Did your alcohol tolerence change around 40?

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At 41, it takes less to get buzzed and then druk now than it used to. I rarely got hungover, even when I way over did it. That's probably because I'd get the spins and puke my guts out before the sweet release of a coma like sleep.

I'm done with that! Done! A few years ago, I did get druk enough to puke, all over our new car. That was the last time. Now-a-days, about the time I hit druk, I hit the bed. The spinning nausia just isn't worth it.

Waking up in the back of a van in the middle of the day, wearing half my clothes, and wondering who's perfume I smell like is also behind me now.
 
beergolf said:
Youngsters...

61 here. I have learned how much I can drink and very rarely feel bad in the morning. The thing for me is to definitely have food before drinking. Drinking on an empty stomach will almost always make the effects worse. Pacing your drinking is important. If it is a high gravity brew then take you time. Don't zoom down a big boy Belgian. I can have 5-6 ( even fairly high gravity) brews and feel just fine in the morning. If I start at about 5 and have them over the course of 5-6 hours then I am good. If I drink them in 3 hours then all bets are off.

It is weird but sometimes get in more trouble drinking low gravity brews. They go down so much faster that I have more in a shorter time. That sets the pace for the evening and I just keep it up. I often drink a bigger beer or two first and then switch to lower gravity brews for the rest of the evening. I am drinking a dubbel right now. First one was at 4:45, just poured the second. Bigger beers seem to slow me down and I can still drink several of them, but the time is just streched out.
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soooo... you don't want to beer bong some Old Rasputins with me then?
 
it's to the point for me that sleep is more important on weekdays, I can have 1-2 but anything more and I wake up 3-4 after 3 hours of sleep. can't go back to sleep for an hour or two. I'm 46 and my body says you're drinking too much, I guess. so I binge on the weekends! :)
 
I think it depends on what high as to eat that day and how much sleep you got the night before on how you feel the next day. Also I would like to think the alcohol level is higher in craft beer typically so that plays into it more. Being over 40 does hurt more the next day but also has to do with tolerance level drops when your doing other things than partying every night like when in your 20s.
 
I'm 54. I started getting bad hangovers in my late 20s. By my early 30s I'd given up drinking because of the hangovers, I stopped for ~15 years.

Now I limit myself to 4 beers on the weekend nights, and no more than 1-2 during the week days. I'll drink more on a brew day. If I can sleep in, I feel much better in the morning. If I can't, I generally won't drink. More than 2 is enough to make me feel like crap.

Hangovers really suck, so I keep it under control. I haven't had a bad one in years. Mine will last 2 days, and I'm completely useless for that period of time.
 
Pancreas, Liver, Spleen, Kidneys all get tired and start to wear out as we age...I think that is whats causing some of the sweating and possibly contributes to some restless sleep, at least in my case anyway. Diabetes runs in the family too so I have to watch that a bit...drinking definitely doesn't help in that regard.
My job is fairly physical but the older I get that gets harder too maintain at the same level too..As the old saying goes "To bad youth is wasted on the young"
 
42 here and its not alcohol that is the problem with me these days, its the hoppy beers than kill me with indigestion more than anything else. I can only handle one IIPA or 2 IPAs per day or I am sucking on a pepto bismol bottle like its Kate Beckinsales (Kate in Underworld with those tight leathers was totally awesome) boob.

I usually contain myself on the days I drink more than others (weekends, get-togethers, etc.) to to only having 3-4 max even today. I am betting if I consumed 6 or more, I would probably be bad off but the thought of drinking more than 3-4max a day just is not something I am interested in actually doing anymore.
The 3-4 beers I do have however are usually 6% ABV or more so there is that.

I also think drinking craft beer is a much different animal than consuming michelob light or bud light. I could probably put away a 12-er of michelob light and not feel it at this point.
 
Things change as you age. You can either fear it, or embrace the journey.

I don't recall specifically anything related to my tolerance for alcohol changing around age 40 but my willingness to, shall we say, "overindulge" has declined with time. The next day is usually a loss, and I don't have time in my life to lose days to hangovers. Others may have different interests and priorities. I don't judge.

I have a regular poker game once a month w/ some buds. Started about, oh, 11 or 12 years ago. I could stay up until 2am and still be functional the next day. Beer was part of the night, but never sloppy stupid--it's not conducive to poker.

About 2 or 3 years ago, I started to realize that I tend to wake up the same time in the morning. If I got to bed at 2am, that just wasn't enough--and the next day is a loss, just like having a hangover. I now quit at midnight when we play. It's long enough.

Now, I'm a bit older than 40--I'm 58--but the message is the same for everyone: things change as you get older.

You can either fear the change or embrace the journey. The first doesn't sound that fun, but believe me, the second is much more enjoyable.

I don't have quite the stamina I once did, my lower back is a problem, I don't sleep as well as I did at one time. But you know what? There are tons of people in the cemetery that would be happy to change places with me.

You find workarounds. Ways to compensate. Alternatives. It's part of the journey--am I clever enough to find ways to still enjoy my life? Perhaps a decline in tolerance for alcohol will accompany a greater appreciation for other things, like certain beer styles.

