Why Do People React Differently on Alcohol?

We’ve all experienced firsthand how alcohol can make people act in different ways. Some people are relaxed, fun, so-called ‘happy drunks.’ Other people may find that they quickly become upset after drinking, even if they were feeling ok beforehand. Another common reaction is anger, becoming increasingly aggressive with each drink consumed.

For a lot of people, the way that they react to alcohol can be pretty unpredictable. It’s common for people to have a type of drink they tend to steer clear of after a bad experience. It could be that you had a very intense hangover after a night drinking rum or find that you get very drunk very quickly when you spend the night with wine instead of spirits. Whatever it is for you, it is clear to see that we all react differently to alcohol. These reactions can be physical or psychological. But why is this? Why does alcohol not affect us all in the same way?

Alcohol: The Science

Alcohol is a depressant. That means that when we drink alcohol, it ‘depresses’ our central nervous system. This is responsible for the ‘reduced inhibitions’ we experience when we are drinking. Typically, we can feel:

• more confident
• less anxious
• increasingly talkative
• jolly

But there are other ways that we react to alcohol’s depressant nature. Alcohol ‘exert[s] a profound neurological impact that leads to various behavio[u]ral and biological alterations.’ These alterations can be quite personal and vary from individual to individual.

Reacting to alcohol

Effectively, drinking alcohol inhibits our functioning for a brief time. Typically, we expect that the more we drink, the more our functioning is impacted. But there are other factors that impact how alcohol makes us think, feel, and behave. These changes in functioning aren’t always positive. In fact, some of alcohol’s effects can lead to increased health risks, as well as potential exposure to danger.

It is important to remember that the way we react to alcohol can change over time. The stereotype of the ‘lightweight,’ for example, suggests that some people can handle less alcohol than others. But the truth is that the way we process alcohol can shift over time, even from day to day. This leaves us with a plethora of potential alcohol-based reactions every time we drink and also, unfortunately, makes the act of drinking itself rather unpredictable.

But what reactions do people tend to experience?

Broadly, these reactions can be split into two key groups: mental and physical.

Mental reactions

Mental reactions are linked to how alcohol influences our emotion and cognition – how we think and feel in the moment. These reactions can sometimes be pleasant. Other times, they can make us feel slightly worse.

The positive side

Common positive mental effects of alcohol include:

• Increased confidence
• Elevated mood
• Euphoria
• Reduced anxiety
• Reduced stress
• Brief distraction from difficult situations
• Increase sociability

When used healthily and responsibly, alcohol can, at times, stimulate these more positive psychological reactions. But this isn’t the case all the time or for everyone.

The negative side

More unpleasant ways alcohol can influence our mental state are:

• Tearfulness
• Anger
• Aggressiveness
• Paranoia
• Confusion
• Anxiety
• Panic
• Slowed reaction
• Reduced ability to assess risk
• Impulsivity

Whilst these are short-term reactions to alcohol, drinking’s effects can have more longevity. Over time, the ways we react to increased alcohol use can lead to longer-term issues with psychological well-being, including a tendency towards depression.

This can lead to the development of symptoms that may be considered clinical in nature rather than just situational or short-term. In some situations, this can lead to the diagnosis of a psychiatric condition alongside issues with alcohol abuse. This is known as a co-occurring disorder. Common co-occurring conditions include mood disorders, anxiety disorders, sleep and psychotic disorders.

Physical reactions

Physical reactions are linked to how alcohol influences how our body feels or responds to drinking. When we consume alcohol to the point of intoxication, we all tend to move from the ‘tipsy’ side to the more ‘drunk’ side. However, the reactions that mark these stages of intoxication can often vary from person to person.

The positive side

A lot of people drink because it makes them feel good. This can be the case physically (as well as psychologically) for some people.

• temporarily eases pain
• makes the body feel ‘lighter’
• makes us feel warm
• provokes a ‘tingly’ feeling that some may find pleasant

This physical experience can be part of the ‘buzz’ some people chase when they are drinking. But for some people, their physical reactions to alcohol are not always so pleasant.

The negative side

More unpleasant ways alcohol can influence our mental state are:

• Drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Nausea or being sick
• Flushing or becoming red in the face
• Rashes
• Increases body temperature
• Dulls reaction time
• Simulates symptoms of dehydration
• Reduced coordination
• Dramatically increased or decreased hunger
• Congestion

All of these symptoms can be a sign of alcohol intolerance, which happens when a person experiences ‘allergy-like symptoms following ingestion of alcohol.’ Allergy UK suggests that these reactions are often linked to specific types of alcohol rather than being a ‘true allergy’ to alcohol more generally.

Why do we react differently to alcohol?

It is clear to see that the ways we experience alcohol can be very wide-ranging. But why does this happen? How can we appear to be drinking the same as someone else, and still find that we react in such a wildly different manner?

The answer is that there is no clear-cut explanation. Rather, many different factors influence the ways that our bodies process alcohol, which in turn dictates how it makes us think and feel about ourselves.

Contributing Factors

Whilst it is not an exhaustive list, often, the ways that we react to alcohol will be linked to one or more of the following factors:

• Strength of alcohol
• Use of drugs
• Eating and diet
• Psychological health
• Physical health
• Metabolism

Key Takeaways

As a general rule of thumb, the stronger the alcohol by volume (ABV) we drink, the more we will react to it. This is because ABV measures alcohol strength, and the higher the percentage, the higher the amount of pure alcohol we consume.

Whilst the idea that mixing drinks makes us more drunk is a slight urban myth, drinking beverages such as handcrafted cocktails can indeed make us feel ‘drunker,’ as it can be difficult to monitor the strength of the drink. Therefore, we often drink faster and more.

If you are using more than one intoxicant at once, you are more likely to experience uncomfortable reactions. Some substances interact negatively with each other, making reactions very difficult to predict and dangerous to experiment with.

If you are experiencing difficulties with your mental or physical health, you may find that alcohol exacerbates symptoms or produces new, unexpected reactions. This means that carefully considering if you currently feel well enough to drink safely is good practice.

Accessing Alcohol Addiction Treatment

If alcohol’s effects are beginning to negatively impact your life, then it may be time to consider addiction treatment. Contact us today to seek judgement-free, specialist advice from a member of our consultation and admissions team.