Do Different Alcoholic Drinks Affect You Differently?

Many people think that different drinks affect intoxication levels and emotions differently. They’re certain that beer makes them feel differently from wine, and that wine shouldn’t affect them the same way bourbon does. The starting point for this question is that generally there is no difference in the amount of ethanol in standard drinks, which means a person’s reaction times and other responses should, typically, be the same from one standard drink to the next. What is different is usually just the drinker’s perceptions and emotional responses to the drinks.

How does alcohol affect the body?

Ethanol is what affects a drinker’s physical and cognitive reactions. In short, ethanol is what causes intoxication. It’s the amount of ethanol in each drink that causes intoxication, not the specific type of alcoholic beverage. Ethanol is also called ethyl alcohol.

According to PIH, a regional healthcare network, “ethanol is a by-product of fermenting natural sugars. Ethanol suppresses the central nervous system, which means it slows the brain’s functioning, affecting decision-making skills, slurring speech, and impairing coordination.”

How different drinks affect someone varies depending on the following factors:

• The drink’s ethanol content based on the drink’s alcoholic percentage and drink size
• The food and liquids that drinkers consume
• The drinker’s weight, medical conditions, and general health
• The sex of the drinker

Your liver’s enzymes metabolize alcohol. Since the liver can only metabolize small amounts of alcohol at a time, the excess alcohol circulates through a drinker’s body. Different drinks, such as tequila and beer, have different alcohol by volume (ABV) levels. “The higher the ABV, the more alcohol content per fluid ounce.” Light beers only have around a 3-5% ABV. The ABV levels for wine are about 12-15% and the ABV for whiskey is nearly 40%.

Alcohol content by the type of drink

A standard drink has 14 grams of ethanol. The amount you need to drink to reach the 14-gram level varies depending on the drink’s ABV level.

According to BAC Track, “The National Institutes of Health implemented the ‘standard drink’ in order to help people understand that while drinks are different sizes, they contain the same amount of ‘pure’ alcohol.” Standard alcoholic drinks include:

• 5 ounces of spirits (tequila, vodka, whiskey, rum, gin, etc.) with a 40% ABV
• 12 fluid ounces of beer – for beers that have a 5% ABV
• 5 ounces of wine – for wine that has a 12% ABV
• 3-4 fluid ounces of fortified wine (sherry, for example) that is 17% ABV

According to PIH, many of the drinks patrons consume at restaurants and bars, and many packaged drinks (in cans and bottles) that buyers consume, contain more ethanol than 14 grams – the amount for a “standard drink.”

According to Sober, an addiction resource, another way of looking at alcoholic content by drink is as follows:

Beer that is 5% ABV has the following alcoholic content:

• 16 fluid ounces equals 1¹/₃standard drinks
• 22 fluid ounces equals 2 standard drinks
• A 40-ounce can is equal to 3.5 standard drinks

Distilled spirits that are 40% ABV have the following alcoholic content:

• ½ pint equals 4.5 standard drinks
• A half bottle or a pint equals 8.5 standard drinks
• A fifth equals 17 standard drinks

Most scientific studies focus on the effects of alcohol on the brain and the body. According to BACTrack, there aren’t many studies on how different types of drinks affect the body differently.

Behavioral differences and other factors

The different effects on people are often based on how the drinks are consumed and the speed with which they are consumed. Downing some shots of tequila quickly may affect the perception of intoxication differently than casually drinking a few beers during the course of a sporting event.

In part, it’s the different drinking behaviors for different drinks (for example, beer versus whiskey) that cause different amounts of consumption of ethanol. The reactions to what people drink often vary based on what’s in someone’s head and not their biological responses.

Different drinking behaviors due to different drinks include the following:

• The atmosphere. An event such as a football game may call for beer, a fine dinner may call for wine, and parties may call for mixed drinks and shots of liquor. Patrons at a tavern may drink shots of tequila more quickly than customers having wine with dinner at a nice restaurant. Drinking beer while watching a football game can differ if you’re watching alone or with friends.
• Generally, drinking more of the same drink in a shorter period will cause a more severe reaction.
• What else is the drinker consuming? Food and non-alcoholic drinks affect the absorption rate of the alcohol a person is drinking. The types of medications or narcotics a person is taking also affect the absorption rate and how the drinker reacts. Researchers from Northern Kentucky University found that mixing alcohol with diet beverages actually increases blood alcohol concentrationwith a Breathalyzer compared to mixing alcohol with sugar-based beverages. Researchers explain that the effects of alcohol are mitigated if consumed with nutrients like sugar. Sugar slows the entry of alcohol into the small intestine, where it is absorbed by the body.
• As a person ages, their metabolism decreases, which can cause more intoxication than drinking the same drinks would cause for younger people.
• Tolerance levels. Different drinks may cause drinkers to react differently due to allergies or intolerances other than their intoxication level.
• According to Sober, “Women tend to have higher blood alcohol concentrations due to their liver enzymes being less active than those in men.”

The answer to the question – Do alcoholic drinks affect you differently – is, thus, no and yes. The answer is no in the sense that is the amount of ethanol that affects intoxication, and not a specific drink. The answer is yes in the sense that different drinks tend to have different atmospheric conditions, times for consumption, other types of consumption, and other behaviors that affect how much a person drinks and their perceptions.

Congeners’ effects on the body

Congeners are believed to have some effect on the body. “Congeners are the chemical impurities that are produced as byproducts of the fermentation and distillation process.” Congeners affect the color of the drink, its smell, and its taste. More expensive brands of alcohol tend to have fewer congeners than cheaper brands because there’s a more thorough distilling process in more expensive alcohol products. BACTrack states that it’s hard to study congeners because there are so many different variations. To the extent that different drinks cause different bodily reactions, which may contribute to a DUI, congeners are believed to be a contributing factor.

Contesting your intoxication level

Generally, the bottom line, as far as the criminal justice system is concerned, is the result of your Breathalyzer test or blood test, not the specific drink you consumed. In Tennessee, you can be charged with a DUI if your BAC is 0.08 or higher or if your intoxication and/or controlled substance use impairs your ability to drive safely.

At the Law Offices of Adrian H. Altshuler & Associates, we fight to have DUI charges dismissed because the police didn’t have grounds to stop you, the Breathalyzer tests and field tests were invalid, and for other legal and factual reasons.

We also work to negotiate plea agreements where possible and acquittals if your case goes before a jury. For help with any first-time or subsequent DUI charge, call our DUI criminal defense lawyers or complete our contact form to schedule an appointment. We defend clients accused of crimes in and around Franklin, Columbia, and Brentwood, Tennessee.