How much alcohol might a person consume before it begins to affect them?
September 11, 2010 1:26 PM Subscribe
How long (on average) before alcohol absorbed, either becoming measurable (BAP) or felt?
Had a fascinating journey through AskMefi checking to see if this had been asked before (changing "alcohol" to "alcohol absorption" reduced the 800+ hits to a more manageable 30+) but it's possible I may have missed it.
I understand that various factors (individual differences in enzymes, stomach contents, etc.) vary, but all other things being equal, how much alcohol might a person consume before the effects become either measurable or felt? Let's say, so we're not discussing apples and oranges, one shot of hard alcohol (whiskey or what have you) per minute. Presumably you're going to get through several (many?) before feeling a thing, or am I wrong about this? I understand that blood alcohol percentage may be the more reliable indicator here. What I'm really getting at is how much alcohol consumed over how much time before it begins to affect the drinker.
Not to worry; this is not for anyone's homework! TIA.
Had a fascinating journey through AskMefi checking to see if this had been asked before (changing "alcohol" to "alcohol absorption" reduced the 800+ hits to a more manageable 30+) but it's possible I may have missed it.
I understand that various factors (individual differences in enzymes, stomach contents, etc.) vary, but all other things being equal, how much alcohol might a person consume before the effects become either measurable or felt? Let's say, so we're not discussing apples and oranges, one shot of hard alcohol (whiskey or what have you) per minute. Presumably you're going to get through several (many?) before feeling a thing, or am I wrong about this? I understand that blood alcohol percentage may be the more reliable indicator here. What I'm really getting at is how much alcohol consumed over how much time before it begins to affect the drinker.
Not to worry; this is not for anyone's homework! TIA.
Best answer: Use of measurements of ethanol absorption from stomach and intestine to assess human ethanol metabolism is available for free online. Some highlights:
"Because ethanol absorption from the small bowel is almost instantaneous, the sum of gastric emptying and absorption provides a measure of ethanol absorption rate....When administered with food, ~6% of the ethanol in the stomach was absorbed per 15-min interval. This value is slightly less than the gastric clearance of 4.7 ml/min reported by Cooke, who used a gastric aspiration technique to assess ethanol absorption from a 350-ml meal."
"An average of 85% of the ethanol instilled with water was emptied into the duodenum by 23 min, whereas, when instilled with food, a mean of only ~30% was emptied over the this same time period."
So basically, a small amount of the alcohol is absorbed in the stomach, but once it hits the small intestine it is rapidly picked up by the body. And, no surprise, alcohol taken only with water is absorbed faster than alcohol taken with food because the stomach takes longer to empty its contents, the alcohol included, when food is involved.
Practical upshot: Taken only with water, the substantial majority of the alcohol consumed at a certain time will be absorbed within 30 minutes. Taken with food, it will take closer to 60-90 minutes.
posted by jedicus at 1:43 PM on September 11, 2010 [4 favorites]
"Because ethanol absorption from the small bowel is almost instantaneous, the sum of gastric emptying and absorption provides a measure of ethanol absorption rate....When administered with food, ~6% of the ethanol in the stomach was absorbed per 15-min interval. This value is slightly less than the gastric clearance of 4.7 ml/min reported by Cooke, who used a gastric aspiration technique to assess ethanol absorption from a 350-ml meal."
"An average of 85% of the ethanol instilled with water was emptied into the duodenum by 23 min, whereas, when instilled with food, a mean of only ~30% was emptied over the this same time period."
So basically, a small amount of the alcohol is absorbed in the stomach, but once it hits the small intestine it is rapidly picked up by the body. And, no surprise, alcohol taken only with water is absorbed faster than alcohol taken with food because the stomach takes longer to empty its contents, the alcohol included, when food is involved.
Practical upshot: Taken only with water, the substantial majority of the alcohol consumed at a certain time will be absorbed within 30 minutes. Taken with food, it will take closer to 60-90 minutes.
posted by jedicus at 1:43 PM on September 11, 2010 [4 favorites]
To answer your question more directly: because an essentially imperceptible amount of alcohol is absorbed in the stomach, the effects of the drink won't really become felt until the alcohol reaches the small intestine, at which point it will hit more or less all at once.
posted by jedicus at 1:46 PM on September 11, 2010
posted by jedicus at 1:46 PM on September 11, 2010
To contradict jedicus a little, I have to mention the following data point. After drinking a glass of Riesling I almost immediately began singing "Ivory and Ebony living together in perfect harmony" to our yellow labrador retriever and our new brown labrador retriever, even though it would only have made sense with a yellow lab and a black lab. Thats quick alcohol absorption. (Please delete if neccessary. I didn't stop after the first glass.)
