alcohol tolerance
 

Hey guys.. I have really really REALLY bad alcohol tolerance... a couple drinks and I'm pretty much out of the game. I don't get drunk per se, but I start feeling headachy, and my face gets all red, and my heart thumps.
Any suggestions on how to condition myself for alcohol tolerance?

i have a couple months to work with here (till New Years, of course).. anything would be an improvement.
:)

Make sure you've eaten before you start drinking.
Stick with drinking the same thing. For some reason I can drink a lot of scotch (since i drink that more than anything), yet it doesn't take me much to feel the alcohol when I have beers (I rarely drink beer)

Dont build a tolerance... its more expensive!

just know how much you can drink and then switch to something non alcoholic for a little while...

If you're getting "headachy" before you get drunk, your problem may not be something you can train yourself to deal with...

You may be allergic to alcohol, or lack the enzyme to break it down (common in asians).

But if you do manage to get drunk, like JStrider says, don't bother building a tolerance. It's the same drunk no matter how many drinks it takes you to get there.

Hah aint that the truth.

Best thing I can think of is just try one types of drink each time you go out until you find something that doesn't affect you in that way.

If what you are drinking is giving you a headache then quit drinking it. If hitting yourself in the head with a hammer gives you a headache quit hitting yourself in the head. There is absolutely no difference in those two statements. You either have an intolerance to what you are drinking or to alcohol in general. Try drinking better quality liquor and if that doesn't work quit now (I started to say unless you're one of my customers but, I'd tell them the same thing). Alcohol is not for everybody.

Many people of Asian or American Indian decent have an innate low tolerance for alcohol (often called the red or yellow flush)...If you drink through this "low tolerance", your tolerance will increase. This of course increases your chance of becomming addicted to alcohol. A low tolerance for alcohol is natures way of telling you to tred very carefully with the booze, otherwise you may wind up a friend of Bill.

This is probably it.

You can try avoiding drinks with sugar in them, but you are probably not meant to drink alcohol.

You can order what is called a "spacer" any non-alcoholic beverage in between every alc beverage you drink. Slows down your intake and keeps you in the game so to speak. Also heed the advice of eating a good meal before hand...you may also want to expirement with different foods to see how well they set with alcohol in your stomach.maybe share an appetizer during also if your stomach can handle it since many are kinda greasy.

try red bull, you know the fruity energy drink, taking 3 of them before drinking seems to really help, you get drunk, but as drink sedates you and they make you hyper, they seem to cancle each other out.

My advice, like some others is to have something good to eat before hand. Also what are you drinking? Stick with Vodka or Gin because clearer alchol I'm told is more 'natural', absorbed better by the body, and doesent give the big headaches that some other's do.

Take an Alka-Seltzer before you go out - Eat something with lots of butter, or drink a lot of heavy cream. Never drink anything other than on an almost full stomach. Avoid carbonated drinks - you get the alcohol a lot quicker when it is CO2 accelerated. Wine instead of champagne - straight bourbon instead of 7 and 7. Believe me - it works. If this fails - drink coke and have a great evening - you'll feel a hell of a lot better in the morning and might get a lot luckier tonight.

Eat a good meal before you drink.

And, though this may sound a bit strange, drink a glass of milk. It helps by lining your stomach and seems to aid metabolizing alchohol.

Space out your drinks.

Mr Mephisto

uhhhhh im asian. 70% friends are asian. we can out drink most of our white college buddies. hm ive never heard that enzyme breakdown thing before

either drink top shelf, or clear liquor, try taking shots-they taste great-less quanity

See http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m.../article.jhtml or search google.

A quote:

Beer
 

The biggest problem with alcohol is dehydration. Drink a couple glasses of water before drinking. Drink a glass of water every time you urinate. This will help keep the body hydrated. Don't beer bong. Pace yourself. Last of all try and stay away from the cheap stuff. There is a beer site that can help you find a better quality beer that tastes a hell of a lot better. www. theBeerGuys.com.
This should help. Like others say, build up a tolerance. Alcohol absorbs through the skin so as soon as it hits your mouth. Slow to one every hour and a half and follow the dehydration rules and you should be okay.

I get a headache when I am drinking cheap stuff also, and for some reason scotch gives me a headache too. The best advice I can give is to eat a greasy meal before drinking and drink alot of water before and after.

I would mess around with different drinks. See what gives you the best feeling. Personally I avoid mixing anything with coke. The less sugar, the better the feeling and the easier the hangover. I stick to mixing with water, Bourbon and water, Scotch and water. Liquor with water is very nice, the water can take the bite out of it while still leaving a full flavor.

