Does the human body adapt to alcohol?

[Roger Bacon]

The same way it adapts to bodybuilding?

How the hell do some of these assholes drink a dozen drinks and not get sick?

[calfzilla]

Yes it's called tolerance.

[Roger Bacon]

Yes it's called tolerance.

So tolerance to alcohol isn't just bro science? 

[calfzilla]

So tolerance to alcohol isn't just bro science? 

No. You would still have the same BAC but the effects would be less with higher tolerance.

[polychronopolous]

I've always heard it's like a pyramid effect, or at least with the hardcore alcoholics.

Basically when you are young you get trashed really easily then you begin to build tolerance and reach a peak where you can really put them away but after a point your liver gives out and it's ability to process alcohol begins to diminish and you begin to become intoxicated more quickly.

[38-26-40]

The same way it adapts to bodybuilding?

How the hell do some of these assholes drink a dozen drinks and not get sick?

How many drinks does it take to get you sick?

[Novena]

You can drink heavily for years without seemingly being affected by it health wise. When it does catch up with you, however, it happens very quickly and all at once.

[ESFitness]

human body adapts to everything.

same way your eyes adapt to darkness (nightvision)

same way your body adapts to benzos (valium, Xanax, ect..).. .5mg Xanax will put me to sleep in 30mins if I take one tonight, but if I take them everyday, eventually I'd be able to take a full bar (2mg) a few times a day. not that I've ever done that.. benzo's have no appeal to me.

back when I drank daily.. I'd drink a liter of vodka before 1-2pm, and another liter the rest of the day/night, and nobody knew I drank.. never 'passed out' or had blackouts or crashed my car or anything. body will adapt for a while, but then something's gotta give.. in my case it was pancreatitis, twice. first time was a 10day stay in the hospital getting 2mg dilaludid every few hours.... went many years without drinking anything, now i'll drink a beer (with sushi or burger) or 1 glass of wine (with pasta) maybe once every 6-8 weeks, if that. if I have more than 1.. like 1.5, it feels like too much and I'm regretting that 1/2 half.

body adapts to cold, move from California to Minnesota. after the first month of the first winter, you're used to it.

body adapts to heat... move from Minnesota to death valley. same thing..

body adapts to spicy food.. 3yr old southeast Asian kids eating thai/lao Pappaya Salad with 3 peppers is like nothing, whereas I'm freakin dying with 1 pepper.

[polychronopolous]

human body adapts to everything.

same way your eyes adapt to darkness (nightvision)

same way your body adapts to benzos (valium, Xanax, ect..).. .5mg Xanax will put me to sleep in 30mins if I take one tonight, but if I take them everyday, eventually I'd be able to take a full bar (2mg) a few times a day. not that I've ever done that.. benzo's have no appeal to me.

back when I drank daily.. I'd drink a liter of vodka before 1-2pm, and another liter the rest of the day/night, and nobody knew I drank.. never 'passed out' or had blackouts or crashed my car or anything. body will adapt for a while, but then something's gotta give.. in my case it was pancreatitis, twice. first time was a 10day stay in the hospital getting 2mg dilaludid every few hours.... went many years without drinking anything, now i'll drink a beer (with sushi or burger) or 1 glass of wine (with pasta) maybe once every 6-8 weeks, if that. if I have more than 1.. like 1.5, it feels like too much and I'm regretting that 1/2 half.

body adapts to cold, move from California to Minnesota. after the first month of the first winter, you're used to it.

body adapts to heat... move from Minnesota to death valley. same thing..

body adapts to spicy food.. 3yr old southeast Asian kids eating thai/lao Pappaya Salad with 3 peppers is like nothing, whereas I'm freakin dying with 1 pepper.

[ESFitness]

just roll your eyes like a little girl and post no response? lol typical.

[Roger Bacon]

No. You would still have the same BAC but the effects would be less with higher tolerance.

Interesting, makes sense.

I've always heard it's like a pyramid effect, or at least with the hardcore alcoholics.

Basically when you are young you get trashed really easily then you begin to build tolerance and reach a peak where you can really put them away but after a point your liver gives out and it's ability to process alcohol begins to diminish and you begin to become intoxicated more quickly.

Now that you say it, I think I've actually noticed that in people over the years.

