Different alcoholic beverages and their differing effects and types of Drunkenness.

I made a thread a while ago about what sober you would say to drunk you as advice and this came up.

Alcohol is alcohol as far as I know, mainly ethanol with a few other ...nols thrown in so why do different drinks affect us differently and what do you find.

If I drink beer I am happy on the whole but if I drink cider of the same strength I tend to get contemplative.

Spirits on the hand are even more varied. Vodka and I just want everyone to party and screw the morning, Whisky and I just want to talk about the past. Give me Gin and I will need to tell you in a loving way exactly where you are going wrong in life and give me Rum and you might as well call the police,ambulance and fire brigade right away as half a bottle in I can safely say that I will be causing anarchy and trying to bring down the government one lamp post at a time.

Does this ring true with you or do we differ? I have a mate who can drink 12 beers and be fine but 2 double vodka's and he will be fighting anything and everybody. It's really quite bizarre.

On the whole it seems the different types of booze effect you the same why they effect me except for rum and whisky those to have swap responses at least for me. I am placid on rum and rye makes me a complete pirate....

Vodka is my drink of choice in the form of the dirty martini it seems like I can drink so much more vodka then any other kind of spirit.

a reply to: nonspecific

It really shouldn't be the case. Alcohol is alcohol. I seriously doubt that there are enough trace chemicals in various spirits that can cause detectable psychological changes in one's stupor. I think a lot of it has to do with the placebo effect.

Sure, there are cogeners in wine, and yeasts in beer ... and perhaps wood chemicals in whiskey ... but in the end, I think the state of your body and mind -- combined with the speed of drinking and what has or hasn't been eaten make a far bigger impact.

Trust me guys, I'm a retired professional drinker -- and the concentration, amount, speed, and body chemistry at time of intoxication (combined with blood sugar levels, vitamin levels, medications, and what food eaten) make a much bigger impact.

So no, tequila doesn't "make you crazy" -- you just use it as an excuse to get crazy due to placebo effect. I don't care what you say, or how much you want to argue.

As I said ... I'm a retired professional...and I say that with a pang and tinge of shame.

I think there is truth to this, I think that's why it's called wine and spirits. Jager bomb definitely react to my body differently as Soju or Whiskey. The amount of drunkiness changes but I don't think my personality changes from type to type.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

So no, tequila doesn't "make you crazy" -- you just use it as an excuse to get crazy due to placebo effect. I don't care what you say, or how much you want to argue.

Maybe so, but I get wild when I drink the Jose.

I haven't become tipsy or drunk in quite a few years. But I did notice the effect that different alcohols had on me during that time and I quickly learnt which drinks to avoid if I didn't want to become a blubbering mess.

Vodka. In particular. Vodka is a nasty "friend". Whether mixed with soft drinks or in shot form accompanied by jelly. I've had panic attacks a few times under the influence of vodka, and if I didn't end up hyperventilating in a corner I'd be in tears for hours.

Rum. Mellowed me out, casually reflecting on life in between sips with friends.

Bourbon! My drink of choice. I keep a bottle of American Honey on my shelf at all times, even now, it's nice for one quiet drink of a night to keep the stress at bay. Back in the day though, when I drank more than one, it was my "happy" drink. I would love everyone! Be everyone's best friend! And become the best rockstar in the world

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
It really shouldn't be the case. Alcohol is alcohol. I seriously doubt that there are enough trace chemicals in various spirits that can cause detectable psychological changes in one's stupor. I think a lot of it has to do with the placebo effect.

Sure, there are cogeners in wine, and yeasts in beer ... and perhaps wood chemicals in whiskey ... but in the end, I think the state of your body and mind -- combined with the speed of drinking and what has or hasn't been eaten make a far bigger impact.

Trust me guys, I'm a retired professional drinker -- and the concentration, amount, speed, and body chemistry at time of intoxication (combined with blood sugar levels, vitamin levels, medications, and what food eaten) make a much bigger impact.

So no, tequila doesn't "make you crazy" -- you just use it as an excuse to get crazy due to placebo effect. I don't care what you say, or how much you want to argue.

As I said ... I'm a retired professional...and I say that with a pang and tinge of shame.

This was why I asked as a seasoned pro myself. All of the elements are the same yet the results are so varied and with so many people.

I know people that "Cannot drink vodka" because it makes them "angry" but can have a dozen double whiskies? this should not but is real??

delete

a reply to: nonspecific

My experience with alcohol is ethanol is ethanol. I'm told by my psych that I have a "high subjective tolerance" and can't really tell when I'm drunk, even if I'm #faced, so that could be why it all seems the same. I lean more towards the scientific side of things however.

It's mostly in the mind. We have preconceived notions of what drinks are associated with...

Tequila = crazy parties, wild unbelievable stunts

Vodka = rocket fuel, cheap, fast, efficient

Beer = fun, filling, tasty, food-like

In the end a solvent is a solvent is a solvent, cutting off oxygen to the brain and retarding synapses from firing. Expensive or cheap, it all does the same in the end.

wine makes me happy
gin makes me sad
tequila makes me crazy
vodka makes me mad..