To get back on track, as already mentioned your "all things being equal" ist worng. I's never equal, the small amount of alcohol absorbed by the mucous tissoue of mouth and stomach is often enough to make you feel quite drunk even though your blood alcohol level is still quite low. On other days you have to wait until it hits the small intestine. Folks recommend fatty food to delay the hit on the small intestine.
posted by mmkhd at 2:22 PM on September 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
To get back on track, as already mentioned your "all things being equal" ist worng. I's never equal, the small amount of alcohol absorbed by the mucous tissoue of mouth and stomach is often enough to make you feel quite drunk even though your blood alcohol level is still quite low. On other days you have to wait until it hits the small intestine. Folks recommend fatty food to delay the hit on the small intestine.
posted by mmkhd at 2:22 PM on September 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
Another difference is carbonation. Carbonation in the intestines acts as a vasodilator, increasing blood flow, and also increasing the rate of alcohol absorption.
That's why champagne gets you stoned faster than wine.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:19 PM on September 11, 2010
That's why champagne gets you stoned faster than wine.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:19 PM on September 11, 2010
Good find, jedicus.
Adding a little nuance: "Gastric absorption accounted for 30% and 10% of ethanol administered with food and water, respectively" So while your summary ("because an essentially imperceptible amount of alcohol is absorbed in the stomach, the effects of the drink won't really become felt until the alcohol reaches the small intestine") is true for alcohol + water, a nontrivial amount of absorption happens in the stomach is the alcohol remains there for long enough.
What I'm taking from that study is:
1) If you take ethanol with water only (w/o food), it quickly empties into the small intestine, is absorbed rapidly, and results in a high peak BAC.
2) If you take ethanol with food, the ethanol reaches your small intestine at a much slower pace. And the lower rate of absorption from the stomach results in a lower peak BAC because alcohol absorption doesn't outrun alcohol digestion by as wide a margin. But a fair amount of ethanol can be absorbed from the stomach, so while you are avoiding a spike in BAC, you can bet that your BAC is steadily and perceptibly rising as your stomach delivers alcohol to your system.
Conclusion: doing a shot and then driving home "before it hits me" is not a good strategy. :)
posted by Tehhund at 3:25 PM on September 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Adding a little nuance: "Gastric absorption accounted for 30% and 10% of ethanol administered with food and water, respectively" So while your summary ("because an essentially imperceptible amount of alcohol is absorbed in the stomach, the effects of the drink won't really become felt until the alcohol reaches the small intestine") is true for alcohol + water, a nontrivial amount of absorption happens in the stomach is the alcohol remains there for long enough.
What I'm taking from that study is:
1) If you take ethanol with water only (w/o food), it quickly empties into the small intestine, is absorbed rapidly, and results in a high peak BAC.
2) If you take ethanol with food, the ethanol reaches your small intestine at a much slower pace. And the lower rate of absorption from the stomach results in a lower peak BAC because alcohol absorption doesn't outrun alcohol digestion by as wide a margin. But a fair amount of ethanol can be absorbed from the stomach, so while you are avoiding a spike in BAC, you can bet that your BAC is steadily and perceptibly rising as your stomach delivers alcohol to your system.
Conclusion: doing a shot and then driving home "before it hits me" is not a good strategy. :)
posted by Tehhund at 3:25 PM on September 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
It might be fun to get a breathalyzer and experiment.
posted by sockpup at 5:00 PM on September 11, 2010
posted by sockpup at 5:00 PM on September 11, 2010
A breathalyzer can't be used while you're drinking, because it will pick up alcohol still in your mouth from the last time you swallowed. You have to wait something like 30 minutes after your last drink before a breathalyzer will tell you anything useful.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:16 PM on September 11, 2010
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:16 PM on September 11, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks to all and well done.
No, no plans to "get home before it hits me". Cheers.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 6:00 PM on September 12, 2010
No, no plans to "get home before it hits me". Cheers.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 6:00 PM on September 12, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by dfriedman at 1:27 PM on September 11, 2010