When I saw that you replied I thought for sure it was "When you've been drinking as long as I have you build a tolerance" or "We all gotta work in the morning", or "Don't be a pussy Vaugn"

 

[Roger Bacon]

How many drinks does it take to get you sick?

I had five Jack and Club Sodas, and three New Belgian Fat Tires last week and felt pretty sick at about 3am.  

Although come to think of it, it was post workout with zero food in my stomach. 

human body adapts to everything.

same way your eyes adapt to darkness (nightvision)

same way your body adapts to benzos (valium, Xanax, ect..).. .5mg Xanax will put me to sleep in 30mins if I take one tonight, but if I take them everyday, eventually I'd be able to take a full bar (2mg) a few times a day. not that I've ever done that.. benzo's have no appeal to me.

back when I drank daily.. I'd drink a liter of vodka before 1-2pm, and another liter the rest of the day/night, and nobody knew I drank.. never 'passed out' or had blackouts or crashed my car or anything. body will adapt for a while, but then something's gotta give.. in my case it was pancreatitis, twice. first time was a 10day stay in the hospital getting 2mg dilaludid every few hours.... went many years without drinking anything, now i'll drink a beer (with sushi or burger) or 1 glass of wine (with pasta) maybe once every 6-8 weeks, if that. if I have more than 1.. like 1.5, it feels like too much and I'm regretting that 1/2 half.

body adapts to cold, move from California to Minnesota. after the first month of the first winter, you're used to it.

body adapts to heat... move from Minnesota to death valley. same thing..

body adapts to spicy food.. 3yr old southeast Asian kids eating thai/lao Pappaya Salad with 3 peppers is like nothing, whereas I'm freakin dying with 1 pepper.

Thanks, this is what I was getting at I guess. Interesting response

[ProudVirgin69]

just roll your eyes like a little girl and post no response? lol typical.

You would consume over a handle of vodka everyday, and nobody would notice?

I suppose there are a few people who could handle that volume of alcohol, day in day out... but they would be quite noticeably drunk.

Your story is dubious

[hrspwr1]

I had five Jack and Club Sodas, and three New Belgian Fat Tires last week and felt pretty sick at about 3am.  

 Too much club soda, bad stuff.

[Roger Bacon]

Too much club soda, bad stuff.

 

I had no idea?

[calfzilla]

I had five Jack and Club Sodas, and three New Belgian Fat Tires last week and felt pretty sick at about 3am.  

Although come to think of it, it was post workout with zero food in my stomach.  

Thanks, this is what I was getting at I guess. Interesting response

Empty stomach is huge for me. If I drink only a few drinks on empty stomach I feel sick and sometimes puke. I can drink like a fish on a full stomach but rarely do.

People say not to mix your alcohols. Maybe having jack and beer was a factor.

[Roger Bacon]

Empty stomach is huge for me. If I drink only a few drinks on empty stomach I feel sick and sometimes pike. I can drink like a fish on a full stomach but rarely do.

People say not to mix your alcohols. Maybe having jack and beer was a factor.

Thanks, that's what got me wondering... I bet you're right.

I'll never drink again.... 

[ESFitness]

You would consume over a handle of vodka everyday, and nobody would notice?

I suppose there are a few people who could handle that volume of alcohol, day in day out... but they would be quite noticeably drunk.

Your story is dubious

was only 'noticeably drunk' on the weekend when we'd go to a friends house and cook/bbq, and brew beer (usually stouts, brown ales, porters, ect...)... buddy was a tequila drinker, but he only drank on the weekends or at night after work, I on the other hand (he and his wife not knowing) would drink from the time I woke up at 6am to feed my son till I went to bed at night... so when he's doing shot after shot and getting drunk, I'd be doing 2 shots or doubles just to 'catch up'.

had my BAC taken a few times, I recall twice it being well over .3 after hours of not drinking... first time I was hospitalized, I hadn't drank in about 10hrs and was in alcohol withdrawl, yet my BAC was still .36. (I hadn't drank since I kept puking up whatever I drank, and had the hiccups for about 3 days straight.. this was the first time I had pancreatitis.. pain in abdomen was so great I couldn't even stand up straight and walked from the parking lot to the ER with my head near my knees).

