I Can’t Drink Now Like I Used to a Few Years Ago (26M), is that Normal?
During college and a few years after (maybe til 23/24) I drank almost weekly and don’t get drunk that easily. In terms of beers, maybe I get tipsy at about 6 and give up at 10.
But now, I drink 2 and I get tipsy, and maybe tap out at 4/5.
Is that normal?
Yup. Drinking gets harder as you get older. UNLESS you continue to drink at an unsustainable rate.
I’ve met plenty of people who continue to drink like they are still in their twenties, but you’d be better off with a few bad hangovers than what THOSE people have going on in their lives.
I’m 5 years down the road and… Well let me tell ya, it gets worse
I’m 40 this year. More than 2 beers and I get a hangover before I even go to bed and insomnia the next day.
Aged 18/19 I could slam 12 beers and a few shots and wake up feeling nothing.
Time is a cruel mistress.
Drinking 10 beer in general is not normal. You got yourself pretty damaged by alcohol and now your body is suffering the wear and tear.
I recommend cutting it down to 1 or 2. Your body will thank you.
Having read your post, I’m thinking of giving up alcohol. I’ve just consumed my tenth drink and yet, surprisingly, feel no effects.
It look me til mid, late 30s. Had drank so heavily for so long, was getting sicker and sicker. Realized was heading straight into Leaving Las Vegas territory, had to quit.
So yes this is normal, and it will get worse, but if you stay fit you’ll still be able to drink and stay up late, as long as you drink a lot of water.
Some minor/hard-to-notice health-related things can dramatically reduce alcohol tolerance and/or give “hangovers” shortly after starting a session.
For me, inflammation is a big cause. I have (barely noticeable) cat allergies, and (obvious but hard to avoid) food intolerances & gut issues. If I don’t stay on top of avoiding triggers, my alcohol tolerance goes from multiple G&Ts giving a nice buzz, to 1-2 sips of G&T giving dizziness and headaches. Electrolyte imbalance can also cause it. I’ve found I have to add magnesium and potassium salt to my diet, or else I generally feel tired more, and my alcohol tolerance plummets. Once you start controlling these factors, you’ll start getting clear feedback from your body when you have too much or too little salt, in the form of water and food tasting different and general feelings of tension or tiredness.
My advice: try antihistamines, easily-digestible meals, and/or sports drinks for a few days before you drink. If those help your tolerance, you probably have some health stuff going on - figure it out and you’ll probably find a way to generally feel better.
Mid-50s chiming in. In grad school I’d have 4-5 pints at the grad pub and then go downtown to go drinking lol. Those days are long gone.
I have a 2 drink limit now and will switch to water or soda. Otherwise I can’t function the next day. Hangovers are exponentially worse than they used to be.
It could be that you’re drinking 6-10 natty lights and now you’re an adult so you don’t buy piss water any more.
I’m a nurse, not a doctor, just gonna chime in here that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a thing:
In general, any kind of sudden changes to your normal functioning are things you should probably be discussing with a physician, even if you’re young and otherwise healthy. The really encouraging news is that, if this is indeed caused by a health problem, you’re young enough that it’s really likely you can completely reverse it and get back to 100%. And if it’s not, then no harm done by seeing a doctor and confirming that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(Also, not to scare you, but no I wouldn’t expect to see that dramatic a decrease in alcohol tolerance over the course of just a couple of years at your age. I think it’s worth talking to a doctor about this.)
What about the increased hangover? Is that more normal?
When you’re older? Absolutely. Hangovers are a day-long event at least. Sucks. You don’t bounce back and be a little tired for half a day like when you were younger.
If you’re younger and have an abrupt change in how you handle alcohol, and have a bad relationship with alcohol and drinking, yeah…might be a problem.
Older as in after your twenties?
I noticed I couldn’t shake hang overs after 25. They ruined my whole following day so I just cut out that nonsense.
More like 40 or 50.
oh no
Yeah, about five years ago I had an ultrasound screening for another issue and my doctor made a remark on a fat buildup on my liver. I wasn’t very overweight, I was just drinking some alcohol, lots of soda and not moving much. Have changed that a lot since then, but I’d never have done anything about it without that random discovery.
Listen here kid. Wait till you hit your 30s!
It catches up with all of us eventually. One day you find you just have to start cutting back.
Is that normal?
Yes
It is not only rare but a red flag if you can drink like a 21 year old in your 30s and 40s. If you can drink like that in your 50s you probably have ascites.
Think of it as a pleasant buff you didn’t ask for. Now you can nurse a drink slowly 😀
