How did alcohol affect you before you built up tolerance?

[fuzzybabybunny]

Everyone says that you need to drink more to build up alcohol intolerance, but what exactly does "intolerance" feel like? Does being "tolerant" mean that you feel the good effects of alcohol less quickly, such as relaxation?

I've had a lifelong intolerance to alcohol but I have a feeling that there's no amount of drinking that will build up my tolerance. I get almost *immediate* head throbbing, racing heartbeat, headache, nausea, and tiredness after just half a cup of beer.

For me, there is no period of happiness or relaxation or what I would imagine people describe as "drunkenness."

So when you guys built up tolerance, was your immediate reaction to alcohol also headache, tiredness, throbbing, nausea, and racing heartbeat? And eventually, with more drinking, it went away and was replaced with I guess euphoria?

 

[Chaotic42]

I never experienced any of what you're describing. It's a pretty smooth continuum from sober to passing out. The only thing like nausea I get is that feeling from just drinking too much fluid and I've never had a hangover either. Fortunately I don't like to drink nor do I like that feeling, so I've only gotten drunk a couple of times out of curiosity and once because I underestimated the ABV of what I was drinking.

It sounds like you're just legitimately intolerant of alcohol, which isn't a bad thing.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I never experienced any of what you're describing. It's a pretty smooth continuum from sober to passing out. The only thing like nausea I get is that feeling from just drinking too much fluid and I've never had a hangover either. Fortunately I don't like to drink nor do I like that feeling, so I've only gotten drunk a couple of times out of curiosity and once because I underestimated the ABV of what I was drinking.

It sounds like you're just legitimately intolerant of alcohol, which isn't a bad thing.

Hmmmm... So what did you feel when you initially started drinking alcohol when you were young?

I went on a food tour yesterday that included some small samples of vodka and beer. I never even finished any of my samples and my heart was racing at 140 BPM according to the FitBit and I felt like shit. I actually wasn't even flush or red.

So this isn't something that inexperienced drinkers have to initially "break through" by simply drinking more often and building up tolerance?

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I never experienced any of what you're describing. It's a pretty smooth continuum from sober to passing out. The only thing like nausea I get is that feeling from just drinking too much fluid and I've never had a hangover either. Fortunately I don't like to drink nor do I like that feeling, so I've only gotten drunk a couple of times out of curiosity and once because I underestimated the ABV of what I was drinking.

It sounds like you're just legitimately intolerant of alcohol, which isn't a bad thing.

Hmmmm... So what did you feel when you initially started drinking alcohol when you were young?

I went on a food tour yesterday that included some small samples of vodka and beer. I never even finished any of my samples and my heart was racing at 140 BPM according to the FitBit and I felt like shit. I actually wasn't even flush or red.

So this isn't something that inexperienced drinkers have to initially "break through" by simply drinking more often and building up tolerance?

 

[Chaotic42]

Hmmmm... So what did you feel when you initially started drinking alcohol when you were young?

I went on a food tour yesterday that included some small samples of vodka and beer. I never even finished any of my samples and my heart was racing at 140 BPM according to the FitBit and I felt like shit. I actually wasn't even flush or red.

So this isn't something that inexperienced drinkers have to initially "break through" by simply drinking more often and building up tolerance?

I didn't taste alcohol until I was 26 or 27 and I didn't drink enough to get a buzz until a couple of years ago when I got drunk. I felt all of the stereotypical things, lightheadedness, coordination difficulties, etc. I never got nausea (well any more than I always had back then), a headache, high blood pressure, or anything like that.

If it doesn't agree with you, why force it? Just tell people it makes you sick. I used to come up with various reasons why I didn't drink just to troll people. It's fun.

 

[Thebobo]

Hmmmm... So what did you feel when you initially started drinking alcohol when you were young?

I went on a food tour yesterday that included some small samples of vodka and beer. I never even finished any of my samples and my heart was racing at 140 BPM according to the FitBit and I felt like shit. I actually wasn't even flush or red.

So this isn't something that inexperienced drinkers have to initially "break through" by simply drinking more often and building up tolerance?

Never heard of a breath through with alcohol. It could be your angst.

