“Body size and composition are significant factors in alcohol detoxification and tolerance regardless of age,” lowering alcohol tolerance says Dr. Schwartz. “Many people who identify as men tend to have larger bodies, which indicates more area to distribute alcohol in lowering the overall alcohol content. They also tend to have more muscle, which in turn leads to a higher water content, helping to dilute and diminish the effect of alcohol on the body. Also, some people who identify as women have less alcohol dehydrogenase, the enzyme that breaks down alcohol, leaving more alcohol in the bloodstream for longer periods of time.” This is why the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend keeping drinking habits to a minimum, which they define as no more than two drinks per day for men and one per day for women.
This phenomenon is known as reverse alcohol tolerance, and it can lead to alcoholics becoming drunk on tiny quantities of alcohol. Reverse alcohol tolerance is a critical state for the liver and can lead to other health complications. While a common misnomer for alcohol sensitivity is “alcohol intolerance,” which implies that a person gets drunk quickly, alcohol sensitivity isn’t just a low tolerance to alcohol. While people with a low alcohol tolerance may become intoxicated after a single drink, those with alcohol sensitivity can have a physical reaction to consuming alcohol before they even feel the side effects.
This buildup can lead to more severe reactions to alcohol, often acting as a deterrent to heavy drinking. Understanding one’s own metabolic rate is crucial for responsible drinking. Those with slower metabolism may need to be more cautious about their alcohol intake to avoid excessive BAC levels. On average, the liver can metabolize about one standard drink per hour. When alcohol is consumed faster than it can be metabolized, BAC rises, leading to increasing levels of intoxication.
For example, if the driver encountered unexpected situations, a detour, or a change in driving conditions, he could lose any previously acquired tolerance to alcohol’s impairment of his driving skills. One study found that subjects who knew they would receive money for the successful performance of a task while under the influence developed tolerance more quickly than when they did not expect a reward. Many older adults take multiple medications, some of which can interact dangerously with alcohol. For example, alcohol can enhance the sedative effects of certain anti-anxiety medications or pain relievers, leading to excessive drowsiness or respiratory depression. Functional alcohol tolerance is often the reason for accidents on the road or at the workplace.
If you want to stop drinking, which can be crucial for your health if you drink heavily or depend on alcohol, it’s a good idea to talk to a doctor first. Stopping suddenly can be harmful to your body and might cause withdrawal symptoms that need careful handling. Your liver handles alcohol, but if you drink too much too quickly, it’ll get overwhelmed. This can lead to different liver issues like fatty liver, inflammation (hepatitis), scarring (fibrosis), and, in worst cases, cirrhosis. The changes in the brain that drive uncontrolled drinking also cause withdrawal symptoms when the person stops drinking. These symptoms are often hard to deal with and can make someone relapse just to feel better, even if they want to quit.
This term refers to the capacity of the body to tolerate or support large amounts of alcohol. Due to chronic and excessive consumption by alcoholics, their bodies need more ethanol to produce the same effects that a new or non-frequent drinker would feel on taking standard units of alcoholic beverages. An individual who drinks regularly may find that it takes longer for them to achieve desired effects whenever they drink. This usually leads to drinking more than last time to achieve the same effect. The capacity to drink more and more is a serial development of high alcohol tolerance, which some people may perceive to be a good thing, but it is not.
Epigenetic changes – modifications to gene expression without altering the DNA sequence – can also influence alcohol tolerance. These changes can be triggered by environmental factors such as stress, diet, or even previous alcohol exposure. Other genes involved in the brain’s reward system, stress response, and impulse control also contribute to AUD risk. For example, variations in genes regulating gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and dopamine systems can affect how pleasurable or rewarding alcohol feels, potentially influencing drinking behavior. Identical twins, who share 100% of their genes, show more similar alcohol tolerance levels compared to fraternal twins, who share only about 50% of their genes. This similarity in identical twins points to a strong genetic influence on alcohol tolerance.