Tolerance: Why Your Body Needs More for the Same Effect

Whether it be to get that buzzed feeling, enjoy social gatherings and/or cope with life’s stressors, there are many motivations behind choosing to drink. Consider what motivates you to drink and think about how it impacts your tolerance to alcohol. When you develop a tolerance, you experience a reduced response to the effects of alcohol over time, meaning you must drink more to feel the same effects. You may think having high tolerance is a good thing, especially socially, but it can have serious negative effects on your health. A higher tolerance to alcohol may mean you consume more alcohol than you realize or plan to, especially if you are drinking to experience a desired effect, like that ‘buzz.’ Increased tolerance can be dangerous as it may be a contributing factor to dependence and possible alcohol use disorder (AUD). As a Warfighter, it’s important to think about your limits when consuming alcohol since staying operationally ready is essential to your health and the wellbeing of your unit.

Factors Impacting Tolerance

There are certain factors that are within your control and others that aren’t.

Different Types of Tolerance

Metabolic tolerance is when the liver becomes better at processing alcohol. Your body is constantly learning and adapting, so when you drink more over time, the liver becomes more efficient. That’s why you may feel you need more in order to feel the buzz you used to experience with less. Even if your tolerance increases, the body can only process around one standard alcoholic drink per hour. This does not mean consuming alcohol, especially in excess, is safe or recommended. The goal isn’t to increase your tolerance, but to reflect on your body’s cues if you consume alcohol.

Environmental tolerance occurs when you routinely drink in a familiar setting. For example, two or three drinks may impact your differently at home versus at a new restaurant. It’s common to feel the effects of alcohol sooner in new environments. If you do drink, take note of how alcohol affects you at home compared to in a new place. You may notice a difference in how your body responds.

Impact on Readiness

If you developed a tolerance, how often and how much you drink is likely high. If you drink to get drunk with a high tolerance, you will probably have a blood alcohol content (BAC) much higher than you intended because it takes more drinks to experience that buzzed feeling. When drinking, your decision making and motor skills are impaired, and risky behavior can increase. Negative health effects increase as your BAC rises, as well. Poor decisions when using alcohol can lead to severe consequences like drinking and driving, aggressive behavior and legal trouble. You may think you are not as impaired as you actually are with a high tolerance, which puts your (and others’) health and safety at risk.

You’ll also likely be less productive the next day while nursing a hangover. If consuming large amounts of alcohol in the hours before work, you may still be intoxicated when reporting for duty. Overall, your workplace and unit performance can be impacted if you can’t carry out your job duties due to alcohol use. It may also erode unit cohesion and trust among your teammates. Legally, alcohol-related arrests and disciplinary action can lead to loss of rank and pay or separation from service. Your alcohol use could cost you your career.