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Studying for finals on a Friday night (zero down, three to go), I decided to have a glass of red wine and some lovely aged cheddar to make the experience a bit more pleasant. And once again I'm struck with the fact that I simply cannot metabolize small amounts of alcohol that well. One glass - less than four ounces - and I'm seriously noticing the effect. Bah!
On the other hand, I have a very long plateau period between "feeling it" and "near-falling down drunk", which would probably be dangerous if I weren't aware of it. And I appreciate the fact that, when I feel like getting tipsy, I can do so cheaply (both for the wallet and the calories).
I better watch out next semester though when I start attending the department's weekly micro seminars, which always include wine and snacks afterwards.
Posts: 2409 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I can always feel the alcohol after one drink. I'm tipsy after 2, and people think I've had 10 after 3. It's bizarre, because I used to weigh over 300 pounds, and my dad was an alcoholic. Shouldn't I have some built in tolerance or something?
Posts: 1314 | Registered: Jan 2006
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I handle it really well, by which I mean I leave it in the store and don't buy it, and when offered it by friends and family, I say no thanks. Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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I use it in the lab all the time. I've never broken any bottles, poisoned anyone or started a fire with it. Can't get much better than that record.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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All I know is if I start on a glass of red wine the bottle will be empty within the hour. Therefore I can't touch the stuff. I can't even smell it.
quote: my dad was an alcoholic. Shouldn't I have some built in tolerance or something?
Actually, if I remember correctly, this makes you more likely to be affected by it. Then again..... it may just mean you're more likely to become an alcoholic. High School health class was too long ago to remember.
I can usually take a few shots worth before feeling anything. My whole family drinks on occasion, and it's just not something that affects us. I think I've seen my dad 'drunk' once. And that was really just more of a tipsy.
Posts: 349 | Registered: Oct 2007
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My grandfather was an alcoholic and I discoverd I was capable of being that at age 8. I haven't touched the stuff since then. However, the smell of alcohol causes the most overwhelming cravings I have ever experianced.
Posts: 527 | Registered: Aug 2004
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I have a pretty low tolerance, although I don't get the glow despite my Chinese ancestry. One drink and I feel it, two and I'm tipsy. At four (at least within an hour or so), I'm pretty drunk.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
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It always amazes me that eating can so drastically alter my tolerance for alcohol. I can be plain old drunk if I've had one drink on an empty stomach. If I start after a meal it would take three or so for the same effect.
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I'm in Europe now and finding out about this. I'd say I feel it at one shot and am mildly drunk at the 7 shot range.
Posts: 3060 | Registered: Nov 2003
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You know, I have no clue. I've only three times in my life had more than one drink in an evening. Maybe I should change that on my first legal new years eve.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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I've only had hard liquor once (my dad bought a shot for me for my 21st birthday), and really don't like wine all that much, so I really only have experience with beer.
I rarely have more than two, and usually just one, but I guess that comes with the territory when you go for the expensive microbrews. However, I am now doing a weekly beer column for the school paper, and I believe that anyone who reads the paper gets the impression that I drink way more than I actually do.
But after one beer, I definitely get a buzz...especially when they're around 9% ABV. Juxtapose is right, I get dramatically more of a buzz on an empty stomach. I've never gone more than three, and therefore never really been 'trashed' or even remotely in danger of passing out, and I don't ever really plan on doing so.
Posts: 1711 | Registered: Jun 2004
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The meeting and eventual marriage of my parents is perplexing since it was a complete fairy-tale Cowboy Meets Princess story. The only way they could have possibly found something in common between them, initially, was that they could both probably drink a horse under the table and were probably doing something just as ridiculous and booze-related when they met.
This confluence did more than just ensure my existence; it also meant that I inherited a completely undeserved tolerance for alcohol. And to all of you who stand here lamenting about your low alcohol tolerance? Let me tell you something about my experiences on the other side of the fence with high alcohol tolerance.
It sucks!
If you have low tolerance you can get perfectly buzzed off of one gin and tonic or you can get delightfully loopy off of a single long island and there I'll be, jealous, because in the same sort of situation I have to spend over $40 to get the same effect and oh by the way you still have room for food and your buzz won't wear off by the time the entree has arrived. Bah.
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Indeed, I have a pretty low tolerance, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I don't typically drink to get drunk, though, don't really see the point.
OK, The White Whale, what are your preferred brews? My favorites are Rochefort 10, St. Bernardus 12, Ommegang Three Philosophers, and Unibroue Trois Pistoles.
Posts: 1810 | Registered: Jan 1999
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Mike, I turned 21 only this year, so actually have a very small list of beers I've had so far.
