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Harm Reduction Effects of different alcohols

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Voxide

Voxide

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Jul 12, 2010
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Can certain alcohols have different effects than others? I have heard that whiskey provides a more sedative and relaxed drunk while vodka makes one more stimulated. Any truth to this?
 
i have looked this up alot and while i would have to agree that different alcohols do h=give different buzzes there is no proof(or atleast none that i can find)
 
I HIGHLY doubt it. It may seem different, because people will drink different drinks in different situations, with different people. But alcohol is alcohol. Simple as that. All the same, just different %.
 
alcoholic liquids do feel different. i dont know about the science behind it, but i sure know it. of course it has to be attributed to things in the drink other than the ethanol.

I imagine it is a bunch of factors.

you know how when you eat something great, you feel good? and when you eat something gross, like a bunch of candy, you feel like shit? i'm sure this applies to the things in your alcoholic beverage other than ethanol.

the drunk from micro brews is different from that of thin beer. even more so from the liquor drunk. im sure a lot of this has to do with the rate of consumption, but i've also heard that hops have a slight psychoactive effect independent of alcohol. this would explain why a triple IPA from a micro brewery feels different than a vodka cranberry.
 
When you say 'different alcohols' most people would assume you mean methanol, ethanol, butanol etc. A little misleading. Actually now that I think about it most people might not think that and I could be in the minority...anyways...

It's a combination of what people have said above. Mindset, setting, other associations and external factors combined with sugar levels, larger amounts of liquid, speed of absorption etc.
 
in my experience the effects of different drinks really aren't that different. i think there may be some slight differences but i used to get different effects from drinking the same drink in roughly the same setting on different occasions, so random chance seemed to play a much larger role in the type of effects id get than what i was drinking.
 
Amapola covered this well - there are lots of factors that contribute here but much of this is individual. People will have slightly different experiences with different types of drinks... they may drink vodka fast one time after a long day at work so they expect it to make them pass out fast and this happens. They may sip on microbrews the same way each time they have them and associate the feeling that drinking pattern produced with the TYPE of drink.

This seems more likely the psychology, environment and culture surrounding the experience rather than the pharmacological effects.

The fact remains that if you drink enough, you will follow this basic progression of effects regardless if its moonshine or you're chugging gallons of NA Beer

0.02-0.03 BAC: No loss of coordination, slight euphoria and loss of shyness. Depressant effects are not apparent. Mildly relaxed and maybe a little lightheaded.

0.04-0.06 BAC: Feeling of well-being, relaxation, lower inhibitions, sensation of warmth. Euphoria. Some minor impairment of reasoning and memory, lowering of caution. Your behavior may become exaggerated and emotions intensified (Good emotions are better, bad emotions are worse)

0.07-0.09 BAC: Slight impairment of balance, speech, vision, reaction time, and hearing. Euphoria. Judgment and self-control are reduced, and caution, reason and memory are impaired, .08 is legally impaired and it is illegal to drive at this level. You will probably believe that you are functioning better than you really are.

0.10-0.125 BAC: Significant impairment of motor coordination and loss of good judgment. Speech may be slurred; balance, vision, reaction time and hearing will be impaired. Euphoria.

0.13-0.15 BAC: Gross motor impairment and lack of physical control. Blurred vision and major loss of balance. Euphoria is reduced and dysphoria (anxiety, restlessness) is beginning to appear. Judgment and perception are severely impaired.

0.16-0.19 BAC: Dysphoria predominates, nausea may appear. The drinker has the appearance of a "sloppy drunk."

0.20 BAC: Felling dazed, confused or otherwise disoriented. May need help to stand or walk. If you injure yourself you may not feel the pain. Some people experience nausea and vomiting at this level. The gag reflex is impaired and you can choke if you do vomit. Blackouts are likely at this level so you may not remember what has happened.

0.25 BAC: All mental, physical and sensory functions are severely impaired. Increased risk of asphyxiation from choking on vomit and of seriously injuring yourself by falls or other accidents.

0.30 BAC: STUPOR. You have little comprehension of where you are. You may pass out suddenly and be difficult to awaken.

0.35 BAC: Coma is possible. This is the level of surgical anesthesia.

0.40 BAC and up: Onset of coma, and possible death due to
respiratory arrest.
Click to expand...
 
this is somewhat off topic but does anyone disagree with the alcohol euphoria decreasing after you reach a BAC of .13 and dysphoria appearing? for me, the euphoria would usually get more intense as i progressed to levels of extreme drunkeness.
 
I have taken the piss out of many people for making statements such as "oooh I cant drink gin: it makes me cry," or "vodka makes me violent."

However, as I have gotten older I am conceding slightly.

Obviously hard liqour is going to have a faster onset and stronger effects, and beer a slower 'come-up'.

But I also think other actives may play their part (such as hops (beer) and wormwood (absinthe), as well as set/setting

Basically this:

hydroazuanacaine said:
alcoholic liquids do feel different. i dont know about the science behind it, but i sure know it. of course it has to be attributed to things in the drink other than the ethanol.

