I Can’t Drink Now Like I Used to a Few Years Ago (26M), is that Normal?
During college and a few years after (maybe til 23/24) I drank almost weekly and don’t get drunk that easily. In terms of beers, maybe I get tipsy at about 6 and give up at 10.
But now, I drink 2 and I get tipsy, and maybe tap out at 4/5.
Is that normal?
Welcome to old.
It happens quickly.
Drinking 10 beer in general is not normal. You got yourself pretty damaged by alcohol and now your body is suffering the wear and tear.
I recommend cutting it down to 1 or 2. Your body will thank you.
The body is amazing at adaptation. In a high alcohol environment, prolonged over time, like college, you can adapt that situation and build a tolerance.
Now you’re a little older, you probably don’t drink as much, your physical activity may be different, you’re more in tune with how your body should feel, so you’re noticing it more.
It’s not a bad thing!
yeah, I drink like once a month at most these days. maybe that’s it.
It least getting drunk is cheaper now!
Are you in the same shape you were in college? General fitness doesn’t necessarily affect your tolerance, but it definitely affects how quickly you bounce back from a rough night.
That’s more it than most of what is said in that thread, yes getting older plays a role, but when I see people crying about staying up after 1 at 30, those are people that do not get out of their comfort zone.
Source : I work shifts, with many people the same, we’ve learned to go around schedules and usual hours of sleep because we have to get used to it. For alcohol and drugs, see addicts that do it for extended periods of time/for life.
Notice that those addicts also have a severely degraded quality of life. Your comfort zone is not something always meant to bend or break, if your body is not happy you should be considering why the alarms are sounding. Cirrhosis and COPD are not fun lifelong conditions.
I’m a nurse, not a doctor, just gonna chime in here that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a thing:
In general, any kind of sudden changes to your normal functioning are things you should probably be discussing with a physician, even if you’re young and otherwise healthy. The really encouraging news is that, if this is indeed caused by a health problem, you’re young enough that it’s really likely you can completely reverse it and get back to 100%. And if it’s not, then no harm done by seeing a doctor and confirming that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(Also, not to scare you, but no I wouldn’t expect to see that dramatic a decrease in alcohol tolerance over the course of just a couple of years at your age. I think it’s worth talking to a doctor about this.)
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What about the increased hangover? Is that more normal?
When you’re older? Absolutely. Hangovers are a day-long event at least. Sucks. You don’t bounce back and be a little tired for half a day like when you were younger.
If you’re younger and have an abrupt change in how you handle alcohol, and have a bad relationship with alcohol and drinking, yeah…might be a problem.
Older as in after your twenties?
I noticed I couldn’t shake hang overs after 25. They ruined my whole following day so I just cut out that nonsense.
More like 40 or 50.
oh no
Enjoy it. A night out is now cheaper.
Yup. Drinking gets harder as you get older. UNLESS you continue to drink at an unsustainable rate.
I’ve met plenty of people who continue to drink like they are still in their twenties, but you’d be better off with a few bad hangovers than what THOSE people have going on in their lives.
I’m 5 years down the road and… Well let me tell ya, it gets worse
I’m 40 this year. More than 2 beers and I get a hangover before I even go to bed and insomnia the next day.
Aged 18/19 I could slam 12 beers and a few shots and wake up feeling nothing.
Time is a cruel mistress.
You’re getting older. When you reach your 30’s, you’ll feel tired the next day because you had s couple of beers. You’ll feel like crap for a couple of days if you get drunk.
41 here. Getting drunk on a Friday wipes me out for a long weekend. It’s touch and go whether I’ll be capable of work on Tuesday.
You’ll feel shitty just from staying up “too long”. Getting older sucks, and I’m not even close to 40.
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In my 30s here. I spent my 20s getting shit faced drunk almost every day. I can’t drink anymore. The hangovers are just too severe. I would rather be sober and deal with all the boringness that comes with it than get hungover. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.
I remember, long ago, going to breakfast with a group of people that partied HARD the night before and laughing that “we’re paying for last night” as we ate and laughed only to go do it again that night.
Now I drink two whiskeys and need 3 business days, four Xanax’s and a metric ton of Pedialyte to even raise my head from the pillow in bed. I’m in my late 30s. It’s usually better - for me at least - not to drink at all. Mileage definitely varies.
Think of it as a pleasant buff you didn’t ask for. Now you can nurse a drink slowly 😀
Is that normal?
Yes
Listen here kid. Wait till you hit your 30s!
Your body builds tolerance to alcohol, which means you can drink more and not feel the effects as much.
When you stop drinking or drink less and more infrequently, your body’s tolerance lowers, so you’ll feel the effects more than when you were drinking heavily.
It look me til mid, late 30s. Had drank so heavily for so long, was getting sicker and sicker. Realized was heading straight into Leaving Las Vegas territory, had to quit.