Is This Weird? (Alcohol question)

[Spot's Meow]

I'm trying to understand the way that alcohol affects my body. It seems strange to me. Here is the evolution of my experiences with alcohol:

About 3 years ago is when I first drank. I got really drunk about 4 times, once on rum, once on tequila, once on vodka, once on whiskey. This was spread out over a few months. I never blacked out or got sick and I never have hangovers.

Every time after that that I tried drinking one of those liquors, I threw up after a couple of drinks.

I don't know if it still has this effect because for the last year or so, any time I drink any amount of liquor, I get very sleepy and go to bed within half an hour.

I don't necessarily care that I can't seem to get drunk anymore, it's not all that exciting anyway, but I do find it strange because for my age (23) it seems like my peers have been drinking regularly for the past 5 years of their lives and although they may have to drink more now than they did back then, they still get drunk all the time.

So what is going on with me? It seems that after I try a new drink I become immune to it. And then now I just fall asleep, even when I drink earlier in the day, not at night time. I don't really get "buzzed" either, just sleepy.

Thoughts?

 

[bigdaddy]

Why do you think we would care?

 

[Spot's Meow]

Why would anyone care about any of the topics in Misc.? It's something to talk about. If you don't care then don't respond. Plus, I am asking for a possible explanation, not just outlining my life story.

 

[JonathonWally]

Go with a beer or a wine, no need to go hardcore on the hard stuff.

 

[Spot's Meow]

^Wine puts me to sleep almost instantly, it's weird. I just can't get into the taste of beer. I don't really go "hardcore," I'm talking only having one drink.

 

[JonathonWally]

There are tons and tons of different beers out there, it takes time to find the ones for you.

 

[Kestra]

Maybe you're interpreting the relaxing feeling as the way you feel when you're tired? Try having a rum and coke and see if you can stay up or if it's too difficult. Or maybe you just associate the sleepy thing with alcohol now. Or maybe someone is making your drinks too strong!

Wine can make me sleepy sometimes. And everyone reacts differently to alcohol and the different types and combos. I never get hangovers myself though I don't plan on testing that a lot more.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

It's not completely unheard of. It happens to a friend of mine, she gets sleepy too easily.

I'd suggest a rum and coke or even vodka redbull if you want to get really fucked up and see if the caffeine keeps you awake.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Alcohol often makes me sleepy these days, but that's because I'm usually exhausted from work.

 

[JonathonWally]

Alcohol often makes me sleepy these days, but that's because I'm usually exhausted from work.

It's also the genius beyond NyQuil!

 

[Alpha Romeo]

Are you drinking it straight? Try mixing it.

 

[bigdaddy]

Why would anyone care about any of the topics in Misc.?

But I figured this would be funny, and it wasn't, so I was disappointed.

 

[judge alba]

how about red bull and vodka? after a few of those and you'll not sleep for ages

 

[JustKate]

You could be abnormally sensitive to alcohol. Your description of drinking stuff once with no ill effects followed by ill effects the second time is what makes me wonder about this.

It happens. It's particularly common among women, although usually women quite a bit older than you, or so my doctor tells me. If so, you're fortunate that your first symptom is getting sleepy - that's much better than full-day, migraine-type headaches.

Which is what I get these days (and I am lots older than you) when I have more than two glasses of red wine. As I said, it happens. I have in fact given up red wine entirely even though I dearly love it because It's. Just. Not. Worth. It.

Is your issue, Spot, that you just want to be able to drink a little now and then without taking a nap right afterwards? Because if so, I don't like the sound of all these mix-alcohol-with-massive-doses-of-caffeine suggestions. Sounds like a baaaaaaad idea to me.

 

[Kestra]

Why does it sound like a bad idea?

 

[JustKate]

For one thing, it sounds really hard on your body - and your stomach. She's only 23 and she's going to want to be using that stomach for many years to come.

For another, a person doesn't become drowsy for no reason. There is a reason alcohol is having this effect on her, though none of us knows what it is, and I don't think masking it for something as unimportant as this is a good practice. Making your self stay awake to finish a project is one thing - you gotta do what you gotta do. But she doesn't "gotta" do this.

