Eli5 Why does the addition of sugar make alcohol seem much stronger

Question

Just had an old fashioned equaling what I normally drink straight in whiskey over the same time period; why do I feel so much more drunk?

In: 11

Answer 1

Your imagination. I’m not trying to insult the idea or anything, but often times if you think something is true your brain will go out of its way to make it true, it’s called the placebo effect. Many people have stories of their friends getting “drunk” when they were really drinking non alcoholic drinks like cider. If you think sugar in your drinks will make you feel more drunk then it is quite likely to make you feel more drunk, even when there’s no actual biological reason for it.