But of those I have had, I am a big fan of Dogfish Head 90 and 120 Minute IPAs, and the Victory Beers, especially Hop Devil (if you can't tell, I'm a fan of hops).
But I also like really dark stouts...but have only had a few. Rogue and Youngs (my friend likes those) ahd have only tried a few Belgian brews, with that unique malt flavor and have enjoyed those.
I actually have a bottle of Ommegang Rare Vos here I'm going to split with my dad, probably tomorrow for the Buffalo game. It was right next to the Three Philosophers at the store, but I saw that had...was it cherry? And opted for the Rare Vos.
I'm going to continue my column next semester, and would really appreciate recommendations for beers...so those four you like I will definitely try. Any others?
Posts: 1711 | Registered: Jun 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Samprimary: This confluence did more than just ensure my existence; it also meant that I inherited a completely undeserved tolerance for alcohol. And to all of you who stand here lamenting about your low alcohol tolerance? Let me tell you something about my experiences on the other side of the fence with high alcohol tolerance.
It sucks!
If you have low tolerance you can get perfectly buzzed off of one gin and tonic or you can get delightfully loopy off of a single long island and there I'll be, jealous, because in the same sort of situation I have to spend over $40 to get the same effect and oh by the way you still have room for food and your buzz won't wear off by the time the entree has arrived. Bah.
You have it made.
Welcome to my life story. Except throw in some hearty German ancestry and a history of alcoholism in the family, and I'm always the most sober person at the table after having drunk more than anyone else.
Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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My Mom's Dad was a severe alcoholic and my Dad is an alcoholic (he has never neglected our family or lost a job over it, but I don't excuse his addiction) so there is a history of high tolerance for alcohol in my family. I am very careful about how much I drink because of this.
I don't go more than two beers at a time, but I know my limit is above that because I once had five when someone kept buying me and my friends free drinks. I was a little frightened because I felt no worse after five than I did after two.
I can probably handle a fair amount, but I won't dare try.
Posts: 684 | Registered: Jun 2002
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Boon
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Please define the words "well" and "handle".
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I've discovered it depends on what I'm having. Even if it's of the same proof it can have completely different effects. I can go at my flask full of cheap 80 proof whiskey and not feel it for a long time and have it come on slow and steadily. My flask is 6 oz which (according to some sources) equates to 6 shots. By the end of that I'm happily drunk but not trashed. One shot of good, expensive gin (still only 80 proof) and I feel it. A two shot gin and tonic later and I was happily drunk.
By the same token it takes 4 to 5 crappy light beers (supposedly about 4.5%) to really even get me buzzed. Two 12 oz bottles of NewCastle (same percentage) or a single pint will get me to the same place.
It usually seems to take between 9 and 11 'drinks' to make me need a toilet and be hung over the next day (done that twice, first time to see what it took, the second time quite by accident -- hope to avoid ever doing it again). If I stay under 8 I can feel that I need to stop drinking but I'm fine. Happily drunk, but still very in control of myself. Wouldn't trust myself to drive or anything, but you get the idea.
To get the idea of what I mean by tipsy, I don't trust myself behind the wheel once tipsy. If I'm even remotely feeling it I make someone else drive.
Posts: 3295 | Registered: Jun 2004
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quote:Originally posted by The White Whale: Mike, I turned 21 only this year, so actually have a very small list of beers I've had so far.
But of those I have had, I am a big fan of Dogfish Head 90 and 120 Minute IPAs, and the Victory Beers, especially Hop Devil (if you can't tell, I'm a fan of hops).
But I also like really dark stouts...but have only had a few. Rogue and Youngs (my friend likes those) ahd have only tried a few Belgian brews, with that unique malt flavor and have enjoyed those.
I actually have a bottle of Ommegang Rare Vos here I'm going to split with my dad, probably tomorrow for the Buffalo game. It was right next to the Three Philosophers at the store, but I saw that had...was it cherry? And opted for the Rare Vos.
I'm going to continue my column next semester, and would really appreciate recommendations for beers...so those four you like I will definitely try. Any others?
Yep, Three Philosophers is the one with cherry. It's actually quite subtle and not overpowering at all. Unlike, say, pure Lindeman's Kriek.
If you enjoy teh hops, anything from Stone Brewing will satisfy you for sure.
quote:Originally posted by Phanto: I'm in Europe now and finding out about this. I'd say I feel it at one shot and am mildly drunk at the 7 shot range.
