What Does It Mean To “Hold Your Liquor”?

It’s Friday night, and you’re at a party. The laughter is infectious, and the alcohol is flowing. As you sip your water (and avoid a painful aftermath), you observe a friend who seems to handle his cocktails like a seasoned sailor. While others begin to show the telltale signs of tipsiness, this friend remains steady and unshaken — a guy who can “hold his liquor.”

What does that really mean? Is it something you win in the genetic lottery or something you can develop? Let’s unpack this phenomenon to understand why a high alcohol tolerance isn’t as great as it may seem.

What “Hold Your Liquor” Means

“Holding your liquor” means we don’t appear significantly intoxicated after consuming a relatively large quantity of alcohol. When we drink, alcohol impacts our central nervous system, which can lead to decreased coordination and balance, slurred speech, impaired judgment, and confusion. Someone who is able to “hold their liquor” may not display these typical signs (or may display them less noticeably). They also may experience limited acute adverse effects from alcohol, such as feeling tired or ill. We might also describe them as having a “high tolerance for alcohol,” meaning they’re less sensitive to, or less affected by, alcohol. 

A higher tolerance for alcohol means that we may be able to drink more than others before experiencing the same physiological response. However, it doesn’t change the risks alcohol poses to our body. To understand why, let’s first explore how alcohol affects our body. 

Biological Basis of Alcohol Tolerance

Alcohol tolerance is affected by how our body breaks down and processes alcohol (alcohol metabolism): the more alcohol we drink and the more time it lingers in our body, the more effects we’ll feel. There are many biological factors that affect alcohol metabolism.

• Genetic predisposition and family history. Enzymes that help break down alcohol can vary depending on our genetics. This also explains why some of us are alcohol intolerant and others aren’t.
• Gender. Men tend to have higher tolerance for several reasons. Research shows that women have less alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), an enzyme that helps break down alcohol. Women also tend to be smaller than men, which means they have less fluid to dilute the alcohol consumed.
• Age. Older age typically means more alcohol consumed, which usually means higher tolerance. However, our ability to metabolize alcohol also declines, increasing the risk of detrimental health effects.
• Body weight. More body weight typically means more fluid to dilute alcohol. However, body composition also matters. Muscle contains more water than fat, meaning that alcohol may be more diluted in someone with more muscle than someone with more fat, even with the same weight. So if we have two people with the same body weight but one is more muscular than the other, the one with less muscle iss likely to feel intoxicated more quickly.

If our body metabolizes alcohol more efficiently, we may feel less affected, increasing our alcohol tolerance. But that’s not all. Let’s delve into the numerous other factors that affect individual alcohol tolerance.

Other Influential Factors of Alcohol Tolerance

While genetics and body composition play a major role, other situational factors also contribute to how we can “hold our liquor”: 

• Consumption factors. The presence of food in our stomach or our hydration levels can influence how quickly alcohol is absorbed, impacting the effects we feel from alcohol. 
• Perception of alcohol. Research shows that how we perceive alcohol can change the effects we feel. For example, wine, which is commonly associated with feelings of sophistication and relaxation, reportedly produces effects such as euphoria and calmness. Beer, on the other hand, which can have the same alcohol content as some wines, is more commonly associated with energy and confidence.
• Emotional factors. Our emotions and personality traits can impact our drinking behavior. For example, if we’re feeling stressed, we may subconsciously drink more as a way to self-medicate.
• Behavioral adaptations. Many of our behaviors are learned. This means that, over time, we can learn to manage our alcohol intake, which affects our tolerance. Social and environmental cues also may impact our behavior. Let’s say networking events at our job occur over happy hour. Since we want to make sure we present ourselves professionally, our brain and body may adapt to a certain level of alcohol and change our response to it.
• Repeated alcohol exposure. Repeated alcohol exposure decreases our sensitivity to it. Our brain and body get used to alcohol’s presence in our system. 

Understanding the multitude of factors that contribute to alcohol tolerance sets the stage for dealing with the real-life implications of high alcohol tolerance, both the positives and negatives. 

