My tolerance for alcohol.....I think it's dropped.

[Scarpozzi]

So I started out about 10 years ago drinking regularly... I had some dark beers, but most of the time, the ABV was around 4% max. I'm in TN and am seeing more beers from microbrews and hopped IPAs with 5-6%.

I got married 3 years ago and since then have slacked on the drinking. I still have a love for beer, wine, and bourbon, but have less desire to binge. My fear is that my tolerance is going out the window as a result of this 'lack of practice'.

I started brewing beer 2 weeks ago and am ready to bottle my first batch tonight or tomorrow night. Has anyone else noticed a decrease in their tolerance since approaching your 30's?

I can drink 1-2 beers and it actually makes me feel a little light-headed...if I drink though this feeling, I can hang with everyone at the table, but don't like the initial feeling....nor do I like the following morning if it's a 6% beer and I've had more than 4 pints.

 

[Nik]

It's less about approaching 30 and more about how much you drink on a regular basis. Drink more, you'll build tolerance back up.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Mine dropped as I approached 18. I drank so much when I was 15, literally chugging vodka bottles straight. Now I cringe at a swig.

 

[vi edit]

Enjoy it. Now you can get your buzz on cheaper...and without the bloated miserable feeling that 12 cans of Miller left you feeling like when you were 20.

I'm 31 and rarely drink more than 2 or 3 beers at a sitting now. When I was 25 I'd do a six pack like it was a warm up.

 

[dguy6789]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
So I started out about 10 years ago drinking regularly... I had some dark beers, but most of the time, the ABV was around 4% max. I'm in TN and am seeing more beers from microbrews and hopped IPAs with 5-6%.

I got married 3 years ago and since then have slacked on the drinking. I still have a love for beer, wine, and bourbon, but have less desire to binge. My fear is that my tolerance is going out the window as a result of this 'lack of practice'.

I started brewing beer 2 weeks ago and am ready to bottle my first batch tonight or tomorrow night. Has anyone else noticed a decrease in their tolerance since approaching your 30's?

I can drink 1-2 beers and it actually makes me feel a little light-headed...if I drink though this feeling, I can hang with everyone at the table, but don't like the initial feeling....nor do I like the following morning if it's a 6% beer and I've had more than 4 pints.

This will do it. Tolerance is affected by how much you drink. How much it is affected varies from person to person though.

 

[krunchykrome]

It's called aging.

When I was in college, I could drink all I wanted and maintain my self-respect

Now, at 26, If I have 2 beers, I'm done and my wife has to drive home

 

[vi edit]

I definitely think there's a mechanic of aging that impairs/affects how well your body can metabolize the alcohol.

 

[JS80]

wow, same here. got married 1.5 years ago and my alcohol consumption is down significantly. was in vegas this weekend and got toasted after two cocktails.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Originally posted by: dguy6789
This will do it. Tolerance is affected by how much you drink. How much it is affected varies from person to person though.

I figured. I guess I'm just paranoid because my bro-in-law can barely have one or two and he goes alcoholic. I don't want to have a dependency and know that it runs in my family. When I get buzzed on a single can of beer (or have the alcohol affect me that way), it makes me want to avoid it altogether. I need to just get back into it and start drinking again... :beer:

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi

Originally posted by: dguy6789
This will do it. Tolerance is affected by how much you drink. How much it is affected varies from person to person though.

I figured. I guess I'm just paranoid because my bro-in-law can barely have one or two and he goes alcoholic. I don't want to have a dependency and know that it runs in my family. When I get buzzed on a single can of beer (or have the alcohol affect me that way), it makes me want to avoid it altogether. I need to just get back into it and start drinking again... :beer:

That made my head hurt.

Dependency runs in the family and *WANT* to drink more.

Dude....

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: AznAnarchy99
Mine dropped as I approached 18. I drank so much when I was 15, literally chugging vodka bottles straight. Now I cringe at a swig.

Asian.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Originally posted by: krunchykrome
It's called aging.

When I was in college, I could drink all I wanted and maintain my self-respect

Now, at 26, If I have 2 beers, I'm done and my wife has to drive home

I turn 29 in another month. I'm about the same way....my wife is much more conservative than I am and usually grabs the keys from me if I have more than 2. I remember just 5 years ago I was drinking 2, 20oz mugs of Guiness to get a free glass at a bar (promotion). I left with 4 glasses that night (the whole set)...then went to work the next day at 7am without incident. If I tried that now, I wouldn't wake up until noon or later.

 

[Old Hippie]

Enjoy it. Now you can get your buzz on cheaper...

QFT!