No one is mildly drunk at the equivalent of 7 shots of alcohol (unless that's over the course of 7-8 hours, on a full stomach). You may not be rip-roaring drunk, and you may not get all silly (or belligerent) but you are definitely drunk enough to be impaired at that point.
I say this as a guy whose started a night with an hour of power. No, I don't recommend it. I prefer my current tolerance which is a couple of drinks and I feel it. But now my drinks are tasty microbrews, not cheap stuff like National Bohemian.
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Mike, Whale: Okocim Porter rocks if you can find it. I prefer it to the Zwyciec Porter. I also have a guilty pleasure in Young's Double Chocolate Stout, and when I am looking for lighter drink, an Otter Creek Copper Ale is usually perfect. Yes, I prefer the darker stuff, which makes fall/winter happy time for me, and summer makes me a sad Panda, what with all the wheat and fruit beers that are out (and a dearth of dark beers).
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Mike, I visit Beer Advocate regularly. It makes it easy to sound like I know what I'm talking about. But I always avoid reading about beers I'm about to drink...I don't want to get a skewed idea about the beer.
Bokonon, The Young's Double Chocolate Stout is good, I think I reviewed it... here...althoguh I actually had to hurry through this review, and it wasn't my favorite.
It's actually more fun to write bad reviews about beer. The first beers I reviewer were the Mag Hat Variety Pack, which really weren't good at all. For April Fools, our paper always writes a fake paper, and I'm going to review Keystone and Busch beer. I always talk about the color and smell of the beers, and I've never had Keystone or Busch, but I'm looking forward to putting them to the test.
IMO, I think it's more fun to drink beers slowly, with other people, instead of tossing them back for the sake of getting drunk. I've never actually tried to get trashed, but it only seems like a step down from how I currently drink beer.
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I've found the key to handling alcohol well is to, whenever you happen to find yourself handling alcohol, make sure you just don't for whatever reason decide to drink it.
Posts: 8120 | Registered: Jul 2000
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i found that the more frequently i drank, the higher my tolerance was. the whole year i was 21 i already had a great tolerance for alcohol. bar tabs with my friends were always in the hundreds unless we went to a couple choice bars where we knew most of the people that worked there and the owners.
now, i drink much, much less frequently and recognize that i can't hold as much as i used to. good thing i have no desire to drink that much now anyway. 3 drinks does to me what 7 used to, and i think i prefer it that way.
Drinking is honestly a social thing now. whereas when i was younger it was more about partying. i am almost always sober enough to drive anyone home if they need a ride, and when im not usually another friend in the group will be. i think we are just getting more mature with age.
EDIT: we are in the mid to late 20's.
Posts: 813 | Registered: Nov 1999
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Boon
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Last time I drank any alcohol was on my last birthday. I drank 2 mixed drinks over the course of an hour or so and was...tipsy but not so drunk I couldn't walk a straight line. Then I ate a bunch of barbecue food, drank nothing but water, and drove me and the kids back to where we were staying a few hours later.
I don't think I've had more than half a beer or so at a time since I turned 21 other than that.
So...uhh...yeah, probably not well at all, but I don't intend to find out.
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I love wine and some hard liquors, but I have almost no tolerance at all. I also don't really enjoy the sensation of being drunk. Lightly buzzed? Okay. Actually drunk? Bleagh. As a result of that I don't drink much, and as a result of not drinking much I have an incredibly low tolerance. The snake is eating its tail!
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Tatiana: I handle it really well, by which I mean I leave it in the store and don't buy it, and when offered it by friends and family, I say no thanks.
I've been wondering since you posted this. I know the post was at least somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but do you mean to say simply that not imbibing alcohol is a good choice for you, or are you also suggesting that having alcohol is a bad choice for everyone that does it?
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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I would argue that having alcohol is a bad choice for most people, unless they know they will be limiting themselves to just one or two drinks, they enjoy the taste, and they don't greatly mind consuming something that ruins a fairly large number of human lives. For people who fit into that somewhat narrow category, it is probably just fine.
Posts: 8120 | Registered: Jul 2000
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I don't think it's all that narrow a category at all. I suspect billions of people enjoy alcohol responsibly, and enjoy both the taste and the health benefits of alcohol. I suspect you have seen one too many After-School Specials on television.
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(1)Why is alcohol a bad choice unless you limit yourself to just one or two drinks? If you aren't greatly affected mentally or physically by three or four drinks, like some people in this thread, why the limitation to one or two? If it's a health concern (no binge drinking type rule), then I'd imagine that given, all the various ways to hurt your health, limited binge drinking (if we're counting 3 or 4 drinks in an evening binge drinking )shouldn't be at the top of list of concerns.
