You can be sure that researchers have been studying the effects of alcohol for decades. Even so, many aspects of alcohol’s effects are not clearly understood. Researchers do the best they can and have gleaned a lot of information about the reasons why alcohol affects people in different ways.
Before going forward, never forget that driving under the influence of alcohol always puts Oklahoma City residents at risk of being injured in a drunk driving accident. With that out of the way, here are a few reasons alcohol affects people — including seasoned motorists — in different ways.
- Rate of consumption: Gulping down drinks one right after another will cause a person to get drunk faster because the liver cannot keep up with the amount of alcohol entering the body.
- Drinking history: A person who drinks a lot on a regular basis may have built an immunity to alcohol’s effect. However, regular heavy drinkers can still cause a drunk driving accident.
- Genetic factors: Unfortunately, some people are born without enough enzymes to break alcohol down, which means they may be more prone to drunkenness.
- Gender: Because women have less body fluids and more body fat than men do they feel the effects of alcohol more strongly.
- When food was last consumed: A person who has eaten a meal before or while drinking may not feel the effects of alcohol as intensely as a person who drinks on an empty stomach.
As mentioned above, anyone who drives while intoxicated can still cause a serious drunk driving accident. This is so for the light drinker and for the heavy drinker as well. A personal injury attorney can offer you additional information if you have been injured in a drunk driving accident.
Source: Ask About Alcohol, “Why does alcohol affect people differently?,” accessed Sep. 29, 2017