I dunno. Maybe I'm just middle-aged and overly cautious, but while enjoying a nice drink is a fine thing, wide-awake drunkeness just doesn't sound like a great opportunity to me, and covering up whatever it is that makes her sleepy sounds just...bad. Bad. As I said, maybe I'm too aged to be giving good advice here, but that's how it strikes me.

 

[Mistral]

Actually, I think its a blood-sugar issue. Hypoglycemia. As a long-time sufferer, I can tell you that hard alcohol/wine either hits me like Spot describes or they flip me the other direction-utterly manic and full of energy(for a little while until the crash comes). Although I am a very lightweight person physically, when it comes to beer I can out drink people twice my size with ease. I've downed 3 beers an hour for 8 hours-and still carried on perfectly coherent conversations. It has to do with an accelerated metabolism and the beer releasing the sugars slowly as its digested. I burn the alcohol off before it can fully hit me, so I stay pretty sober where others would be soused. Hard stuff/wine releases quickly and as often as not will make me sleepy to the point of narcolepsy. Or turn me into Mr. Hyde in no time flat.

If you ever get weak and shaky, break into cold sweats when you are hungry or feel light-headed and turn pale after consuming candy, ice cream or sodas you need your blood sugar checked.

 

[Kestra]

Redbull or coke aren't that hard on you, as long as you don't make a habit of it. As for the alcohol, it's not as if it's putting her into a coma or something. Plenty of people feel drowsy when taking in alcohol--it is a depressant afterall.

I think trying a rum and coke wouldn't be that bad. It's one thing if she's absolutely unable to stay awake after, as opposed to feeling sleepy and deciding that she'd like to go to sleep. This isn't meant as any "everyone must drink!" type of thing. She seems curious, so people have been offering suggestions.

Oh and being middle-aged doesn't mean you can't give good advice! Don't negate yourself like that. Age and experience often have a lot more to offer.

 

[JustKate]

Oh, a rum and coke doesn't sound bad - I was referring specifically to the mix-alcohol-with-large-doses-of-caffeine suggestion. Coke doesn't have that much caffeine in it, after all.

Oh and being middle-aged doesn't mean you can't give good advice! Don't negate yourself like that. Age and experience often have a lot more to offer.

Aw, thanks. I didn't necessarily mean that I didn't think I had anything to offer - I was really just referring to the plain fact that for most 51-year-olds (which is what I am), the days when we want to hang out with our friends and drink a lot are often long in the past, so I expect I find it a less significant problem than those of you who still do that kind of thing would.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Thanks for the input so far. I actually enjoy rum and coke and it is my drink of choice. That's about as straight up as I take my alcohol, I don't do shots, always mixed drinks.

I have tried Red Bull and rum in the past, but only sips. I wouldn't do it again because I am slightly allergic to caffeine. One small cup of caramel macchiato from Starbucks and I am sweaty and have a sick nervous feeling in my stomach, followed by lovely indigestion problems.

Actually, I think its a blood-sugar issue. Hypoglycemia.

If you ever get weak and shaky, break into cold sweats when you are hungry or feel light-headed and turn pale after consuming candy, ice cream or sodas you need your blood sugar checked.

That is really weird that you mention this because I have been thinking seriously about this recently. Throughout my life people have mentioned that I might have symptoms of this, and I'm beginning to believe them. If I'm hungry I get nervous, shaky, blurry vision, heart beating weirdly, nauseous sometimes. I figured that's how everyone felt, it just means you need to eat. But apparently it's worse with me. I am definitely the type that needs smaller meals every couple of hours.

I also have days where I am just dizzy all day, for no apparent reason. And it's always been an issue for me that when I get up too quickly from a lying position I have the black dots in my eyes, sometimes it covers my vision completely.

It doesn't affect me every day, just sometimes. But lately I have thought about it more because I am just so tired all the time, I literally don't have energy. Until I eat of course, and then I feel great for about an hour. And then the energy is gone again, even though I get 9 hours of sleep a night.

I don't get pale or light-headed after consuming candy though. I am obsessed with sweets and I feel good after eating them.

Could it be that my alcohol weirdness is related to this??


Oh, and yes, my questions come out of curiousity, not necessarily because I want to go out and get smashed with my friends or something. There are some drinks I enjoy but if someone told me I had to cut alcohol out of my life completely, I could do it easily.