When you’re out on the town having a heavy drinking session, it’s almost impossible to gauge how drunk you are, according to a new study. If the people around you are inebriated, it’s more likely you will underestimate your level of drunkenness.
You can estimate how intoxicated you are by counting the units of alcohol that you drink or trying to walk in a straight line. However, most of us base of sobriety, not on ourselves, but on the people around us.
The study, published in the BMC Public Health journal, was carried out in Wales city-centre pubs and clubs between the hours of 8pm and 3am on Friday and Saturday evenings. Researchers took to the streets and breathalysed 1,862 people who were on average 27 years old.
They also asked 400 people how drunk they thought they were, how heavily they had been drinking that evening, and how they thought habitual drinking may affect their health. The participants ranked themselves on a scale from 1 (sober) to 10 (incredibly drunk).
The results showed that people perceived themselves as moderately drunk and moderately at risk of health problems such as cirrhosis of the liver. The breathalyser showed the breath-alcohol concentration to be 47.3mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, on average. This is much higher than the drink-driving limit of 35mg.
When analysing the data, lead author of the paper Professor Simon Moore noted that, despite having the same breath-alcohol concentration, those who were surrounded with heavy drinkers perceived themselves as less inebriated. Whereas, those who spent time with modest drinkers had a better gauge on their own intoxication.
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“People don’t see an objective reality,” says Moore. “Their feelings of risk and intoxication are not based on the perceptions of the individuals themselves.” So, you should stop comparing yourself to your friends in the bar because it’s likely you’re drunker than you think you are.
“It appears that drinkers are more self-aware of their own level of intoxication when in the presence of those who are sober,” says the study. The solution? Go out with a mate who stays relatively sober or a designated driver. This is always a good way to rank how drunk you are because you will recognise the sobriety of the other person.
Pacing yourself is another option. Opt for soft drinks in between your alcoholic beverages. Try to avoid premium lagers with their high alcohol content, drink slowly, and eat a hearty meal before you start on the alcohol.
Professor Moore is concerned about excessive drinking, not only because of the liver damage it causes, but also the effects it can have in the present. High alcohol intake puts you at risk of violence, inhaling your own vomit and alcohol poisoning. He worries that the severe intoxication you see in towns late at night is perceived as normal because it is so common, but it is actually very dangerous.
This results of this study are aimed at everyone, not just those under thirty. Everyone ranks themselves against others when it comes to how they perceive themselves — just think about wellbeing and wealth.
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