Like many people, I have often wondered how many beers it takes to get drunk. After all, drinking alcohol is one of the most popular pastimes on the planet, and with so much variety in beer brands and styles, it can be hard to know just how much you should drink before you start feeling the effects.
After some research, I found that the average male can get drunk after consuming 3 to 5 beers in an hour. An average female can typically get drunk after 2 to 3 beers.
This is always dependent on a number of factors, including your weight and gender, as well as how fast you drink and what kind of beer you are drinking.
Factors That Influence How Drunk You Get
The amount of beer that it takes to get drunk is different for everyone. Factors such as body weight, gender, metabolism, and even what type of beer you are drinking can all influence how quickly your body processes alcohol.
Generally speaking though, men can tolerate more alcohol than women due to their higher body mass index (BMI). For most people, it will take between 2-3 beers to feel light intoxication effects such as slurred speech and impaired judgment.
Body Weight
Research published by the hangover researcher Joris Verster of Utrecht University in the Netherlands [1], found that small people can get drunk after consuming the same amount of alcohol as larger people.
This is because smaller people have a smaller volume of blood in their area-to-body weight ratio, which means that their bodies quickly absorb and process alcohol. In fact, according to this research, it only takes about 2 drinks for a male who weighs 110 pounds to feel the effects of alcohol, while a man who weighs 200 pounds would need about 5 drinks in order to feel drunk.
Smaller people also have less water in their bodies – 52%, compared to 61% in larger people. This means that they need to drink less alcohol in order to feel the effects, but it also makes them more susceptible to dehydration and other side effects of drinking.
Gender and Hormones
Gender also plays a big role in how quickly you get drunk. In general, women have fewer enzymes that break down alcohol in their stomachs than men do.
This means that women will start to feel the effects of alcohol more quickly than men, and also that men need to drink more in order to get drunk.
Research shows that [2], “Compared with men, women have less alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), an enzyme in the liver and stomach that breaks down alcohol. Because the alcohol in a woman’s body isn’t broken down as efficiently as in a man’s body, more alcohol enters a woman’s bloodstream, and her BAC increases.”
Another factor that plays a role here is hormones. Human growth hormone, for example, actually helps break down alcohol in the body and so people who have higher levels of this hormone actually metabolize alcohol more quickly.
Metabolism
Another factor that can affect how quickly you get drunk is your metabolism. This is because alcohol gets broken down in the liver, and people with a faster metabolism will process it more quickly.
In addition to our natural metabolic rate, we can also speed up or slow down our metabolisms through exercise, nutrition, and other lifestyle factors. For example, consuming caffeine or sugary foods can actually slow down your metabolism, while eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly can speed it up.
The Type of Beer You Drink
The type of beer you drink also plays a role in how quickly you get drunk. Ironically, lighter beers like lagers tend to have higher alcohol content than heavier ones like stouts. So you might start to feel the effects of alcohol more quickly when drinking a lighter beer.
Although the alcohol content of beer can vary greatly depending on the type and brand, most beers will range from 5 to 7 percent ABV (alcohol by volume). So if you are a light beer drinker, it might not take very long for you to feel drunk.
The Situational Environment
How fast you drink and how much you drink are also important factors in determining how drunk you get. In general, people who drink faster than average will feel the effects of alcohol quicker than those who sip their drinks slowly.
Similarly, if you are drinking a lot of beer in a short period of time, you will feel drunk more quickly than if you are drinking in moderation. For example, it would be difficult to drink 10 beers in an hour and still be able to walk straight!
Alcohol Tolerance Levels
It’s important to remember that everyone has a different tolerance level when it comes to alcohol. Some may be able to have 3 or 4 beers without feeling any effects while others might only need one or two drinks before they start feeling tipsy.
It is also important to note that if a person is already under the influence of other substances such as medication or illegal drugs then they might become intoxicated more quickly than usual.
The frequency of consuming alcohol can also have an effect on how quickly you get drunk. For example, if you are a frequent drinker who consumes alcohol on a regular basis, then your body might have developed some tolerance to the effects of alcohol and it will take more drinks for you to feel its effects.
If you’re planning on going on a beer-drinking binge, then be sensible and do not overdo it. Excessive drinking can lead to serious health risks such as hangovers, alcohol poisoning, or even alcohol-related accidents, injuries, and death. So it’s important to take steps to stay safe when drinking and know your limits.
It is also important to keep track of how much you have had since your judgment may be impaired after a few drinks which could lead you into making dangerous decisions that could put yourself or others at risk.
Final Thoughts
In summary, there is no definitive answer as to how many beers it takes for someone to become intoxicated since everyone has a different tolerance level when it comes to alcohol consumption.
However, there are some general guidelines; generally speaking, most people will feel light intoxication effects after consuming 2-3 beers depending on factors such as body weight and gender.
If you are planning on drinking more than a few beers, it is important to stay safe and drink responsibly by limiting your alcohol intake, pacing yourself, and paying attention to your body’s physical and mental cues.
Remember that moderation is key. Drinking too much can lead to serious health risks and other negative consequences, so it’s important to stay safe when out drinking.
Further Reading
