Hi, I am a 125 pound 5'2'' 22 year old. My problem is I never get drunk! Why?

Question

I have drunk 2 bottles of wine or 11-12 shots of vodka but I never get drunk (slighlty whoosy). My question is, Is drinking so much still bad for my liver even though I never really get drunk or get a hangover?

Answer 1

I have the exact same problem. Actually I'm 5'7 and 120 lbs, and no matter how much I drank, even during a drinking contest one time, it seemed impossible to get anything more than just the slightest bit tipsy.

We watched a deleted scene from Lord of the Rings, where Gimli and Legolas get into a drinking match. Gimli is about to keel over when Legolas says, "I can feel a slight tingling in my finger. The drink is starting to affect me." Gimli says, "You see, the elf can't hold his liquor!" And he passes unconscious, and falls over in his chair. Legolas says, "Game over." We love that part because we joke that I'm like Legolas.

It's funny as hell, and might win you a drinking contest, but it makes for being a very expensive drunk. I'm sorry to say, but there have been no studies about these differences, so I couldn't tell you how it is processed by the liver differently, if at all. Read anything about alcohol - they follow a cut and dry formula - weight versus amount/concentration of alcohol - determines your experience, but I haven't found that to be true. You know how the study of health goes - they're always discovering new things. I think that "tolerance" is something that hasn't been explored sufficiently.

Since I can't quote science to you, I'll give you my impressions. I get the impression that I just process it much more slowly, so that it gets dispersed out over a long period of time, resulting in much less ability to be drunk. I remember reading somewhere a long time ago that drinking soda (carbonated) would result in faster absorption. Rum and coke is a popular combination, and I tried it, it seemed to work better, too. I don't really care much for the taste of hard liquors, so I like this combination because it adds a bit of sweetness to it, too. I'm sure you could add something else alcoholic to a different carbonated beverage, if you want to get creative. I can't guarantee that it would work better for you, but you never know if your case is the same until you try!

P.S. Just thinking on it, and realized even if it's processed more slowly, the liver would still be affected. Probably better to use the soda with it, because it means you can get away with drinking less, and therefore not damaging your liver as much... that is, of course, if it works for you... but then, think of it this way, the more drunk you feel, the more damage you do to your brain cells... so you trade one in for the other, I guess.

Addendum: Ooh! I found a website with the information I was looking for. Here's a quote from it, about what affects how much you get drunk:

- The concentration of alcohol in the beverage - The greater the concentration, the faster the absorption.
- The type of drink - Carbonated beverages tend to speed up the absorption of alcohol.
- Whether the stomach is full or empty - Food slows down alcohol absorption.

Answer 2

I get exactly the same effect from alcohol, but i can tell you 100%, it does still damage your liver,etc. Some of the other answerer's obviously cannot understand the condition because it doesn't happen to them & it seems beyond belief. I am almost 40 now & can say it is nothing to do with building up tolerence, it's always been that way for me. I even stopped drinking alcohol completely for 3 years & the first time i went back to the bar with my friends, i drank 8 pints of lager with the same effect as if i'd never stopped. I think THE ANSWER is this: alcohol is a poison, the more you drink, the more poisoned your body becomes & you feel drunk, some peoples bodies are much more tolerant to poison & therefore you don't get 'drunk'. My advise is, treat it as a bonus & don't abuse it, when you get to 40 you'll see the difference.

Answer 3

Three possible reasons:

1) You just don't remember (bad for you).

2) You are naturally messed up constantly (also a bad thing).

3) You live outside of your body (actually, very good for you).

I hope it's #3. However, since you have to ask, it's probably not.

Seriously though, a worse problem would be that you never enjoy yourself. That would be worse. So, if you can enjoy yourself, you should be ahead of many of us. Most folks drink to enjoy themselves and their problem is either, they don't enjoy themselves unless they drink or they just gotta have a drink period.

So, enjoy yourself first and drink second. If drinking doesn't make a difference, just think of all the money you'll save. You could even hire yourself out as a designated driver and Make some money. Then you can enjoy yourself more because, 1) you are naturally happy and 2) you are rich!

You should be envied.

Answer 4

You might feel you are lucky, but in the long run it does really harm you. At the age of 22 you really shouldn't be drinking 2 bottles of wine or 12 shots in one sitting, your young so your looks are still in tact, but in a few years you will see that your skin is blotchy, you will have bags under your eyes, you will put on weight, your nose will turn a lovely shade of red and your liver will say good-bye, start cutting down on the booze now and just drink in moderation and have fun with it

Answer 5

Dear 22 year old: Are you sure your not to drunk to know that you are drunk? I don't mean that to sound harsh. I'm a AA member now for 19 years and hope that you are smart enough to let it alone. Especially when like you said you can't get drunk,why then bother. And to answer your other question about liver damage--yes it does damage because your liver has to clean your blood regardless if your brain is effected or not. Sincerely towtruck81

Answer 6

You must have enzymes. There are enzymes in your body that break down alcohol. Some people have a lot, while others have very little. It's kind of a hereditary thing; over the years, tolerance is passed from generation to generation, with each generation adding a tiny bit more tollerance. Being descendent from Irish people and alcoholic Frenchmen, I'm kind of like you (except not as small). But alcohol is alcohol, and if it goes through you, something has to filter it. That's your liver. And you only have one.

Answer 7

You get drunk when your blood is filled with alcohol and those alcohol slows down your thinking and movements when the blood carries alcohol into your brain.

Personally i don't think that your liver would be in danger because you are not drunk. Why? If you are not drunk, it means that your body has good defends against alcohol and whenever you drink, it quickly turns into urine and washes away. Not much alcohol would be carried into your blood that flows through your liver.

So don't worry. Drink! Make sure you get someone to drive you back.

Cheers!

Answer 8

One should never get drunk. You should drink not get drunk by the alcohol. You have a great capacity. But you know that alcohol causes obesity, which you may check to enjoy life more and longer than what you are doing now.

Answer 9

Yes it is. Even though you do not feel "drunk" you still have consumed a considerable amount of alcohol and your body must metabolize it causing the toxins that can damage your organs. You also will have a blood alcohol content above the legal limit even if you don't feel it

Answer 10

I wish I was like you!!! I find the amount I drink has no effect on how drunk I get it. Sometimes I get smashed on 4 beers and othertimes 12 beers have no affect. Food doesn't stop this either. Perhaps your body just doesn't absorb alcohol and just goes straight through.