(2) Why is alcohol a bad choice if you don't enjoy the taste of it? According to studies, some alcohol, such as a glass of red wine daily, is actually quite a good choice for your health. So you could find alcohol to taste as bad as prune juice (no offense to the prune juice lovers out there!), and drink it for just as good a reason as people drink prune juice.
(3) Why bring the "greatly mind consuming something that ruins a fairly large number of human lives" into the argument? Why should alcohol matter any more than the other things that are ruining people's lives? Twinkies, McDonald's, and other junk food causes the death of far more millions of Americans, just not as visibly as alcohol often does. Does that mean I should stop consuming junk food in moderation, just because others aren't as disciplined (or in the case of alcoholics, careful to avoid setting off their disease) as they ought to be? Or should I feel guilty for consuming it? If you're concerned about things that ruin large numbers of human lives, perhaps starvation or disease (or obesity if we're limiting ourselves to America) should be at the forefront of your mind, instead of alcohol.
I don't think any of those criteria are good, even if, as Icarus points out, the criteria may not be all that limiting.
Posts: 2409 | Registered: Sep 2003
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Ew to Tresopax's comment that "they don't greatly mind consuming something that ruins a fairly large number of human lives".
If you can't control yourself - that's your* problem. If so-and-so can't quit drinking after feeling a warm fuzzy feeling and having previously secured a designated sober driver - that's their problem.
Yeah - drinking too much has the capability to ruin a life ( i can speak firsthand about my cousin dying by the hands/foot/whatever of a drunk driver ) . That doesn't make drinking bad for everyone. Only those that can't handle it. It's YOUR responsibility to realize that you can't handle it. Unfortunately, it's our responsibility to pick up the pieces if you don't.
*please note - the 'your' is not Tresopax.
Posts: 1355 | Registered: Jul 2006
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(1)Why is alcohol a bad choice unless you limit yourself to just one or two drinks? If you aren't greatly affected mentally or physically by three or four drinks, like some people in this thread, why the limitation to one or two? If it's a health concern (no binge drinking type rule), then I'd imagine that given, all the various ways to hurt your health, limited binge drinking (if we're counting 3 or 4 drinks in an evening binge drinking )shouldn't be at the top of list of concerns.
It's also worth pointing out that there's nothing necessarily wrong with drinking to or somewhat past the point of intoxication. If it isn't a habitual act, if you take precautions to do so in a safe spot, if you either drink somewhere where you can spend the night or arrange for transportation for yourself, if it doesn't violate your religious beliefs, and if you don't drink so much that you endanger your health in any significant way, getting drunk isn't a bad thing. It isn't something that I enjoy, but I have no problem with other people doing it and finding pleasure in it.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Tonight I was clever, and didn't have any wine while studying for finals. I did slack off and go to dinner with a good friend from undergrad who was in town for the weekend. He just finished his finals (he's still a senior), and apparently went to one exam still drunk (no, not hungover) from the day before when he had flipped out while studying. (He's a very, very good student, ended up finishing the exam first anyways, and we've both been out drinking with prof before, so I doubt it was a big deal. Ah, undergrad life.)
Hopefully that will not be my fate when I'm studying for tomorrow for the third final on Tuesday. No flipping out, no drinking. Tuesday night, though...
Posts: 2409 | Registered: Sep 2003
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This thread won't be complete until some posts in it while drunk. Since its Sunday night, I guess we'll have to wait a bit.
Posts: 1621 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Well, when I originally posted, I was feeling the wine. Not enough to make mistakes in typing, but enough to need to pay attention, if you know what I mean?
Depending on how I'm feeling (i.e. if I'm not exhausted), and what my classmates are doing, Tuesday night might be the lucky night. If I do get drunk, I'll try to remember to post.
Posts: 2409 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I had a higher resistance when I was younger. Now I tend to get sleepy after two or three alcoholic beverages, but then, I rarely drink more than one. Even when my resistance was higher, I rarely enjoyed the effects: everyone around me would be laughing their heads off, and I would be getting a kind of numb emotional detatchment that made me even more aware when people around me were behaving like idiots.
Playing "First Person Shooters" gave me a weird kind of point of reference for the only time in my life I've been well and truly drunk (bachelor party.) It was like going from sixty frames per second to, say, three... I would turn my head ninety degrees, and there was nothing "between" looking forward and looking to the side. (Which truly made me wonder how stupid someone would have to be to attempt to drive in such a state...)
These days, I'll have a glass of wine if the bottle's open and people are being sociable, but that's pretty much it. And that's where I'm comfortable.
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