There is certainly no shortage of biological, scientific and metabolic terminology that could explain in finite detail the specific components and reactions that occur systematically that cause you to become intoxicated, but that is not the purpose of SkinnyTinis! The idea is to just understand “a little” so that you have some semblance of control over your party habits.

Simply stated, you become intoxicated when the levels of alcohol in your bloodstream outweigh your body’s ability to metabolize it out of your system.  Intoxication occurs because alcohol in the bloodstream affects neurotransmitters, substances that chemically connect signals from one nerve to another. Alcohol acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter meaning it reduces the signals in the brain, and easily depressing both mental and physical activity. This produces side effects such as a delayed response time (did you just knock that drink over?), a temporary lapse in judgment (but he looked so cute the night before!) and periodic increases in self-confidence (because you know dancing on the bar is good exercise!).

You may have noticed that different people can consume the same amount of alcohol with dramatically different impacts on their behavior. Whether you learned this via innocent observation or a nervy chugging challenge with a jock two times your size, so you know it’s true. To help you understand why and save you from continuing to engage in the inevitable loosing battle of drinking races we’ll cover just three of the main reasons for this seemingly unfair metabolic reaction.

First
Alcohol is absorbed throughout the entire digestive track, starting with a small amount of absorption in your mouth. Digestion really begins when 20% is absorbed in your stomach. This is where you have some immediate control over the rate at which you become intoxicated. You can delay the rate of absorption into your bloodstream by eating food along with, or directly prior to, drinking.

Second
Once alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream, enzymes break down the alcohol to “metabolize” it, thus, decreasing the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) and “sobering” you up. The quantity of enzymes that metabolizes alcohol out of your system is impacted by the frequency at which you consume alcohol. This is where the term “high-tolerance” comes from. Meaning, if you drink more frequently, you will have more enzymes available to break down the alcohol and you will have to drink more alcohol to become intoxicated. The bottom line, a moderate drinker will have to consume far fewer calories to achieve the same level of intoxication - so conservation is a fantastic Skinny strategy!

Third
And while we don’t have as much immediate control over “distribution,” it is certainly critical enough to mention as it is one of the main reasons  skinny girls get drunk faster! Plus, it will help deepen your comprehensive understanding of alcohol metabolism, elevate your smarty pants verbiage while you are out and about and protect you from falling for the proverbial drinking contest with a piece of meat twice your size.  Ethanol is highly water soluble and is absorbed much less in fat.  Alcohol will distribute itself in water rich substances, like muscle, over fat. This is partly  why men can significantly out drink women without the same impairment. The average man has far more muscle tissue, while the average female naturally requires more fat tissue. Not to mention, most men are simply substantially larger than most women. These two elements together mean that women will have higher BAC levels if the same quantity of alcohol is consumed simply because the alcohol has less water space in which to dissolve.