Getting drunk is easy, but getting drunk in a responsible manner is not always so simple. How many beers to get drunk? It’s not as straightforward as you might think. Everyone is different, and several factors play into how quickly your body processes alcohol and its effects on your body.
The number of standard 12 oz. beers for an average adult man of 86 – 90 kilograms (190 – 200 pounds) to get drunk is approximately four (4) to five (5) beers with 5% ABV taken in one hour while for an adult woman of 73 – 77 kilograms (160 – 170 pounds), it may take three (3) to four (4) beers taken in an hour to get drunk. However, different beers have different alcohol volumes (ABV) and thus may be a bit different in the way they may you drunk.
For example, Bud Light ABV is 4.2% which is different from Heineken Light with 3.3% ABV. Whether you’re drinking beer for the first time or coming back to it after some time away, understanding how many beers get you drunk can help ensure that you have a good time while also keeping yourself out of harm’s way.
That said, getting drunk isn’t always a bad thing. Research has shown that drinking in moderation can be beneficial to your health, so long as you don’t go overboard and give yourself a negative experience with alcohol. You can always test your BAC using a breathalyzer and we recommend BACtrack C8 Breathalyzer or BACtrack S80 Breathalyzer to keep track of your blood alcohol content.
How Many Beers Does It Take To Get Drunk?
The number of beers for an average adult man of 86 – 90 kilograms (190 – 200 pounds) to get drunk is approximately four (4) to five (5) beers of 5% ABV taken in one hour while for an adult woman of 73 – 77 kilograms (160 – 170 pounds) it may take three (3) to four (4) beers taken in an hour to get drunk. However, different beers have different alcohol volumes (ABV) and thus may be a bit different in the way they may you drunk.
A case of beer will thus intoxicate 5 to 6 average men. When we think about getting drunk, we tend to think about the number of alcoholic drinks we consume. However, what most people don’t realize is that the number of drinks is not the sole determining factor in how drunk you get.
The amount of alcohol you consume is just one aspect that contributes to your blood alcohol content (BAC) level. BAC is the amount of alcohol in your bloodstream, and it’s the main factor in determining how drunk you get.
The rate at which your body processes the alcohol and its rate of elimination are also crucial factors that influence how many beers to get drunk by weight.
| Weight in males OR females | Beers (5% ABV) for men to get drunk in 1 hour | Beers (5% ABV) for women to get drunk in 1 hr |
| 120 pounds | 3 beers | 2 beers |
| 150 pounds | 4 beers | 2 beers |
| 180 pounds | 5 beers | 3 beers |
| 200 pounds | 6 beers | 4 beers |
| 250 pounds | 6 beers | 4 beers |
How many 8 percent beers to get drunk?
We have discussed that an average man will get drunk by taking about four to five beers if they are healthy and in an hour. This will elevate the blood alcohol content to about 0.08 percent. However, this is for the average beer with a 5% ABV.
When taking eight percent beers, an average man will get drunk by taking three to four beers in an hour. For an average woman, it will take two to three eight percent beers to get intoxicated.
An eight percent alcohol by volume (ABV) beer is 1.6 times stronger than one five percent ABV beer. This means that the amount of liquor to get drunk depends on its characteristics, health state, body weight, and body type.
The amount of alcohol to make a man or woman drunk may vary. Some people get intoxicated even before reaching the standard to identify legal intoxication which is a BAC of 0.08%.
What Factors Determine How Many Beers to Get Drunk?
The number of beers that it takes to get you drunk depends on several factors.
Some of the most important factors include your body weight, height, gender, age, and the type of beer. Other factors include the food in your stomach, the ABV of the beer, and your tolerance.
Let’s examine each of these factors in detail.
Body Weight and Height
Generally, the taller and heavier you are, the more alcohol it will take to get drunk. This is because alcohol is processed more slowly in larger people than in smaller people.
The heavier and taller you are, the more alcohol it will take to get you drunk. For example, an average-sized woman who is 5’6” and weighs around 130 pounds will get drunk from three (3) beers in an hour if they are 5% ABV. A 180-pound woman will need to take 4 regular beers in an hour to get drunk.