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The only real difference in the biological effects of specific drinks is in the mode of delivery, composition of mixers, and the environment, context, or emotional state in which you drink it.. There is a scientific, chemical explanation for the causes of differnt levels of hangover from specific drinks however, not to mention your age and body mass, metabolism etc..

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I only drink beer and bourbon myself.

Beer on its own just makes me more sociable, happy and then tired. But bourbon tends to cause me to be extremely arrogant and argumentative. I've always just put it down to the different concentrations of ethanol though.

Although, I must say I've definitely noticed a definite mild stimulate effect when drinking bourbon and coke... caffeine and ethanol have an awesome synergy, imo.

I'm kinda on the fence.

Vodka doesn't seem to do much to me.

But... If I really had to make a choice, I'd say that it's based on how drunk you get and how fast you get there. I think that's the difference. With beer, you ease on into it. With whiskey it's quick and sudden.

Though I do tend to get more of a hangover with sweet drinks than I do with dry drinks. I still think it has everything to do with how much and how fast. Each type usually has a different concentration of ABV so that's probably where the moods come in.

Scientifically, I must agree with MystikMushroom and SpongeBeard. You're adding the same stuff into your system, with a few small variations. But I'm here to tell you, that psychosomatic effect is real, and it is powerful! The difference between five Guinnesses and five shots of tequila is profoundly observable, though the amount of actual alcohol and the time and rate at which it was consumed may be exactly the same. But this is in a pub, club, or party situation, I've got to wonder if/how that would differ in a controlled scientific environment.

My current favorite methods of alcohol-based relaxation:

Spiced wine like Glögg, heated up to steaming and then sipped... Delicious, and the warming effect is fantastic! I recommend a mug or two late in the evening.

A really good blended whisky, pour it over a few cubes. Suntory Hibiki is amazing, both the 12- and 17-year aged varieties. And if you can get your hands on the 21-year, it's without equal!

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
It really shouldn't be the case. Alcohol is alcohol. I seriously doubt that there are enough trace chemicals in various spirits that can cause detectable psychological changes in one's stupor. I think a lot of it has to do with the placebo effect.

Sure, there are cogeners in wine, and yeasts in beer ... and perhaps wood chemicals in whiskey ... but in the end, I think the state of your body and mind -- combined with the speed of drinking and what has or hasn't been eaten make a far bigger impact.

Trust me guys, I'm a retired professional drinker -- and the concentration, amount, speed, and body chemistry at time of intoxication (combined with blood sugar levels, vitamin levels, medications, and what food eaten) make a much bigger impact.

So no, tequila doesn't "make you crazy" -- you just use it as an excuse to get crazy due to placebo effect. I don't care what you say, or how much you want to argue.

As I said ... I'm a retired professional...and I say that with a pang and tinge of shame.

I concur. I never understood those people who claimed tequila, or some other drink makes them crazy.

I don't much like vodka, so I might say I can't do vodka, but it's a preference - nothing more. My drink of choice is a quality white tequila. Often people say "OHHH SHNAP, SOMEONE GETTIN' CRAY CRAY TONITE!" and it drives me nuts. Tequila has no different effect on you than the equivalent volume of any other spirit.

ETA: I should add that I'm also a former professional. Every once in awhile I'll still get in on an exhibition match too.

Yes, there is a definite difference in the beer vs tequila effects for me. The latter turns me into Steve-O.

What is wild to me , is the absorption rates. A shot of whatever liquor by itself will not absorb into your body as fast as a shot followed by a carbonated chaser. The carbonation increases the absorption into the body.

A gin and tonic is stronger than a gin. Weird.

They don't call them spirits for nothing...think about it.

I've never noticed a difference with the buzz from different drinks.
But I have noticed other effects on my own body and my wife's.
I can't get drunk with beer without feeling like my stomach will explode..
My wife can handle vodka the best without a hangover.
We both have tequila stories to tell.
But as far a I can tell, drunk is drunk.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
I've never noticed a difference with the buzz from different drinks.
But I have noticed other effects on my own body and my wife's.
I can't get drunk with beer without feeling like my stomach will explode..
My wife can handle vodka the best without a hangover.
We both have tequila stories to tell.
But as far a I can tell, drunk is drunk.

I agree to some point but what I am talking about is the different kind of drunk that people get.

MrsNonspecific as an example can honestly down 10 double vodka's and be still good and also dancing yet 2 pints of cider and she is wiped out and talking rubbish? It makes little sense to me.

I can only speak from my own experience,as I posted in your other thread. Different alcohol does affect me differently. Beer doesn't really faze me I just drink it while watching Nascar or at the end of a hot summer day. Rum does seem to make me obnoxious,and gets me drunk easily. Vodka takes it time,but with it I lose all common sense and inhibition. Gin...lol...my drink of choice. Brings out a bit of femininity in this girl,whose usually anything but. Alcohol I avoid- whiskey of any kind. Makes me violently ill,headache nauseated after just one drink. Also made my ex husband an angry raving lunatic. Without fail.