Advantages and Disadvantages of High Alcohol Tolerance

High alcohol tolerance is a bit of a double-edged sword, offering what seem like benefits but also carrying significant drawbacks.

The Bright(er) Side

While a higher alcohol tolerance appears to have some positives, it’s important to note that these “benefits” are actually harmful in the long run. Higher alcohol tolerance can indicate less sensitivity to alcohol and result in reduced acute effects for drinkers.

• They may have reduced GI discomfort.
• They’re less likely to vomit.
• They may have reduced risk of accidents from impaired coordination or balance.
• They may appear more clearheaded.

Less discomfort sounds great, but it actually increases our risk of alcohol-related damage. Since we don’t get intoxicated as easily as those with lower tolerance, we may keep drinking, leading us down the rabbit hole of alcohol’s risks.

The Dark Side

Excessive drinking increases the risk of short-term and long-term harm. Since we may not feel the immediate effects of alcohol, we may end up drinking more — increasing the risk of alcohol poisoning and worse hangovers.

Excessive drinking, as we know, can lead to liver damage as well as cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes, and much more. In fact, the CDC reports that the majority of alcohol-related mortalities are due to long-term alcohol-related health issues.

With excessive drinking and elevated alcohol tolerance, our prospects for developing alcohol dependence increase. Tolerance is actually a diagnostic criterion for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Constant exposure to alcohol manipulates our brain’s reward system and causes our body to adapt to the high levels of alcohol in our system. As a result, it becomes more and more difficult for us to quit or cut back as we continue damaging our mental and social well-being.

Now that we’ve explored the pros and cons, let’s turn to practical strategies for mindful drinking while managing a higher tolerance.

Practicing Mindful Drinking With High Alcohol Tolerance

Research shows that high alcohol tolerance can be a predictor of alcohol dependence and AUD. This means that those of us with high alcohol tolerance should be even more careful when choosing to drink. 

• Use different indicators. Signs of intoxication are typically a good indicator that we’ve had enough to drink. However, since higher alcohol tolerance decreases our sensitivity, normal signs of intoxication may not appear until we’re far over our limit. Identify personal signs such as getting “drunchies” or count the number of drinks you’ve had instead of looking out for typical signs like feeling nauseous or off-balance. 
• Identify triggers. High alcohol tolerance increases the risk of dependence. By identifying and avoiding our triggers for drinking, we can develop strategies to drink more mindfully.
• Set limits. Follow moderation guidelines or track your current consumption to develop goals to cut back. This way you’ll have a set stopping point rather than relying solely on how you feel while drinking. 
• Quit or cut back. High tolerance is commonly associated with excessive drinking. Quitting or cutting back on alcohol helps us prevent the risks associated with heavy drinking.
• Find alternatives. There are plenty of non-alcoholic alternatives that allow us to join in on the social aspect of drinking without all the negative health effects. Better yet, shift the focus away from drinking-centered activities to more authentically fulfilling ones like exercise, hobbies, or time with loved ones.
• Seek support. Remember how alcohol can hijack our brain’s reward system? Well, this can make quitting or cutting back on alcohol a challenge. But we don’t have to do it alone! Explore different types of social support or professional treatment options to support you on your journey to better health!

Drinking mindfully can reduce the risks associated with high alcohol tolerance, but it’s beneficial for anyone who consumes alcohol, regardless of their tolerance level. 

A New Perspective

“Holding your liquor” is generally thought to be a benefit for anyone who chooses to drink, but we now know that high alcohol tolerance is associated with many risks. It can lead to excessive drinking, which increases the risk of alcohol dependence, alcohol use disorder (AUD), and a host of health problems. For those of us looking to develop a healthier relationship with alcohol, it’s important to understand and redefine this concept. “Holding your liquor” shouldn’t be about consuming large quantities of alcohol without consequence, but instead understanding our limits and making mindful choices. Cheers to celebrating not how much we can drink, but how well we can navigate our relationship with alcohol!