I didn't grow up drinking.. I was an athlete in HS with hopes of playing baseball in college (I wanted FL State), so I didnt' party... ever. and didn't have my first drink till I was 20.. I had zero respect for alcohol. I figured I'd already 'beat' an addiction to Nubain by that point, so alcohol was not gonna pose a problem.. I was completely unaware of 'alcohol withdrawl' being an issue.... I was in for a rude surprise.

[calfzilla]

Thanks, that's what got me wondering... I bet you're right.

I'll never drink again.... 

Whenever I'm sick from drinking I say the same thing. 

Takes me about a week to forget.

[dyslexic]

Body adapts to cigarettes also...


and dope.


WTF kind of dumb question was that anyway? Are you 10?

[da_vinci]

was only 'noticeably drunk' on the weekend when we'd go to a friends house and cook/bbq, and brew beer (usually stouts, brown ales, porters, ect...)... buddy was a tequila drinker, but he only drank on the weekends or at night after work, I on the other hand (he and his wife not knowing) would drink from the time I woke up at 6am to feed my son till I went to bed at night... so when he's doing shot after shot and getting drunk, I'd be doing 2 shots or doubles just to 'catch up'.

had my BAC taken a few times, I recall twice it being well over .3 after hours of not drinking... first time I was hospitalized, I hadn't drank in about 10hrs and was in alcohol withdrawl, yet my BAC was still .36. (I hadn't drank since I kept puking up whatever I drank, and had the hiccups for about 3 days straight.. this was the first time I had pancreatitis.. pain in abdomen was so great I couldn't even stand up straight and walked from the parking lot to the ER with my head near my knees).

I didn't grow up drinking.. I was an athlete in HS with hopes of playing baseball in college (I wanted FL State), so I didnt' party... ever. and didn't have my first drink till I was 20.. I had zero respect for alcohol. I figured I'd already 'beat' an addiction to Nubain by that point, so alcohol was not gonna pose a problem.. I was completely unaware of 'alcohol withdrawl' being an issue.... I was in for a rude surprise.

The need to change "the state" (emotional/psyshological) is usualy a real problem, not the alcohol or Nubain..

[Bertha Butt]

How the hell do some of these assholes drink a dozen drinks and not get sick?

Amazing, isn't it? My mom hardly ever drunk, but she could withstand far more alcohol than her brothers (both ex navy and used to heavy drinking). Nowadays one glass is all it takes to make her giggly and flushed.

I did not inherit those genes; half a glass and I'm like a skippy ball on speed. That wears off in about 30 minutes and then I just want to lie down. Half a glass more and I puke all over the place. Preferably off a balcony 12 floors high, hitting a few satelite dishes on the way down... 

[da_vinci]

Used to drink when I was a teenager. What a fukkin mess one feels the next morning.. Haven't been drunk for like 9 years, no more than a glass of wine/bottle of beer every 5th month or so, just don't find anything appealing in that state (of being drunk). How people does even find "fun" in that (first - being "retarded", later on - feeling like a complete piece of shit)?

[dr.chimps]

I'll be doing some adapting in another 6 hours. Cheers!   

[oldtimer1]

Besides tolerance that signals you're drinking to much there are other adaptations. One is an increase in estrogen. There is also exhaustion from a lack of quality sleep. Yes, it puts you to sleep but you never go into a proper sleep cycle.  Another is a fatty liver. Going out all the time and pounding them down will lead to decreased liver function that can lead to metabolic problems. Alcohol also stops in it's tracks your body's fat metabolism.  Your body stops using fat and sugars to burn for fuel and uses alcohol to process. Then it's not just a matter of alcohol adding calories you also get the double hit of also messing with your metabolism.  Two drinks slows down fat burning 73% from a UC Berkeley study. Your body needs one hour to metabolize 0.6 once of alcohol that is in one standard drink like a shot or a beer. Alcohol is the third most preventable cause of death before obesity and cigarettes. Alcohol stimulates appetite causing you pound down food.

The morale to the study is that you can drink moderately without having health problems. Some studies suggest that having one drink or two a day is okay. I personally drink to much. If I limit myself to once or twice a week to enjoy adult beverages I'm okay. Any more then I can see the athletic performance problems. I also notice alcohol effects cardio activities a lot more than strength sessions in the gym.