
Alcohol Tolerance Facts as You Age
My alcohol tolerance has decreased significantly with age. When I was in college, I could eat a bowl of cottage cheese and supplement the rest of my caloric intake with alcohol. I could then roll out of bed in time for my 8AM class without any issue, even though I’d gone to bed well after bar close. My senior year, this type of partying could be repeated multiple days of the week without any issue.
But now…?
Now, I have a handful of beers and I’m dead for 2 days. My tolerance has lowered dramatically, but my preference in a type of drink has increased thankfully (no more steady Bud Lights for this girl). I did extensive research to see if this is normal. Here’s what I found out:
After a certain age, your body takes longer to metabolize alcohol.
According to the New York Daily News, our bodies lose muscle mass and body water content with age. And people with higher body fat, and who are more dehydrated, feel the effects of alcohol more. Also our livers aren’t able to metabolize alcohol the same as when we were younger.
Now that we’re in the working world, we drink less due to having other responsibilities. We can’t party excessively all night, then wake up refreshed for our job the next morning. It’s rough. So naturally, the less we drink, the less it takes us to feel tipsy.
Your recovery time from a heavy night of drinking increases.
One night over the weekend, my boyfriend and I may go out to the bar for a while (We can’t quite make it to bar close anymore). Then we come home, take care of the dog, and crawl into bed somewhere around 1AM.
But do we get to sleep in? No!
Barking to be let out starts right at 6AM. We have to be productive parents even though our heads are pounding and the sudden wake up has caused us to be a little queasy. So we take care of the pup like zombies and continue to lay on the couch, only moving to find food.
NBC News explains that our bodies metabolize slower, so our recovery time is slower. And it’s just going to keep decreasing (I don’t think I’ll be able to handle a full bottle of wine in one night at 40). Not only do we feel awful, we also don’t look so hot.
Your body shows the effects of drinking more with age.
After a heavy night of drinking, I will stumble to the bathroom and almost frighten myself with my reflection. My eyes have huge bags and my overall face looks wrecked (Not quite like the crypt-keeper, but it’s getting close).
Alcohol is dehydrating and dehydration ages your skin. According to US Health News, wrinkles, puffiness, redness, and dry skin are all symptoms from drinking. These are also signs of aging.
Not only do our bodies want to guzzle a gallon of water the next morning, but I have found a special drink to help my hangovers. If I take this detox drink like a shot after a night of drinking, it almost instantly cures my hangover! Check out the detox drink recipe here.