I'm 57 and tolerance is 98% consumption with maybe 2% for aging.

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi

Originally posted by: krunchykrome
It's called aging.

When I was in college, I could drink all I wanted and maintain my self-respect

Now, at 26, If I have 2 beers, I'm done and my wife has to drive home

I turn 29 in another month. I'm about the same way....my wife is much more conservative than I am and usually grabs the keys from me if I have more than 2. I remember just 5 years ago I was drinking 2, 20oz mugs of Guiness to get a free glass at a bar (promotion). I left with 4 glasses that night (the whole set)...then went to work the next day at 7am without incident. If I tried that now, I wouldn't wake up until noon or later.

It's not just my tolerance that has gotten worse; it's the aftermath as well.

If I have a few drinks and get a nice buzz going, I feel like crap in the morning.

And another thing that's changed is that now I have the tendency to get sensitive when I drink. That never happened before. :laugh:

 

[Joemonkey]

I find the opposite, as I get older my tolerance rises and I don't get bad hangovers any more either

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Joemonkey
I find the opposite, as I get older my tolerance rises and I don't get bad hangovers any more either

Is your name Benjamin Button?

 

[Patt]

HAHAHA ... just wait until you have kids ... opportunities to drink lessen, and tolerance shrivels and dies. I love it though ... now a few pints do me nicely, and because I don't have horrendous amounts of alcohol to metabolize, the hangovers aren't nearly so devestating.

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: Joemonkey
I find the opposite, as I get older my tolerance rises and I don't get bad hangovers any more either

Is your name Benjamin Button?

i just saw that a few days ago

pretty weird movie

 

[Old Hippie]

It's not just my tolerance that has gotten worse; it's the aftermath as well.

In the hangover dept it seems to be 100% age. :laugh:

 

[Joemonkey]

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: Joemonkey
I find the opposite, as I get older my tolerance rises and I don't get bad hangovers any more either

Is your name Benjamin Button?

no, but then again i drink almost daily, so i suppose my tolerance would stay pretty high

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: krunchykrome

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi

Originally posted by: krunchykrome
It's called aging.

When I was in college, I could drink all I wanted and maintain my self-respect

Now, at 26, If I have 2 beers, I'm done and my wife has to drive home

I turn 29 in another month. I'm about the same way....my wife is much more conservative than I am and usually grabs the keys from me if I have more than 2. I remember just 5 years ago I was drinking 2, 20oz mugs of Guiness to get a free glass at a bar (promotion). I left with 4 glasses that night (the whole set)...then went to work the next day at 7am without incident. If I tried that now, I wouldn't wake up until noon or later.

It's not just my tolerance that has gotten worse; it's the aftermath as well.

If I have a few drinks and get a nice buzz going, I feel like crap in the morning.

And another thing that's changed is that now I have the tendency to get sensitive when I drink. That never happened before. :laugh:

Wow. I can totally relate to this. I'm 26 too and if I have 3 beers, I'm really buzzed.

Just on Friday night, I had 3 pints with friends. I came home and had a few glasses of water and a snack before bed, and yet I still woke up with a headache. Nothing major, and it was gone after more water and a couple cups of coffee, but it surprised me.

Since taking up marathoning, I had a 3 month stint where I completely abstained, and since then I've been having maybe 1-2 beers on a weekend night.

My tolerance has definitely gone to shit, but that's simply because I don't drink very much anymore. Even though I'm a skinny guy, I still used to put back 7 or 8 on a good night back in university without much consequence the next morning.

 

[TechBoyJK]

I went to Smoky Mountain Brewery in Pigeon Forge, TN

I was down there in Gatlinburg with some friends on vacation.

I had a "large" glass of one of their home brews. I think it was 6-7%. The waitress said it was one of their more potent beers.

Just one glass, and I had to ask one of the girls I was with to drive me back to the lodge. I didn't feel drunk, but the effect was enough to question my susceptability to get a DUI. And I felt hella buzzed, as if I drank a six pack of budweiser.

 

[IGBT]

go get a liver function test and see what damage has been done.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi

Originally posted by: dguy6789
This will do it. Tolerance is affected by how much you drink. How much it is affected varies from person to person though.

I figured. I guess I'm just paranoid because my bro-in-law can barely have one or two and he goes alcoholic. I don't want to have a dependency and know that it runs in my family. When I get buzzed on a single can of beer (or have the alcohol affect me that way), it makes me want to avoid it altogether. I need to just get back into it and start drinking again... :beer:

What do you mean he "goes alcoholic" exactly?

 

[OverVolt]

Many prescription meds can interact with alcohol, increasing its effect.

So, it could be that.