Binge drinking is nationally identified as any amount of drinking which raises the blood alcohol content level to or over 0.08 percent. For males, that is estimated to be about five drinks over a two hour period. Females generally have a different metabolism than males, putting their binge drinking alcohol limit at about four drinks over a two hour period. Problematically, most people aren’t aware of what constitutes a drink. Bartenders are trained to know how much of each liquor and added liquid makes up a “drink”. As any drinker knows, not all drinks created by all bartenders are drinks created equally. There are specific measurements for each kind of alcohol which is standard for a “drink”. Beer is listed at 12 ounces while wine is listed at 5 ounces. Any distilled liquor which is 40% alcohol or more is listed at a mere 1.5 ounces. Most people drink more than that. People who regularly binge drink or abuse alcohol, drink more than that. People are generally misinformed about how much they are drinking and whether or not they are drinking too much. Heavy drinking is a popularized culture in our country and countries all over the world. Many who do become alcoholics are shocked to discover that there is a thing as drinking too much too often and that the standard amount of drinking is smaller than any light day of drinking they ever had.
Everybody is different when it comes to their alcohol threshold because everybody is different. Some people can “hold their liquor” better than others, while others are “lightweights”. The body isn’t supposed to withstand high amounts of alcohol in short amounts of time. When somebody overdoses on alcohol, it is because they have drank more alcohol than their body can handle to process- either drinking a lot in a short period of time, or a lot over a long period of time.
Most often, people ask about how much alcohol their body should or should not tolerate because they are worried they, or someone they care about, are drinking too much. There’s an underlying trick hidden within the conversation about the body’s alcohol tolerance and that’s tolerance. Alcohol, when consistently abused, can create a tolerance in the brain or body. Regular binge drinkers or alcohol abusers find it happens suddenly. One day, when they go to drink, and drink the normal amount they would drink, they find that they don’t get drunk. They might not even feel a thing. Continuing to drink, they become concerned that consuming more than the already high amounts of alcohol they were consuming, could mean they have a problem.
Developing a tolerance is a sign that chemical dependency is developing in the brain and the body. If you are concerned that you or a loved one have developed a problem with alcohol, help is available. Call Lakehouse Recovery Center to talk about options for residential detox and inpatient treatment. Our programs safely heal the mind, body, and spirit, while showing clients how amazing life can be without drugs or alcohol. 877.762.3707.