What Does It Feel Like To Be Drunk? Effects And Stages

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Medical News TodaySubscribeWhat does it feel like to be drunk? What you need to knowMedically reviewed by J. Keith Fisher, M.D. — Written by Zawn Villines on September 14, 2019

Effects of alcohol
What it feels like
Recognizing alcohol overdose
Summary

The experience of alcohol intoxication is different for each person. Those who have not experienced alcohol intoxication may wonder what it feels like to be “drunk.” It can affect mood, speech, judgment, and more.

According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 70.1% of adults in the United States report drinking alcohol during the past year.

Heavy drinking tends to cause more serious intoxication and may eventually cause serious health issues, such as blackouts or kidney failure.

Because alcohol changes the way the brain processes information, it also makes it difficult for people to make suitable decisions or assess their own behavior. For example, people who are very drunk might underestimate how intoxicated they are. Some might not even know that they are drunk.

In this article, learn about how it feels to be drunk according to blood alcohol content (BAC) level. We also cover some other effects of alcohol.

Effects of alcohol

a bunch of people tapping their beer glasses together who are about to find out What does it feel like to be drunk — Drinking alcohol can cause memory changes, loss of inhibition, and slowed reflexes.

Alcohol changes the way that several neurotransmitters in the brain work.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that carry neuron signals.

Drinking affects neurotransmitters in complex ways. Some effects of drinking alcohol may include:

memory changes
loss of inhibition
changes in emotion, such as increased aggression, sadness, or euphoria
slowed reflexes

Alcohol can be fatal in high amounts. Like other poisons, the body works to rapidly remove it from the blood, which makes a lot of work for the liver and kidneys.

Over time, excessive alcohol use can cause liver health problems such as cirrhosis. It may also harm the kidneys, heart, and brain. Chronic drinking can even cause dementia by causing a dangerous vitamin B-1 (thiamine) deficiency.

A 2016 study found that very intoxicated people underestimate how drunk they are, how extreme their drinking is, and how likely their drinking is to affect their health.

Its authors explain that people may judge the severity of their intoxication based on how drunk people around them are, which distorts their perceptions in environments where most people are drunk.

What it feels like

BAC is a measure of how much alcohol is in a person’s blood. This number represents a blood alcohol percentage.

For example, a BAC of 0.05 means that the person’s blood is 0.05% alcohol.

For most people, the effects of alcohol at various levels of drunkenness are as follows:

BAC below 0.06: A person may not notice any effects, or they might experience slight changes in mood. Some people feel relaxed or sleepy. Coordination and reflexes begin to decline.
BAC 0.07–0.09: People may feel relaxed. They may feel more talkative or euphoric and less inhibited. In most states, having a BAC of 0.07–0.09 means that a person is legally drunk and cannot safely drive.
BAC 0.09–0.15: At this point, a person may begin slurring their speech. They may still feel happy and euphoric, though some people feel sick. Reaction times are much slower, and a person may stumble. Driving is now unsafe.
BAC 0.16–0.30: At this level of intoxication, a person is severely impaired. They may have very poor judgment, be unable to remember everything that happens, and be unable to fully understand the consequences of their actions. They may vomit or blackout and are at risk of alcohol poisoning.
BAC 0.30–0.39: A person likely has alcohol poisoning. Their situation may be life threatening.
BAC 0.40–0.50: A person may lose consciousness. Their body temperature may drop and their heart rate may change. The heart is in danger of stopping or failing. The risk of a coma is high.
BAC 0.50+: The risk of death is very high, especially if the person does not receive immediate medical attention. Their heart may stop.

The amount of alcohol a person drinks is the biggest predictor of BAC. The more a person drinks, the higher their BAC will be. However, other factors also affect BAC.

For example, women and people with more fatty tissue have more rapid increases in BAC. Having a small body size also means that BAC may rise at a quicker pace.

Some other factors that may cause BAC to increase more quickly include:

how quickly someone drinks
whether or not a person drinks on an empty stomach
the strength of the drink a person consumes
whether or not a person uses other drugs, including some prescription drugs
how fast a person’s body metabolizes alcohol

For most people, a single drink — for example, 1.5 ounces (oz) of hard liquor, 12 oz of beer, or 5 oz of wine — will elevate blood alcohol by 0.06 or 0.07 per drink.

This means that consuming four to five alcohol drinks in a short amount of time may be enough to put a person at risk of alcohol poisoning, or even death. A single drink may put a person over their state’s BAC limit for driving.

Alcohol tolerance can affect the extent to which a person feels intoxicated. People who frequently drink may feel less drunk than those who do not. People with alcohol use disorder may not feel drunk at all, even when their BAC is very high.

Recognizing alcohol overdose

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If a person is stumbling, sleepy, or has a slowed reaction time, it may be a sign that they have overdosed on alcohol.

It is impossible to judge how drunk a person will be or feel based on alcohol consumption alone.

Some people may be at risk of alcohol overdose after just a few drinks, especially if they are young, small, or do not often drink.

Some early signs that a person may be at risk of alcohol overdose include:

drinking several alcoholic drinks in a short period of time, especially on an empty stomach
confusion and bad judgment
stumbling
sleepiness
slowed reaction time
poor coordination
changes in personality or mood
vomiting

Call 911 or seek emergency care for:

slow or irregular breathing
clammy skin
low body temperature or feeling very cold
slow heart rate
loss of consciousness
seizures
alcohol-related injuries, such as hitting the head after a fall
paleness or a blue tint to the skin
being unable to wake up

Do not leave a person who is extremely drunk alone. If uncertain about whether a person’s alcohol consumption is an emergency, err on the side of caution.

Delaying emergency care increases the risk of serious health issues, including death.

Summary

Alcohol abuse and binge drinking are common, and they put many people at risk of alcohol poisoning, alcohol addiction, and chronic alcohol-related health problems.

Reducing drinking, or even eliminating it altogether, can lower a person’s risk of these conditions and complications.

Although being drunk can feel fun to begin with, it is a sign that alcohol has temporarily changed how the brain functions. Continuing to drink when already feeling drunk can increase a person’s risk of complications.

Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Blood / Hematology
Liver Disease / Hepatitis

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesMedical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Alcohol facts and statistics. (2018).https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
Banerjee, N. (2014). Neurotransmitters in alcoholism: A review of neurobiological and genetic studies.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4065474/
Blood alcohol concentration (BAC). (n.d.).https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/pdf/bac-a.pdf
Blood alcohol level chart: Are you too drunk to legally drive? (n.d.).https://dui.drivinglaws.org/drink-table.php
Factors that affect a person’s BAC. (n.d.).https://www.sdera.wa.edu.au/media/2093/factors-affecting-blood-alcohol-concentration.pdf
Korsakoff syndrome. (n.d.).https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia/types-of-dementia/korsakoff-syndrome
Moore, S. C., et al. (2016). A rank based social norms model of how people judge their levels of drunkenness whilst intoxicated.https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-3469-z
Stages of alcohol intoxication. (2010).http://counseling.cua.edu/alcohol/resources-alcohol/stages.cfm
Understanding the dangers of alcohol overdose. (2018).https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-dangers-of-alcohol-overdose

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Medically reviewed by J. Keith Fisher, M.D. — Written by Zawn Villines on September 14, 2019

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Effects of alcohol

What it feels like

Recognizing alcohol overdose

Summary

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