h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Whats up with my alcohol tollerence? It seems all over the place... some times I have a couple of pints or so, and I'm suddenly feeling like I'm drunk... other times, I'll drink for eight or nine hours, constantly, steadily, beer, wine, spirits, and it doesn't seem to have half the effect...

2legs,
You should have been told about the dangers of allowing blood into your alcohol stream.
Keep it out. That should solve the problem.
You could also be like me, and only go out for one .
The main problem is I usually have to have 4 or 5 before I reach the one I went out for.

Even if I go out for 'a beer', I always have three or four, over lunch like when I was at uni, before afternoon lectures or waiting at the train station for a connecting train and there is a bar Hmm, probably too thick, my blood that is, need to dilute it...

i get like that sometimes too

i think you have to take into account:

time from last meal
what you ate
what you have been drinking prior
what mood you are in
what you are drinking and how fast are you drinking it?

but saying that, if i find i am feeling drunk after just one or two, i take that as a bonus it means more money for food after

Three ways I have heard of to prepare for a night out:

Eat a large (perferably greasy) meal then have a short nap.

Drink an enormous amount of water.

Lots of small meals all day with coffee.

Can't say they work, though. I once had a few beer with lunch and then exercised in the afternoon (not easy!). That evening I seemed to have a bigger tolerance for alcohol but I can't be certain.

I often don't eat much before I go out, as its normlaly too early for me to eat, (I don't normally eat till about 9 or somewhere near there) depends on how fast its drunk... I always drink it fast...

Well, eating while you drink is always a good idea. It has worked for the French and it works for me...

Britain's greatest invention may very well be the pub lunch since it may have prevented countless accidents on the way home for tea.

Most of the pubs here don't have much in the way of stuf to eat... asides having a meal in the pub (which I often do), but sometimes I don't want like a whole meal (it'l spoil my appitite for kebab/pizza later) spose I could nibble more peanuts if I've not eatn all day when I go out

Lots and lots to eat at pubs here, unfortunately most of it is deep fried.
The most disgusting is something called jalapeno poppers which are small spicey peppers stuffed with cheese, breaded and deep fried.

Now *that* would prevent any alcolhol absorption!

Oh!!! Those stuffed chilli pepper things are loverly!!!! I ate gallons of them once, when they had a themed night at a pub I go to with a friend when I'm back at my Dads... No one else seemed to like them much, so I ate most of them I mean, most of the pubs here do food, but most stop around 9 PM, and as I say, I don't always want a full meal (though often I do have a meal in teh pub, esp sunday night), but half the time I'd just like a plate of chips and gravey, or a burger or two, or something sandwich like If I ever own my own pub, I'll have filled rolls availible all night, and a thing with hot pies in

*isn't a big drinker*

That seems to be an awful lot of alcohol for one day 2legs. Thought about cutting down? Might help you take stock of why it's all over the place.

Also : may I ask what the point of drinking alcohol is, if you don't get drunk?

The point? Well, I like it Hmm, you wouldn't be the first person to suggest that I drink too much... someone commented on something simular after I drunk 20ish cans of guiness the other night , I've cut down a bit*, as I don't go out quite so often now, though I easily spend a couple of hundred quid on booze when I'm on a weekend visit down to my Dads But he drinks a lot tooo, so some of that money is buying him booze We got through an optic and a half in a pub one night the landlord commented on it when he drove us home

Well, maybe it's the amount you regularly drink that might be messing with your system. It's not good for you, we all know that much (oh sin sin sin, delectable sin!). I reckon if you cut it out for a week, drink a lot of water to give your liver a break and then started it up again slowly, you might be able to work out what's changed.

And if you can't stop drinking, then you've got a more serious problem.

Slightly unrelated: does anyone know if your blood alcohol content depends more on your weight or your tolerance? Is your BAC more equivalent to how many drinks you've had, or how drunk you feel? I have a pathetically low tolerance, which is fine by me except that if I've been keeping up with my friends for an evening, I'm going to be a whole lot drunker and if we get stopped, is my BAC going to be higher for being drunker or about the same for having consumed the same amount of alcohol?

Ignorant question from the colonies: Is BAC the same as alcohol content in the blood stream? Here the limit is .04. What is it there?

Some women have a change in alcohol tolerance during certain times in their cycles. If that is it, you should be able to identify when it will happen like clockwork within your personal cycle.

Is your blood sugar ok?

Apparently the condensation of fat on the liver is the big indicator. I have managed to keep mine within the limits, but only because I am managing to moderate my input and watch my diet. In addition Milk Thistle (Sylbum Marianum) is a good idea as a supplement.
A simple ultrasound and blood test will let you know if you are at risk for liver problems.

I often go a week or more with out alcohol at the moment... blood sugar... think it should be alright... Liver? I gave up on my liver as a going concern after being on medication for a prolongued period, that I should have only been on for a few months at a time (I was on it a year constantly, thanks doctors), drug had side effect of giving crystals in teh liver... they didn't even bother to check my liver after having taken the drug, so they've given up on me too

Drinking is expensive.
Drinking making your breath smell.
Drinking makes you uninhiboted and likely to damage yourself others and property.
(The majority of arrests and visits to casulty over the weekend in the UK are alcohol related.)
Drinking kills brain cells.
Drinking damages several other internal organs.
Drinking a lot adds lots of calories to your diet making you fat which introduces other health risks.







I cant go for a couple at lunch its just stupid given the risks involved whats the point of drinking one glass of wine there are nicer tastin cordials, water by itself lets you taste the food you've just paid for. Whats the point of a swift half if your thirsty booze drains your body of fluids







But getting completely is worth every brain cell, penny and hour wasted in casualty.