Top Ten Ways to Increase Your Alcohol Tolerance

Top Ten Ways to Increase Your Alcohol Tolerance

If you’re a first-time drinker, chances are you have a low tolerance for alcohol. You may end up really tipsy with your first three bottles of light beer and totally wasted with your fourth bottle. There’s really no difference between tipsiness and drunkenness; after just a few drinks, you may end up doing something really stupid. If you don’t like to be the butt of jokes because you did some silly dance routine and ended up puking on the floor, you need to increase your alcohol tolerance level. Here are 10 ways to make you a seasoned drinking pro in no time:

1. Trust Your Tongue

Many first-time drinkers make the mistake of drinking as much as they can without knowing how drunk they really are. You don’t need to bring a breath analyzer every time you go out drinking; instead, you can test how drunk you are through your taste buds. If you have too much alcohol in your system, you wouldn’t taste the many different flavours in the drink. As soon as you feel that you do not taste the full flavour of the alcoholic beverage, chances are you’re already drunk.

2. Puke If You Have To

There’s no shame in going to the bathroom every so often to vomit. Vomiting is your body’s natural reaction to body toxins like poisoned food, harmful parasites, and alcohol. Vomiting probably means you have had enough, but sometimes you will feel up for another round!

3. Do Not Try Mixed Drinks

Mixed drinks are a no-no for a novice drinker. A rum cola or a piñacolada may sound delicious, but they are mixed for those who are able to handle their drinks. Mixed drinks tend to screw up with your digestive system. The flavours of mixed drinks also mask the high alcohol content found in the liquor present in the drink. If you’re a first-time drinker, you’re better off drinking alcohol straight than to down mixed drinks and cocktails. As soon as you have learned to handle straight drinks, then you can tickle your taste buds with an alcoholic cocktail.

4. Never Drink On An Empty Stomach

There’s a good reason why bars, taverns, clubs and watering holes give away free peanuts. The human body is naturally averse to high levels of alcohol. To reduce the toxic effects of alcoholic drinks, you need something that would absorb the excess alcohol. Food particles in your stomach can help reduce the amount of pure alcohol absorbed by your stomach lining, your kidneys, and other parts of the digestive and urinary systems. While you may seem more “brave” or “hardcore” by not munching on snacks while you drink, you introduce more pure alcohol into your body.

5. Stick With One Drink

You may have heard of wild and wacky bar tricks like beer shooters, gin-and-brandy mixes set on fire, or drinking a cocktail made from four different types of whiskey. While these drinks sound interesting, they can land you in the emergency room if you have a rather low alcohol tolerance. The best way to “train” yourself for consuming alcohol is to pick a favourite drink and stick with it until you think you’re ready to move on to stronger alcoholic drinks.

Top Ten Ways to Increase Your Alcohol Tolerance

6. Pace Yourself

It’s an old drinker’s tale that the faster you drink, the less drunk you will become at the end of the day. There’s really no difference whether you take all night to drink six bottles, or if you take six minutes to finish six bottles. You still consume the same amount of alcohol. You still need to watch out for how fast you introduce alcohol into your system, because your metabolic systems may not be able to keep up.

7. Start With Clear Drinks

“Old man liquor” like brandy, whiskey, and cognac contains substances called tannins. Tannins make it difficult for some people to drink wine or liquor, especially red wines and coloured drinks. Tannins are also responsible for those hangovers where you get a throbbing headache the morning after a drinking session. If it’s your first time drinking strong alcoholic beverages, drink clear spirits like gin or vodka. Clear spirits do not contain tannins and are easier to drink than coloured spirits. If you do choose to move up to coloured drinks, try your palate on a glass of pale red wine.

8. Know When To Stop

After your first few rounds of alcohol, you may feel so enthusiastic about drinking that you end up drinking highballs at the very first night. Like any skill, it takes time to learn how to handle high concentrations of alcohol in your body. Alcohol poisoning is a very real danger, especially for novice drinkers. There are many cases of first-time drinkers who start swilling alcohol like crazy on their very first drink and then end up at the emergency room. Whenever you drink alcohol and you have yet to know your tolerance, know your limits. As soon as you feel that you’re no longer thinking straight, put down the bottle and call it a night.

9. Stay Alert

Metabolism is an important part of drinking. Your body needs to break down as much alcohol as it can to prevent the toxic effects of a bad hangover. Your body metabolizes faster when you’re alert than if you’re asleep. Hangovers get really bad if your metabolism levels slow down, and much of the alcohol remains floating around your system. For your body to properly metabolize alcohol, keep yourself awake. You should also keep a keen eye on anyone who may rob or take advantage of you if you’re drunk.

10. Drink In Moderation

The problem with alcohol is that once you get the hang of holding down a drink, you may probably end up addicted to it. Remember that every alcoholic started out a first-time drinker. The best way for you to improve your tolerance for alcohol is to drink, but you have to drink in moderation. Set a limit or a goal, and then slowly and gradually work your way to that goal. As soon as you reach that limit (eight bottles of beer, for example), you should attempt to go beyond it or cap it off with another drink.

Drinking is a pleasurable social activity, but it should only be enjoyed with prudence and discretion. Now that you know how to increase your alcohol tolerance level, you’re sure to enjoy those all-night drinking parties without having a bad experience on your very first time.

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