Holding your liquor is a good thing, right?

The rest of the party-goers seem to succumb easily to the effects of liquor. But not you.

While they get sillier and sloppier, you hold steady. It’s as if you have a superpower—an immunity to the intoxicating effects of booze.

Perhaps practice has given you stamina.

Or maybe you have a genetic advantage, making you drunk-proof.

However, this unique capability of yours may actually be a liability.

The very thing that gives you the illusion of being indestructible may be a red flag for future alcohol problems.

How can that be?

You can think of the sensation of being drunk as a gauge or a sensor. “Feeling drunk” is your body’s way of letting you know how much alcohol you’ve had.

While other people are getting clear feedback about their blood alcohol level, you aren’t.

Imagine a house where the smoke detectors don’t work. Such a house is not tougher or safer. It can’t “hold its fire” so to speak.

Because the fire can grow larger before it is noticed, the house is more vulnerable.

Another illustration: Think about having a disorder that damages the nerves in your hand. Because of it, you can no longer feel when your hand is cut, bruised, or burned.

With such a disorder, you could do some spectacular party tricks: “Look, I can stick a needle through my palm!” [Women swoon at the sight of your manly acts of bravery].

But that amazing ability also means you don’t notice when you’ve slammed the car door on your fingers or touched a hot stove.

Having the disorder doesn’t mean your hand can’t be damaged—it just means you can’t feel it.

Alcohol drinkers who can “hold their liquor,” may be lulled into a false sense of safety. It might be a cool party-trick to be the last man standing. But your liver, heart, and stomach might be suffering.

You also aren’t any safer as a driver.

You may feel like a conquering warrior when you drive your wounded comrades home. But if you drank the same amount as--or more than—your friends, your blood alcohol is just as high.

You may look more sober than your buddy who is passed out in the back seat or the one who is puking out the window.

But if pulled over—you’ll get a DUI charge commensurate with your blood alcohol-level regardless of how “fine” you feel.

The other side of the coin

Having a high tolerance doesn’t mean you are “an alcoholic.” It also might not signal an immediate danger.

It is a risk factor, though. And there is no harm in chatting with your doctor about it. Your physician is trained to provide sound advice about the health effects of alcohol consumption.

This website is a great resource.

https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/

Also, Resilient Recovery can be a great resource to explore the place of alcohol in your life. We don’t tell anyone whether they should quit or cut back—but we will offer you a no-judgment zone where you can consider your options. We support you no matter what conclusion you come to.