Experiment. But don't over do it. I like the idea of a "spacer" drink too. Good luck. Remember slow and steady wins the race. :D

I have the same problem (I'm not asian BTW) - it's been getting worse over the last few years; only used to appear with spirits but recently I went red after only 1 1/2 pints of cider! Horrible, blotchy rash all over my face and arms (torso and legs if I carry on drinking). Oddly, my sister and mother have the same problem.
The asian thing (I'm not sure it's the same as you're supposed to feel horrible due to build up of aldehydes) is caused by a deficiency of the enzyme "acetaldehyde dehydrogenase". It isn't the enzyme that breaks down alcohol (so they shouldn't get drunk any more easily), it breaks down the chemical that is produced from alcohol by the body. This is an "aldehyde"; levels build up and cause the flushing/headache/generally feeling crap that these people suffer from. It's nothing particularly to do with being asian; it's just that genetics dictate the mutation is more common in the asian community.

Why is it so important to drink alcohol anyway? Answer that and you'll find your nirvana. ;)

Everyone knows that if you don't drink alcohol you will never have fun and your penis will fall off.

"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom."

-King Solomon

Conclamo Ludus: Hurray for excess! (In moderation, of course.)

Try drinks with fruit juices. While these drinks do have more natural sugars to them, they also hydrate the body more than drinks that are almost entirely alcohol. No one will think you're a wimp if you have a screwdriver or a tequila sunrise; at least, no one worth speaking of.

Hangover Ratings

Found this nifty little page on hungover.net showing which drinks are going to have you splitting your own head open because it feels like your brain is about to reach critical mass, and which drinks leave you feeling fresh as a......very fresh thing. (Srry brain fart)

Exactly. Your body is telling you you're poisoning it - consider it a blessing - it will save you many regrets in the years to come. Take it from someone who took many years to learn that same lesson.

http://ru-21.blogspot.com/

New pill from Russia that, when taken before drinking, can prevent hangover. Not site-plugging, just advice.

Maybe it is an allergic reaction- your body can't handle alcohol period. I would ask a Dr.
Besides, you don't need to drink anyways. I don't like heavy drinking, although I will have a drink or two once in a while when I am out or sip on a cider at home. That's it. Alcohol was never meant to be consumed. (Although i hear one glass of red wine a day decreases chance in heart problems.....)

well, I'm not drinking to get drunk..
it's just social drinking.
Can't even really engage in that, because after one, I'm red as a beet and my heart starts thumping. After two, I can feel a little bit of a dizzy headachy feeling. More than that, and I'm out of the game. :)

That's why you order your usual orange juice :)
Social drinking.. bleh. I get too rushed by the people i'm with :P

I love drinking games. You take a hit while your young to build your tolerance up when you get older. Don't worry about getting drunk to quick. Think of it as a beginning point and you can only improve.

I knew a guy like you, "red" ed , He would get wasted though and look like he was going to die. I too,would ask a doctor , I would worry it might be liver related which is something you don't want to mess with.

Alcohol IS a drug
 

Although we are all individuals capable of making our own choices (as is our right) since we live in a society containing other people we must also respect the rights of others. Heavy drinking puts a large burden on the healthcare system due to driving accidents, liver damage, and alcoholism. Remember, your body only has enough enzyme to process ethanol into ethanoic (acetic) acid for about 2 drinks every 3-4 hours depending on the person. Any more than that allows the aldehyde to stay in the blood and brain, possibly breaking down neurochemicals into morphine-like substances and building up in your liver. Also, your brain can shrink from prolonged abuse. As with any recreational drug PLEASE read all the literature available so YOU are making the right choice not only for yourself but for society as a whole.

Stay sober, it makes it much easier to accurately swing a barstool if the need arises. :)

I am an alcoholic who built his "tolerance" over years. As mentioned above, DO NOT build your tolerance. If you want to lose your inhibitions (sic), look inward. I am still a practising alcoholic, and my life is spiralling steadily downward. All macho bullshit aside, the fact that I can down 30 beers is not good, it is a sickness, not "cool". I can understand why you ask the question you did, but believe me, tolerance to alcohol for those of you not afflicted should not be a concern. Enjoy your ability to put it down, as I cannot.

Sorry to hear that..
I'm not interested in getting tanked every weekend, or anything like that.

It'd be nice to be able to drink socially without feeling sick or tired though.

Space out drinking over a time too, that helps.