From what we know, most weekend night begins with unloading a cold of beer and enjoying every moment while you are in your senses.
But then, in some cases, it doesn’t take long before you realize that you are getting drunk, feeling tipsy, and wondering how you got yourself in this position in the first place.
It is important to keep in mind that excessive drinking can potentially cause chronic alcoholism, leading to severe health consequences. Yet, if you are wondering how many beers will it precisely take for you to get completely drunk, then keep reading because we’ve got news for you!
On average, it takes somewhere around 4 to 5 beers within a span of 1 hour to get you drunk if you happen to weigh 190 pounds. Women, on the other hand, can expect to get drunk in 3 to 4 beers, if their weight reaches around 160 pounds.
Of course, by “getting drunk” we mean any blood alcohol content (BAC) reading that falls above 0.08%. In the United States, it indicates being legally drunk or intoxicated.
Although it is merely an approximation, experts have suggested a variety of factors that you can go through to see how your body will respond to a certain quantity of beers. Let’s check them out:
Factors that Affect How Fast You Get Drunk
Your Body Frame
There’s no denying the fact that feeling drunk is a subjective and varying experience. A group of people drinking the same kind of beer in equal measure might have contrasting reactions. This means that the time you’ll take to get drunk has a lot to do with the specific properties of your body. A person with a larger body frame usually, can handle more alcohol and it will take more alcohol and a longer amount of time to get drunk.
How Old You Are
Whether you were a pro at chugging beer with your friends back in high school won’t matter as such anymore. This is because, with an increase in age, the tolerance of alcohol in your system gradually decreases.
As we grow older, our bodies experience a decrease in muscle mass that induces quicker drunkenness. Needless to say, this might not always be the case for experienced drinkers, who can often drink far more than occasional drinkers.
Your Gender
In today’s fast-paced world, the girls are giving some tough competition to their male counterparts. Sadly, it’s not the case when it comes to how long they can keep themselves from getting drunk.
Studies indicate that the average woman requires far fewer amounts of beer to get drunk than the average man. This is because ladies bear less water and more fat in their bodies.
How Tall You Are
Not many people are familiar with this fact, but it is true that a person’s height governs how long it takes for them to get drunk.
While short people might feel intoxicated in a shorter span due to a better distribution of alcohol in their blood, the taller ones are in luck, all thanks to their much lengthier circulatory system!
How Much You Weigh
The lesser you weigh, the less beer you need to consume to get drunk, and vice versa. Someone who weighs just 110 pounds can feel tipsy right after 2 to 3 drinks. On the other hand, a person who weighs twice as the former might barely feel drunk with this quantity of beer.
What’s interesting to know, however, is the fact that our bodies slowly start showing signs of impaired judgment and lethargy with 0.02 BAC. So, it’s always better to take an Uber after attending a party, even if you’ve taken one single drink!
What Your Lifestyle is Like
The lifestyle you lead says a lot about how long it’ll take for you to get drunk. Physical inactivity, inadequate sleep, and a high rate of body fat can significantly lower alcohol resistance.
Pro Tip: Keeping yourselves hydrated while drinking is always a good idea, and quite crucial. The smart ones always ask for a glass of water alongside their beer, unless you want to get drunk much more easily!
Apart from affecting a person’s emotions, alcohol consumption also alters their motor skills and weakens the sense of balance. The University of Notre Dame, Indiana, along with Bowling Green State University (BGSU), Ohio have laid out a few more factors that impact intoxication. Some of these are listed below:
- The strength of the beer that a person is consuming.
- Ethnicity (Surprisingly, people of Native American or Asian descent exhibit a low degree of alcohol dehydrogenase, implying that alcohol can stay in their bloodstream for a longer period).
- Mood. Yes, it can pretty much govern your reaction towards alcohol.
- Hormonal Variances (In some cases, women taking birth control pills tend to get drunk faster).
How to Calculate the Number of Beers you Need to Get Drunk?
One of the most hassle-free ways of knowing how many beers it will take for you to get drunk is through the BAC calculator. You can use this measure of alcohol to determine the average percentage of alcohol present in your bloodstream.
The United States considers the BAC limit to be 0.08% for vehicle users for people aged 21 and above and 0.00% to 0.02% for individuals under 21. This means that legally, you aren’t “drunk” if our BAC lies under 0.08%. So, if you assume yourself to show signs of intoxication at around 0.08%, then you’ll start feeling tipsy after around 4 to 5 beers in most cases. A woman, on the other hand, may take 3 or 4 beers to get buzzed.
Alcohol Content In Some Of The Most Popular Beers
Another frequently discussed factor is that of the quantity of alcohol in beers. Check out what the alcohol content of your favorite beer is:
- Samuel Adams Boston Lager – 5%
- Heineken – 5%
- Guinness Extra Stout – 7.5%
- Guinness Draught – 4.2%
- Budweiser – 5%
- Miller Light – 4.2%
- Corona Extra – 4.6%
- Michelob Ultra-Pure Gold – 3.8%
- Michelob Ultra – 4.2%
- Bud Light Platinum Seltzer – 8%
- Bud Light Platinum – 6%
- Bud Light Seltzer – 5%
- Bud Light – 4.2%
How Much 3.2% Alcohol by Volume (ABV) do You Need to Get Drunk?
Any average-sized individual weighing 190 pounds would take around 6-7 beers of a 3.2 ABV to get drunk.
Women weighing around 160 pounds, would require 4-5 beers for the same.
However, it’s important to bear in mind that this is just an approximation, assuming that the individual maintains good health, is not fatigued, sleeps well, and is aged above 21 years.
Here’s How Many Beers You Really Need to Get Drunk
Bud Light (5% Alcohol Content)
7 to 8 Bud Light cans (8oz) are sufficient for an average-sized man with proper lifestyle choices to get drunk in an hour. Women consuming the same beer would require 5 to 6 8oz Bud Light cans.
For a 190 pound man, it would take 5 12oz Bud Light bottles to get drunk, and a 160-pound woman would show signs of intoxication in 4 bottles only.
Coors (4.2% Alcohol Content)
Similar to Bud Light, a 190-pound man would need around 7 to 8 8oz Coors cans to get drunk within 60 minutes. Most women would take approximately 5 or 6 cans. You can expect to get in just 5 Coors Light bottles (12oz).
Budweiser (5% Alcohol Content)
On average, men take around 4 Budweiser cans to get drunk in an hour. Women, on the other hand, take only 3 cans to show similar effects.
Miller Lite (4.2% Alcohol Content)
You will easily take 7 to 8 8oz Coors cans to get legally drunk in the United States. 5 to 6 Coors are required for a woman to get drunk in an hour.
In the End
This was all about the number of beers that a person would need to get drunk! Always bear in mind that each of these readings is based on scaled approximations.
Hence, in no way should they be exercised at face value.
Lastly, after consuming alcohol, it is important for you to always avoid any action that might potentially lead to endangering another individual.
So, as long as you’re responsibly having your pint of beer, one thing that’s guaranteed is a whole lot of happy drinking and fun!
If you are drinking please always have a driver and never get behind the wheel.