This is why we have the classification of people using the weight bands above. People of the same gender who have a lower percentage of body fat (have a lower weight) and also less water in their body will have lower blood alcohol content (BAC) by having more alcohol in their blood.
Women in most cases tend to have a smaller weight compared to their male counterparts and thus they get intoxicated faster. Thus for the smaller body, alcohol has less room to spread out, markedly increasing the BAC.
Finally, the blood alcohol content of a shorter person with a smaller body will definitely be higher than that of a larger person who consumes the same amount of alcohol in an hour. This is because the alcohol of the smaller man is concentrated in a smaller body mass.
Gender and Age
Women typically have less body water than men, which means they process alcohol differently. Women also generally have less of an enzyme that breaks down alcohol in the liver (known as alcohol dehydrogenase or ADH) than men.
Moreover, your gender is another major factor that determines how many beers to get drunk. Women typically have less body water than men, which means they process alcohol differently.
Women of the same weight as men tend to have a higher concentration of alcohol after drinking the same amount of alcohol. As you get older, you may need to drink less to get drunk since your metabolism slows down with age.
These factors have little to no impact on the number of beers that it takes to get drunk. However, older adults are more likely to experience negative health effects from drinking than younger adults.
Food in Your Stomach
Having food in your stomach while you are drinking can slow the rate of alcohol absorption. This means that the alcohol will be in your system longer, leading to a higher BAC
The type of food you eat before you drink can have a significant impact on how quickly the alcohol gets into your bloodstream and how drunk you become.
A high-protein meal will help your body break down and metabolize alcohol more slowly than a high-carb meal. For example, a steak dinner followed by a couple of beers will take longer to make you drunk than a bowl of pasta followed by a couple of beers.
It is important to note that other than time, there is nothing that can lower BAC, and thus don’t rush to take a lot of water, coffee, cold showers, exercises, charcoal, and bananas. Food may lower the rate at which your BAC increases but once it has increased, you will need to give your body time to metabolize the alcohol.
Alcohol is processed in the liver and broken down and thus exercising and sweating will not lower the concentration of alcohol in your body. Actually, only 2-5% of alcohol is excreted unchanged in sweat, urine, or breath but over 90% of alcohol is eliminated by the liver.
Beer Brand and ABV
Depending on the beer brand, the number of beers to get drunk will vary. The ABV, alcohol volume percentage of each beer brand may be different. Generally, the strength of the beer is indicated on the can or bottle by percentage ABV.
For example, a beer with 5% ABV will have less alcohol in it than a beer with 8% ABV. A lighter beer may also have fewer calories than a darker beer, so keep that in mind as you decide which beers to drink.
The type of beer that you drink can either help or hinder your BAC level depending on the ABV of the beer. For example, an 8% ABV beer will get you drunk faster than a 5% ABV beer. It is also important to note that not all beers have the same ABV as some may be lower and some may be higher
Tolerance
Your tolerance, or how quickly your body builds up a resistance to the effects of alcohol, will also determine how long it takes to get drunk. If you regularly drink alcohol, your body will become more accustomed to its effects and will process the alcohol more quickly.
Therefore, some people have developed a high alcohol tolerance. These people seem to drink a lot without getting intoxicated.
Tolerance to alcohol occurs since our bodies tend to adjust to the persistent presence of elevated amounts of alcohol in the blood. Thus, your body develops the ability to process alcohol faster.
Your tolerance refers to your level of alcohol tolerance, and it will play a large role in the number of beers it takes to get you drunk. However, it is important to ensure this is not your condition since it will point to liver disease later in your life.
How Long Does Beer Take to Get You Drunk?
It takes at least 30 minutes after taking beer for the effects to be felt. However, the period before you get drunk is dependent on several things as described above.
The best way to determine how long it takes for beer to get you drunk is to check your blood alcohol content (BAC) level. For example, a BAC of 0.08% is considered legally drunk in the United States.
In fact, in many states, you can be charged with drunk driving if your BAC exceeds 0.08%. Thus, a man of approximately 100 pounds (45 kg) in weight can become intoxicated after two or three drinks taken within an hour.
