

bigger people carry more blood*

[Anonymous]

Several factors can influence why some people get drunk more easily than others. Here are a few possibilities:

1. Body weight: Generally, the larger a person is, the more alcohol they can consume before feeling drunk. However, this is not always the case, as metabolism, tolerance, and other factors can also play a role.

2. Gender: Women tend to have a lower tolerance for alcohol than men, as they typically have less body water to dilute the alcohol and a different metabolism.

3. Genetics: Genetics can also play a role in how a person metabolizes alcohol. Some people may have a genetic predisposition to metabolize alcohol more slowly, which can lead to feeling drunker more quickly.

4. Drinking habits: If your friend doesn't drink alcohol often or only drinks occasionally, her body may not be as accustomed to processing it. This can lead to getting drunk more quickly.

5. Type of alcohol consumed: Different types of alcohol can have different effects on the body. For example, drinks with a higher alcohol content, such as shots or hard liquor, can lead to getting drunk more quickly than beer or wine.

It's also worth noting that falling down and needing help to get up is a sign of being dangerously intoxicated. If your friend is regularly getting this drunk, it may be a sign that she needs to reassess her drinking habits or seek help for an alcohol problem.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

We drink the same levels, she always falls down and loses sense of orientation, for me the drunker I the straighter I walk so noone will notice I am drunk haha

And no, she was in wine business, she used to drink more than me, I am also not fat, just 49 kg, 160 cm, she is 61 kg 172 cm respectively.

[Opinion Owner]

It's important to keep in mind that alcohol can have different effects on different people, even if they consume the same amount. While body weight and composition can play a role in alcohol tolerance, other factors such as genetics, metabolism, and overall health can also affect how alcohol affects the body.

Additionally, it's possible that your friend may simply be more sensitive to the effects of alcohol, which can lead to more pronounced symptoms such as loss of coordination and orientation. This can be due to a variety of factors, including differences in brain chemistry and sensitivity to alcohol's effects.

In any case, it's important to drink responsibly and to be aware of how alcohol affects your body. If you or your friend are experiencing negative consequences from drinking, such as falling down or losing sense of orientation, it may be a good idea to consider cutting back on alcohol consumption or seeking professional help.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

Haha, I’ve never mentioned I fall down, I control myself pretty well and I rarely drink.

As for my friend, I just wonder why is she always falling, I was even thinking maybe she is doing on purpose, I can’t imagine why’d anyone fall after 2-3 shots, especially someone a lot bigger than me.

[Opinion Owner]

I apologize for the confusion, and thank you for clarifying. It's possible that your friend may have a lower tolerance for alcohol than you do, or that she may be drinking more than you realize. Additionally, other factors such as medication use, hydration levels, and overall health can also affect how alcohol affects the body.

It's important to remember that everyone is different, and there is no "right" or "wrong" way to react to alcohol. However, if your friend is consistently experiencing negative consequences from drinking, such as falling down or losing sense of orientation, it may be a good idea for her to consider cutting back on alcohol consumption or seeking professional help. It's important to always drink responsibly and to be aware of how alcohol affects your body.

[SnowedIn]

It's a combination of what @ShadezMcgee says AND how much of two enzymes (alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)) she has. Those two enzymes metabolize alcohol. The less you have the slower it metabolizes.

[ShadezMcgee]

Depends on a few things.

1.) How often and how much do they typically drink

2.) How tall are thigh and how much do they weigh?

3.) Do they tend to eat food before they do any drinking?

[Still-alive]

Did she eat anything prior to drinking? If you have not eaten anything or very little you can easily get drunk pretty fast.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

Both of us ate same things.

[Still-alive]

How much food?

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

We ate grilled squid, grilled broccoli, grilled mushrooms.

[Still-alive]

Does she drink often?

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

Yes. More often than me

[Still-alive]

Welp i think @snowedin has the answer then. Basically genes.

[SnowedIn]

@Still-alive... some of it is genes, yeah. Weight makes a HUGE difference but those enzymes are KEY.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

@SnowedIn I am 49 kg, my friend is 61 kg.

[SnowedIn]

@lafemmefatale_1 ... I understand that. My point was that although weight makes a huge difference, those enzymes are MORE important. I bet that if you and your friend both had bloodwork done, you have more of the enzymes.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

@SnowedIn Is that a hood thing or a bad things haha

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

I am atill drunk, just no one notices

[SnowedIn]

Typically more is better. The alcohol metabolizes faster which means you are drunk for a shorter amount of time or the effects are less. There's a lot more to it than this and I am far from an expert but these are the basics.

[Pete671]

Just less tolerance, it seems to me she gets drunk to solve a psych problem or from stress,

[msc545]

A lot of this related to the efficiency of the liver relative to metabolizing alcohol.

[Alex8736]

it's someone's tolerance level