Need to sit down in front of a fire with a small glass of brandy your pipe and a good book.

 

[lxskllr]

Asians don't tolerate alcohol as well as Anglos. Some have a harsher reaction than others. You may be on lower end of the tolerance spectrum.

 

[Exterous]

The first time I drank alcohol I felt sick and threw up but that was because I didn't understand how delayed the reaction was. "I'm not drunk yet so I should do another shot" turned into "Oh God please make it stop"

The only real difference for me is that I have time to appreciate more kinds of drinks in one sitting and know necessary steps to take to avoid a hangover (water)

 

[IronWing]

Fuzzy, it sounds like your body is reacting to the histamines in the beer before you even get to the effects of the alcohol. If you want to experience alcohol without histamines, try a high proof vodka or gin (diluted with something of course). Stay away from beers and wines as they are loaded with histamines. It ain't worth it anyway.

 

[rh71]

Asian flush.

In college I drank a few and went to bed because I was all red and felt hot with a racing heartbeat. Middle of the night there was a fire alarm so we had to get out... I made it out but my friends tell me I collapsed next to the dumpster and had to be helped back in. Don't remember that part. I think that was the last time I ever drank more than 1.

Anyway I never liked alcohol other than wine coolers or Honey Brown - which means there may as well not be any alcohol in it anyway. Alcohol is also the cause of too much heartache in the world. Bring back prohibition.

 

[snoopy7548]

I've always had somewhat of a low tolerance for alcohol. I'm about 12 years past my college drinking days and if I have two beers on a Friday night I get sleepy and lethargic, and if I doze off I wake up with a headache. If I'm moving around a lot, I can handle more alcohol without the lazy effects.

 

[RLGL]

Intolerance fro me = shortness of breath. If I drink everyday I get winded just walking a short distance at a fast pace.
I now limit myself to some wine on weekends.

 

[Riverhound777]

When you start to build up a tolerance, alcohol doesn't effect you at all until you have more. For instance, if I haven't drank much for a few months, I might start to feel the effects after 1 beer. But if i've been drinking regularly for a while, I might not even feel anything until after 3 beers. There are also a lot of other variables that affect this, such as food, body weight, etc.

As for how it makes me feel, it's like a nice warm blanket is slowly draped over me, and I start to feel relaxed and content. I don't feel any of the heart racing, headache, nausea you speak of. That can come the next day if I drink too much, but never as I drink. Sounds like an allergy to me.

 

[nakedfrog]

It does sound like alcohol is just not for you. Even from the first time I drank as a teenager, I only experienced enjoyable effects from it. Very few hangovers in my lifetime, and even then only after drinking unreasonable amounts.

 

[Carson Dyle]

While people are clearly affected differently by alcohol, I'm not convinced that there's such a thing as building up an alcohol tolerance. More like people become accustomed to its effects and learn what to expect and how to function while more drunk. Then they become dependent on it, and want more of what they desire. Someone drinking two fifths a day is just desiring more and getting more drunk, not tolerant.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I never really gotten ill effects from alcohol but I don't drink a lot either. At worse I might get a little buzz if I drink too much wine. When I get a buzz I then slow down or stop. Never been drunk or had a hang over.

Alcohol affects people differently though, some are more tolerant than others.

 

[WelshBloke]

You are a bunch of bloody lightweights!

 

[OutHouse]

beers and wines as they are loaded with histamines

i got totally smashed at the Munich Oktoberfest and came down with the hives, air force doc had to give me a shot to get the shit under control. went to the fest the next year and was super paranoid about drinking again, said fuckit ill just get another shot if i get that shit again, got smashed again and no hives. so i dunno if it was histamines or not.

 

[OutHouse]

......

 

[OutHouse]

Everyone says that you need to drink more to build up alcohol intolerance, but what exactly does "intolerance" feel like? Does being "tolerant" mean that you feel the good effects of alcohol less quickly, such as relaxation?

I've had a lifelong intolerance to alcohol but I have a feeling that there's no amount of drinking that will build up my tolerance. I get almost *immediate* head throbbing, racing heartbeat, headache, nausea, and tiredness after just half a cup of beer.

For me, there is no period of happiness or relaxation or what I would imagine people describe as "drunkenness."

