Can Gin Get You Drunk | The Answer With Numbers
Gin is a fantastic drink with a refreshing taste. On a warm summer day, you can easily drink a few of these refreshing drinks, but will gin get you drunk?
Gin is an alcoholic drink with at least 37,5% Alcohol By Volume (ABV). This means that after about 3-4 drinks an hour, a man starts to become drunk or tipsy. The same goes for a woman, only with 2-3 drinks an hour.
However, not everyone gets drunk as fast. There are a few key factors that play a role in becoming drunk, which we’ll lay out in this article!
How Much Gin Can You Drink Before You Get Drunk
Becoming drunk or tipsy is dependent on many different factors. However, when we look at the official number, a man has to consume about 3-4 drinks in an hour to become tipsy, and a woman has to consume 2-3 drinks in an hour before becoming tipsy.
There isn’t really a difference between gin shots, cocktails, or drinking gin straight. All drinks contain almost the exact same amount of alcohol, the only difference is in the glasses which changes the proportions.
However, these preset numbers don’t usually reflect reality. Or, at least, it appears so. Some people seem to be able to handle much more alcohol than others. This is dependent on a few factors, which we’ll go over now:
- Bodyweight. Your bodyweight seems to be one of the strongest factors in how quickly you get drunk. Becoming drunk is measured by Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). When you have more body weight, the concentration of alcohol in your blood is lower, as there is more bodily mass.
- Age. For some reason, younger people seem to be able to handle more alcohol. This also seems to be the case for handling hangovers.
- Gender. As we mentioned above, it takes an average of 3-4 drinks for a man to become tipsy, while it only takes 2-3 drinks for a woman to become tipsy. The influence of gender also plays a role in how quickly you’ll become drunk.
- Being well-rested. It is widely known that being sleepy or tired makes you more vulnerable to many things. This includes alcohol. As you’re tired, you’re less tolerant of alcohol, making you get drunk faster.
- Your stomach. We all know that drinking on an empty stomach is not a good idea. You’ll be much less tolerant of alcohol and feel the effects much quicker.
- Routine. This might sound weird, but it’s actually quite logical. If you’re a student, for example, you’ll probably drink a lot more than the average person. Drinking a lot of alcohol makes you more resistant to its effects of it.
Technically speaking, the number of drinks is the same for anyone. However, not everyone reacts the same to alcohol.
Even you personally will have some days that you just cannot take much alcohol, even if you’re not used to that.
The most important thing, though, with drinking alcohol, is that you drink responsibly.
Being drunk every now and then can be fun, but drinking too much is very dangerous. Drink responsibly!
What Gins Will Make You Drunk The Fastest
This is a rather simple question; a gin with a higher ABV (alcohol by volume) will get you drunk faster.
Usually, gin is around 37,5% ABV, but there are a few rare instances of gins with extremely high ABV. For example, Strane London Dry Gin has 76% ABV and they even have an Ultra Uncut gin, coming in at a whopping 82,5% ABV.
These high ABV gins are not recommended if you’re going to a party, as they’ll not only make sure that you’ll have a short night but to the average person, they don’t taste nice either.
Instead, if you’re looking for a gin to get drunk at a party, go for something cheap. Don’t waste a nice gin on a simple night.
At last, there’s also a slight difference between the types of drinks you consume. If you’re drinking cocktails or gin and tonics all night, chances are you’re drinking much more.
A cocktail is quite easy to drink, as the alcoholic taste is dampened quite a bit. If you’re taking shots, for example, you’ll really feel that one drink, which isn’t really the case with cocktails.
So even though they both contain an almost exact amount of alcohol, chances are you’ll drink more of the cocktails than you would with shots.
Does Smelling Like Gin On Your Breath Mean You Are Drunk?
If you can detect gin breath without being close to the person, chances are they’ve had a lot to drink. Gin breath is strong and distinct, and often indicates a high level of alcohol consumption. Knowing how to detect gin breath can help you recognize when someone may be intoxicated.
How To Slow Down The Process Of Getting Drunk
Being drunk can be quite fun. You’re more outgoing, more confident, and more talkative. This often leads to you meeting many new people and generally having a good time.
Being drunk, however, doesn’t always mean you have a good time. Too many drinks can cause you to be confused, lose balance, or become extremely emotional.
In fact, gin is often linked to becoming sad. We wrote an article discussing this at length, which you can read for more information.
Luckily, there are a few ways to slow down the process of getting drunk and losing control.
The first is the most obvious one; drink less! Less alcohol will make you less drunk, go figure.
The other ones tie in more with the list we provided above. For example, having a good meal before you start drinking will avoid the empty stomach problem.
Making sure you’re well-rested will also make you more tolerant of alcohol.
Some more things that are definitely recommended are taking a break from drinking every now and then. You can even go outside in the open air. Get a breath of fresh air and sober up a bit.
Besides taking a break, I’d also recommend you drink enough water throughout the night as well. Alcohol can severely dehydrate your body. When you’re drinking water throughout the night, you’ll prevent dehydrating your body.
What About The Morning After
We’ve all had that one (or more) morning where you wake up, instantly regretting all the drinks you’ve had the night before.
I often experience more of a headache after consuming a few too many gins, but everyone has a hangover unique to them.
Technically speaking, your liver will process 1 fl. oz. of alcohol every hour. With this information, you can calculate when your body will be alcohol-free again.
If you’ve had 12 shots of gin, that would equate to around 12 – 14 fl. oz., meaning it takes 12 to 14 hours for your body to process the alcohol (this is also the amount of time you’d have to wait before you can partake in traffic again).
Chances are, though, that you do not remember how many drinks you’ve had. The best thing to do now is to take it slow. Drink some water, maybe go for a walk outside, and try to get some food in you. Get your body working again.
Even though this doesn’t help your liver process the alcohol faster, it will make you feel a bit better. And on some mornings when the hangovers are at their strongest, feeling just a little bit better feels like a godsend.
Final Thoughts
Always keep in mind that alcohol has to be consumed in moderation. Also, remember that it is not always true that someone who drinks too much will get drunk. Use good judgment and never consume more than recommended based on how you feel at the time!