It will take an hour for your body to metabolize a drink. Therefore, if you drink more than a beer every 30 minutes, you are likely to get drunk pretty quickly since the effects are felt without metabolizing all the imbibed beer.
It will take 6 hours for the effects of being drunk to wear off without counting the period that it takes to get detoxified or the hangover period. However, the period may be longer or shorter depending on the base blood alcohol content.
Which Beers Get You Drunk the Fastest?
There are no hard-and-fast rules here, but some beers are generally known to get you drunk more quickly than others.
Brewmeister Snake Venom is the beer that gets you drunk the fastest since it has an ABV of 67.5 percent. This is 10 times higher than most beers in the market.
Generally, a lager or pilsner will get you drunk more quickly than an ale, stout, or porter. Lagers and pilsners are fermented at cooler temperatures, which produces fewer sugars than ales and stouts. Fewer sugars mean a lighter-bodied beer that will get you drunk faster.
Moreover, taking beer cocktails, especially on an empty stomach, and drinking your beers faster can make you drunk faster.
Related: Difference between lager and pilsner beer
How Many Bud Lights (4.2% ABV) To Get Drunk?
A 190-pound man will need seven to eight cans (eight ounces) of Bud Light to get to a BAC of 0.08 percent and above in one hour and about nine bottles in two hours. The Bud Light beers are 4.2% ABV and have about 110 calories per can.
For 12 oz cans, it will take 5 to 6 drinks for a 190-pound man to get drunk within an hour and 3 to 4 cans for a 150-pound woman to get buzzed when taken within an hour.
How Many Budweisers (5% ABV) To Get Drunk?
It will take four Budweiser 12-ounce bottles in one hour to give a 190-pound man a buzz. The Budweiser beers are 5% ABV and have about 145 calories; 10.6 g carbohydrates; 1.3 g protein; and 0.0 g fat in a 12 oz. serving.
How Many Coors Light (4.2% ABV) To Get Drunk?
A 190-pound man will need seven to eight cans (eight ounces) of Coors to get to a BAC of 0.08 percent and above in one hour and about nine bottles in two hours. The Coors Light beers are 4.2% ABV and have about 102 calories in the Coors Light 12 oz. can.
For 12, oz cans, it will take 5 to 6 drinks for a 190-pound man to get drunk within an hour and 3 to 4 cans for a 150-pound woman to get buzzed when taken within an hour.
How Many Miller Lites (4.2% ABV) to Get Drunk?
It will take three to four Miller Lites (12 oz.) in one hour to get to the legally drunk level for the average male. The Miller Lites beers are 4.2% ABV and have about 96 calories per 12 oz. serving.
Alcohol-Free Beer
If you are taking the alcohol-free beer with the maximum threshold for non-alcoholic beer, it will require at least 40 cans of non-alcoholic beer taken within an hour to get drunk. Therefore, it will kill you with calories and water volume in the stomach before you get drunk.
You can not get drunk by taking a beer with less than 0.5% ABV. The alcohol-free beers have less than 0.5% ABV and do not get you drunk at all. With the maximum threshold, ten standard servings of non-alcoholic beer are equal to one regular beer.
Even if you take as many as you can, you will not get intoxicated. However, taking too much alcohol-free beer can be harmful to your health especially when you consider the number of calories that you will be taking.
Therefore, you can enjoy alcohol-free beer and still drive or operate heavy machinery. However, just like beer, if you take a lot of it, you will spend quite a considerable amount of time in the washroom.
How Long Does Being Drunk Last?
Getting drunk is a rapid process. It takes only about an hour for alcohol to get from your mouth to your bloodstream.
Once alcohol is in your blood, it quickly travels throughout your body (including your brain) and becomes metabolized—or broken down by your liver—at a rate of about one drink per hour.
It can take anywhere between one to five hours for someone to metabolize a single drink. This means that when you’re drinking, it’s important to be careful about how much you consume.
Excessive alcohol intake can lead to a state of being that’s generally referred to as being “drunk”. Being drunk can harm your health and well-being and can even lead to serious injury or death if you consume alcohol to an excessive level.