So when you guys built up tolerance, was your immediate reaction to alcohol also headache, tiredness, throbbing, nausea, and racing heartbeat? And eventually, with more drinking, it went away and was replaced with I guess euphoria?

https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/alcohol#allergy-vs-intolerance4

Alcohol intolerance
Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) is an enzyme that your body uses to digest alcohol. It turns alcohol into acetic acid, a main component of vinegar, in your liver. Some people have a variant in the gene that codes for ALDH2. This variant is more common in people of Asian descent.

If you have this variant, it causes your body to produce less active ALDH2. This prevents your body from digesting alcohol properly. This condition is called an ALDH2 deficiency. It’s a common cause of alcohol intolerance.

If you have an ALDH2 deficiency, your face may get red and warm when you drink alcohol. You may also experience other symptoms, such as:

• headache
• nausea
• vomiting
• rapid heartbeat

According to a 2010 study published in BMC Evolutionary Biology, the gene change responsible for ALDH2 deficiency is linked to the domestication of rice in southern China several centuries ago.

 

[KMFJD]

Everyone says that you need to drink more to build up alcohol intolerance, but what exactly does "intolerance" feel like? Does being "tolerant" mean that you feel the good effects of alcohol less quickly, such as relaxation?

I've had a lifelong intolerance to alcohol but I have a feeling that there's no amount of drinking that will build up my tolerance. I get almost *immediate* head throbbing, racing heartbeat, headache, nausea, and tiredness after just half a cup of beer.

For me, there is no period of happiness or relaxation or what I would imagine people describe as "drunkenness."

So when you guys built up tolerance, was your immediate reaction to alcohol also headache, tiredness, throbbing, nausea, and racing heartbeat? And eventually, with more drinking, it went away and was replaced with I guess euphoria?

Sounds more like Alcohol Flush.... I get/used to get the exact same way but usually only when drinking stuff like Vodka/Whiskey/Rye.... hard to breath, feel hot, skin would flush red, headaches .I rarely ever got it from drinking beer, although it still hit's my dad every once in a while.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_flush_reaction

 

[Ferzerp]

While people are clearly affected differently by alcohol, I'm not convinced that there's such a thing as building up an alcohol tolerance. More like people become accustomed to its effects and learn what to expect and how to function while more drunk. Then they become dependent on it, and want more of what they desire. Someone drinking two fifths a day is just desiring more and getting more drunk, not tolerant.

Metabolic Tolerance

Tolerance that results from a more rapid elimination of alcohol from the body is called metabolic tolerance (2). It is associated with a specific group of liver enzymes that metabolize alcohol and that are activated after chronic drinking (21,22). Enzyme activation increases alcohol degradation and reduces the time during which alcohol is active in the body (2), thereby reducing the duration of alcohol's intoxicating effects.

However, certain of these enzymes also increase the metabolism of some other drugs and medications, causing a variety of harmful effects on the drinker. For example, rapid degradation of sedatives (e.g., barbiturates) (23) can cause tolerance to them and increase the risk for their use and abuse. Increased metabolism of some prescription medications, such as those used to prevent blood clotting and to treat diabetes, reduces their effectiveness in chronic drinkers or even in recovering alcoholics (24). Increased degradation of the common painkiller acetaminophen produces substances that are toxic to the liver (25) and that can contribute to liver damage in chronic drinkers.

Reality rarely cares about our beliefs or what we are convinced of. Yes. People drink a lot to be drunk. But they most certainly also physically eliminate it faster and so must drink more over time to have the same effect (purely from a BAC standpoint even).

 

[Darwin333]

I am so sorry that you are unable to imbibe in the glorious thing that is alcohol, my sincere and absolute heartfelt apologies you poor man.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Reality rarely cares about our beliefs or what we are convinced of. Yes. People drink a lot to be drunk. But they most certainly also physically eliminate it faster and so must drink more over time to have the same effect (purely from a BAC standpoint even).

Differences in tolerance are very real. However, they do not give evidence to the supposed phenomenon of "building up a tolerance".

 

[Ferzerp]

“It is associated with a specific group of liver enzymes that metabolize alcohol and that are activated after chronic drinking ”