I imagine it is a bunch of factors.

you know how when you eat something great, you feel good? and when you eat something gross, like a bunch of candy, you feel like shit? i'm sure this applies to the things in your alcoholic beverage other than ethanol.

the drunk from micro brews is different from that of thin beer. even more so from the liquor drunk. im sure a lot of this has to do with the rate of consumption, but i've also heard that hops have a slight psychoactive effect independent of alcohol. this would explain why a triple IPA from a micro brewery feels different than a vodka cranberry.
Click to expand...
 
burn out said:
this is somewhat off topic but does anyone disagree with the alcohol euphoria decreasing after you reach a BAC of .13 and dysphoria appearing? for me, the euphoria would usually get more intense as i progressed to levels of extreme drunkeness.
Click to expand...

I knew someone was going to post some little point of disagreement! ;) Its a basic outline. We don't need everyone inventorying where they differ from it. We are ALL different. The major purpose of posing it was more for higher levels.

There is also going to be a profound difference in both dosage and effects of people who have a problem with alcohol (and sometimes just any addiction) versus the general population.
 
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i didn't mean to nitpick, it was something i was genuinely curious about because i've heard it so many times. i remember in college they had these posters trying to encourage students not to drink too much and they claimed the euphoria decreased with high doses but my experiences was always the opposite. but it could just be because i had problems with alcohol.
 
What about gin? It was originally distilled with juniper as a diuretic. Premium gins have so many botanicals, could that possibly alter the effects.
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Indeed it could. The chances though are a very slight non-psychoactive constituent is not going to measurably alter effects when compared to the large number of other variables.

For example I drink coffee with a little milk every morning and it immediately wakes me up and energizes me for the day. Yet if out for a nice dinner I will have espresso with dessert and it contributes to relaxation and I am still sleepy and tired. Both contain caffeine and the different effects can't really be attributed to volume of water. Furthermore if it is late at night and I have a regular coffee to stay up and do work, once again it is energizing. This is almost completely psychosomatic effects (perhaps minimal external factors such as a full stomach after a big meal etc.) but still useful.

Similarly if someone says tequila makes them go crazy I know it's likely a combination of the usual method of ingestion of taking straight shots of hard liquor, as well as an accompany party atmosphere, and past wild parties where it has happened (never mind the whole cultural attitude of "tequila makes her clothes fall off"). Still if they do drink tequila that night they do get a little crazy, perhaps even inadvertently. Is it caused by tequila the liquor, or is it caused by the thought of and taste of tequila?
 
amapola said:
Is it caused by tequila the liquor, or is it caused by the thought of and taste of tequila?
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acting crazy can probably be attributed to the ethanol and party environment. but you are just defeating one, exaggerated example. sure, this idea that tequila makes you act crazy and whiskey makes you fall asleep is nonsense.

but a 6-pack of hoppy bear versus a series of mixed drinks of equal volume and abv--drank at the same rate, sitting alone on your couch in front of a tv--will produce a slightly different buzz. jesus christ could appear in front of me and tell me i'm wrong and this is just placebo, and i'd doubt the guy.

but as already said by everyone, i'm sure it is a bunch of different factors--especially including rate of consumption. what i'm drinking makes a difference, but not to the extent of how fast i'm drinking it.
 
^That was a rhetorical question. Damn getting my point across on the internet. Sarcasm doesn't do well either.

but a 6-pack of hoppy bear versus a series of mixed drinks of equal volume and abv--drank at the same rate, sitting alone on your couch in front of a tv--will produce a slightly different buzz. jesus christ could appear in front of me and tell me i'm wrong and this is just placebo, and i'd doubt the guy.
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Well I'd doubt the guy because he thought he was Jesus Christ ;)

What if you had nonalcohol beer and mixed in some pure ethyl alcohol to 5%? Hell people start acting drunk if you tell them the punch is spiked even if it's not.

Either way everyone here is pretty much in agreement. Now just try some 2-methyl-2-butanol and you'll see the effects of different alcohols :D
 
amapola said:
Either way everyone here is pretty much in agreement. Now just try some 2-methyl-2-butanol and you'll see the effects of different alcohols :D
Click to expand...

I've heard this is less toxic than ethanol and is active after just one shot. Is it really all its cracked up to be, if you've tried it?
 
I've used it several times while canoe camping deep in the woods as opposed to lugging around gallons of liquor (20x more active). I'll pull up my trip report.
10min later...ah I thought I was going crazy it's in this thread Recreational Use of 2-Methyl-2-Butanol
Basically more hypnotic and sedating than euphoric, nasty burps, and less of a hangover. Who knows long term carcinogenic qualities if it or it's metabolites though :S
 
I've noticed if I drink high quality stuff (Grey Goose, Jack Daniels, Patron) I get drunk on a lot less, as well as a more lucid, clean drunk. 99% of the cheap stuff is natural grain spirits (basically everclear), which make the alcohol percentage debatable. For example, when I was a huge alcoholic, I used to drink Thompsons Whiskey (~$12 a handle) and it's 75% everclear and 25% real whiskey. I could easily drink 1-1.5 liters of Thompsons a day, but when I had 5-6 shots of expensive alcohol I would feel the same or even better. I don't really think it's the type of alcohol (ex. rum, vodka, tequila, beer), but rather the quality.

another example is I drink high gravity beer a lot, including one called dog bite (10%abv). although one of the 24oz cans is equivalent to 4 "normal" beers, I can drink 2 beers from Stone Brewery or Great Divide (excellent brews) and feel far more drunk than off the "high gravity" beer
 
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