Get your BACtrack C8 Breathalyzer or BACtrack S80 Breathalyzer to help you keep track of your alcohol levels.
When Does Drinking Become Dangerous?
There is no specific amount of alcohol that can be called safe. That said, consuming alcohol in moderation can be beneficial to your health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) even recommends that people have one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.
That said, there is a difference between having a “drink” and having a “drunk”. Drink responsibly!
Drunkenness Level
The following stages are seen when taking beer:
| Stage of drunkness | Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) |
| Sobriety | 0.01 to 0.05 BAC |
| Blissfulness | 0.03 to 0.12 BAC |
| Excitement | 0.09 to 0.25 BAC |
| Blurriness | 0.18 to 0.30 BAC |
| Numbness | 0.25 to 0.40 BAC |
| Coma | 0.35 to 0.45 BAC |
| Death | 0.45 BAC or more |
The drunkenness levels are based on a typical adult man weighing around 90 kilograms who drink 5% ABV beer. Alcohol concentrations are different in women, children, and people who are overweight.
The table below shows the approximate levels of intoxication based on the number of drinks consumed. Keep in mind that these numbers are only estimates and that each person will metabolize alcohol differently.
How Can You Tell When You Are Drunk?
The only way to know if you are drunk or not is by knowing what being drunk feels like. Being drunk is a subjective experience, which means that it affects different people in different ways.
What may be considered being drunk for one person may not be considered being drunk for another person. Getting drunk for the first time can be an exciting, but also potentially scary experience.
It’s important to be aware of the physical and mental signs and symptoms of being drunk so that you can take the necessary precautions and make sure you don’t do anything to harm yourself.
Finding the Right Approach for You
There are various reasons why people choose to drink, including socialization, celebration, stress reduction, or even as a way to self-medicate. Having one or two beers as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle is perfectly fine.
However, there are a few things you can do to make sure you don’t overdo it and negatively impact your health.
First, make sure you are consuming the right beer. Drink responsibly! Next, it’s important to monitor your intake. How many beers to get drunk varies from person to person, so it’s important to pay attention to your limits.
Finally, it’s important to make sure you are drinking in moderation as opposed to drinking excessively. Excessive drinking can be harmful to your health.
Conclusion
When it comes to getting drunk, the number of beers you drink is only one factor. Your BAC level, which is determined by the number of beers you drink and how quickly your body metabolizes and eliminates the alcohol, will determine how drunk you get.
The best way to avoid getting too drunk is to drink responsibly since the more beer you take the more you get intoxicated, eat some food while you drink, and stay hydrated.
While getting drunk might be fun, it can also lead to unpleasant experiences such as blackouts or drunk driving. So make sure to take care of yourself and your friends while drinking beer.
Citations
https://greatist.com/play/why-does-alcohol-make-you-drunk
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-long-does-it-take-for-alcohol-to-kick-in
As someone who tends to feel the effects of alcohol quite strongly (I get drunk within the first 3 beers frustrating). That consuming only three beers induces intoxication while my friend takes 6 with some shots of tequila. While you have explained that the number of beers needed to get drunk varies widely from person to person based on factors such as body weight, tolerance, and metabolism, I would like to know what can help me when drinking to ensure I don’t get intoxicated fast. Have you explored strategies for increasing the beer tolerance?
Thank you for the article Lee. Me and my friends were laughing when reading this article because we have a very small person in our group that has a high tolerance for alcohol. While one person might feel intoxicated after a few beers, another may require more. We have also realized that having a meal with lot’s of protein and starch reduces the beer effects on our bodies. And Lee, does the intoxication level change when I use a beer compared to whiskey?
Yes, Helvey. The intoxication level can vary when comparing beer to whiskey due to differences in alcohol content and the rate of consumption. Whiskey generally has a higher alcohol by volume (ABV) than beer, so consuming a smaller volume of whiskey can lead to a quicker and more pronounced effect compared to drinking a larger volume of beer. Additionally, the speed at which alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream can differ, affecting the onset and intensity of intoxication. It’s important to be aware of the alcohol content in different beverages and to drink responsibly, considering individual tolerance and health factors.