I’ve seen people claim that getting drunk off of X causes them to party, while getting drunk off of Y causes them to sleep, and getting drunk off of Z causes them to be more depressed, but X causes them to be more happy, etc.
Is this actually true? If so,
– I presume it’s dependent on the person, so what physical or mental differences in a person make them more or less likely?
– What about the alcohols could affect this?
– How does what you mix it with take a role? (Like do Citrus mix-ins have a different effect than caffeine mix-ins, etc).
If it’s not true:
– Why do people claim that it’s true so fervently?
Edit: So the consensus seems to be “The difference comes from the atmosphere and emotions you have going in. The alcohol itself likely has little difference. However, some alcohol has more or less histamines, melatonin, or are often paired with things with more sugar or caffeine, or contain more or less fluids to hydrate, so these all may play roles”.
In: Chemistry
Alcohol is a simple chemical with complex effects. The balance of those effects varies from person to person, and it also varies with the rate of absorption and the rate at which alcohol is metabolized.
The *first* effect of alcohol is to give a boost of energy. (Your body can burn alcohol even faster than sugar.) The sedative/depressant effects come on a bit more slowly, and build over some time, while the energy effect drops off quickly. This gives rise to the odd effect that the more you drink, the more you feel like you “need another drink” to restore your energy. You’re chasing the energy boost (one effect) to fight off the sedation (another effect).
Two common things that seem to affect the metabolism of alcohol are water and sugar. You’ll clear alcohol more quickly if you’re well hydrated. Sugar seems to slow the clearance of alcohol. So beer, for example, in addition to having hops (which have a mild psychoactive component), ensures you’re getting plenty of water along with your alcohol. That will change the balance of effects compared to, say, drinking straight shots of whiskey.
It’s entirely plausible that different mixes affect the same person differently, and that different people are affected differently, because of the complex interplay between the various effects of alcohol and the influence any other changes in body condition can have on absorption and metabolism. I see no reason to doubt people’s observations of their own experience.
(However, people are misattributing the *cause* of the differences if they think the alcohol itself is different — ethanol, the alcohol people drink, is one single, specific chemical. There are no differences in the alcohol itself.)
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