Eli5: what is really happening when we “sober up” while drunk and in a serious situation

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What I mean by that is I’ve heard countless stories of people who say that when they are drunk, and something happens to, let’s say, a friend, and they can’t take care of themselves, they can “sober up” and handle the situation, even though they’re also just as drunk most of the time. Obviously, that’s not how alcohol works in the body, so what is really happening when someone can go from being in a drunken state to a sober, alert state almost like a flipping a switch?

In: Biology

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Alcohol is a depressant, it slows you down.

Adrenaline is a stimulant, it speeds you up. (So is caffeine, which is why you hear about coffee sobering people up)

The stimulant negates some of the effects of the alcohol. You are still drunk, and you still should not be trusted with serious decisions when someone sober can make the decisions.

Also, as soon as the adrenaline wears off, you go right to being just as drunk as before.

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