I’m typically a happy drunk,
but I always turn crabby
and aggressive when I
drink rum. Am I allergic?
Many people assume it’s the type of liquor that causes
them to act a certain way, saying “I get mean when I
drink ___.” Contrary to popular belief, this is most often
caused by user-error (AKA drinking too much ___).
The key is finding balance between maximizing and maintaining
alcohol’s feel-good effects (known as a buzz), without getting
sloppy, mean, obnoxious, embarrassing, and/or taking a tango
with the toilet, known as getting shwasted.
Most are surprised to learn we actually feel the very best when
our blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is between a .02—.06.
Whaaaat? You heard right, it doesn’t take much alcohol to catch
an amazing, happy-go-lucky buzz. We call it the sweet spot. Are
you thinking, “How can this be and how can I get it?” Read on...
Alcohol is biphasic. At low doses it acts as a stimulant, producing
a fun, social butterfly, happy-high feeling we aim for. Naturally we
assume drinking more will intensify those desirable feelings, but
they actually diminish with more alcohol and are replaced with
depressive effects (crabby, irrational, emotional moods) along
with increasing physical and mental impairments. Hence the
second phase of alcohol. Not sure how you want to be described
by your friends, but I’d prefer fun, social and happy-go-lucky over
sloppy, obnoxious, irrational and “the crying drunk.”
Wondering how much you can drink to remain in your sweet spot??
Female
Number of Standard Drinks
over Two Hours
Male
Number of Standard Drinks
over Two Hours
100 lbs.
2
130 lbs.
3
120 lbs.
2.5
150 lbs.
3.4
140 lbs.
2.8
170 lbs.
3.9
160 lbs.
3.5
190 lbs.
4.3
180 lbs.
3.7
210 lbs.
4.75
Once you’re feeling that sweet buzz, focus on being more social and
not just a drinker, sticking to one standard drink or less an hour.
It takes 30-40 minutes to feel alcohol’s full effects, so don’t
expect to feel your buzz immediately. Pacing yourself is key to
enjoying and maintaining alcohol’s desirable effects, without
turning into a not-so-fun drunk who makes regretful decisions.
Keep in mind, if you’re having a bad day and already feeling a
little down, drinking beyond your sweet spot will intensify those
negative underlying feelings.
If your plan is to kick back with friends, have a good time and
relax while consuming alcohol, stick to your sweet spot to
maintain control of your buzz, emotions, and your breakfast.
2 out of 3 MSU students kept their BAC
below .08 the last time they drank(NCHA, 2016)
(2015)