I now have greater time and interest in learning about new things. I developed and published game theory for fantasy baseball. Learned to build golf clubs. Learned to golf passably well (shot a round of par once). Learned to play poker (not well, but I understand the theory :)). Learned firearm sports and reloading. And now, I'm learning to brew beer. It's interesting, complicated, but when you hit, you really HIT!

What I was once interested in, I'm not so much any more. New interests emerge. Our bodies change. It's part of the journey.

Enjoy it!
 
bbohanon said:
I also think drinking craft beer is a much different animal than consuming michelob light or bud light. I could probably put away a 12-er of michelob light and not feel it at this point.
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This. I can literally drink Miller Lite like water.

I can also drink Torpedo like water but don't try to play parcheesi with me after eight of em.
 
I have a system:

- Always leave time between stopping drinking and sleeping. Hard, but key. 1 hour minimum.
- Vitamin B supplement OR emergen-C packet
- Full stomach
- 2:1 beer/water ratio

I'm a wuss but if I follow my own rules I can drink like a god and survive the next morning.
 
I'm 46, and have learned alot about hangover prevention in my life.

Step 1...drink enough to kill you...or at least induce a coma. If you never wake up...no suffering.

Step 2...if you must wake up the next day to complete your "honey do list", take 2 aspirin, 2 vitamins and a large glass of water before bed.


If your 1st or current wife was/is anything like my 1st wife was....I recommend step 1. Again, no suffering.
 
Phew. This thread was a comforting read. 46 here, and I was worried that I was losing my youthful stamina. I'm glad you all have verified that I am indeed, and that it's completely normal. I'm good with a couple pints a night and 3-4 on a weekend night. More than that and the next day isn't near as enjoyable as I'd prefer it to be. FWIW, I started noticing sleep disruption about 40 also.
 
I'm my unscientific research with one test subject, me, I feel that beers like ales are more likely to cause me insomnia then are lagers. Could it be the variation in higher alcohols production at different fermentation temps? No idea but thought I'd toss it out for discussion.
 
It's the goddamn heartburn that gets me now ( 46 y/o this year ). Feel okay when I go to sleep then about an hour later I get hit. Tolerance has fallen off but I don't drink a ton anymore anyway. A couple of beers and that is about it.
 
Don't get me wrong I can still party like I'm 21 and no 21 yr old alive can keep up with me. But if I go full zombie mode with the loss of memory and all that til I pass out I'm hung over for a week!

Really going to be put to the test here in April. My Bachelors party, Montreal, April 1 & 2nd. Friday the first Iron Maiden in concert at the Belle Centre. Then Sat night 3 words - Full Contact Strippers. If you've been to Montreal you know of what I speak. If you haven't..... I feel for your loss.
 
FirstAidBrewing said:
I'm not at 40 yet, but something similar definitely happened to me around 30. Now I know that anything more than 3 normal beers (read: 6-8% abv), and I can basically guarantee myself that I will have a bad night's sleep and then feel like crap the next day. Additional drinking on weekends must be spaced out over the day because if it's all at night, I'll
need 36 hours plus to fully recover.
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Yeah, started with me around 30. Now a few years in, it's like you all say- if I have more than 3-4 strong beers, then there is a 50/50 chance I'll be waking up in the middle of the night for a couple hours.
 
42 here and I also agree it started to hit me at about 38 anything over 2 beers on week nights and I seem to wake up almost every hour after midnight tell I Finley roll out of bed at 4 to get ready for work. I have also gotten to the point where sleep is more important than beer on the week nights. But I make up for it on the weekends.
 
I'm 49, and recently had a month or two of waking between 3-4 am. That seems to have passed, but I've tried to cut down a bit as part of weight loss attempt, so that may be why I'm not waking up.
I was putting away 5-7 16 oz (6.5-8.5%)on weekends. Not much during the week, though.
I never get hung over. Kind of tired and maybe a touch of a headache is the worst of it.
 
Age never seemed to affect my ability to pound down the beer. I could put it away back in the day and still can today. Being that my drink of choice is Wild Turkey 101, beer is not a problem.

As far as sleeping I never really get much more than 4 to 6 hours a night if I am lucky. And that doesn't matter if I drink or not, just the way I have always been.
 
akthor said:
Don't get me wrong I can still party like I'm 21 and no 21 yr old alive can keep up with me. But if I go full zombie mode with the loss of memory and all that til I pass out I'm hung over for a week!

Really going to be put to the test here in April. My Bachelors party, Montreal, April 1 & 2nd. Friday the first Iron Maiden in concert at the Belle Centre. Then Sat night 3 words - Full Contact Strippers. If you've been to Montreal you know of what I speak. If you haven't..... I feel for your loss.
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Make sure you hit up a local deli afterwards to fill your belly with an authentic Montreal smoked meat sandwich and a side of poutine. Best drunk food ever.
 
b-boy said:
Ah yes - the Canadian Ballet. Well, that's what we call it in Buffalo. There's nothing else like it. ��
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I honestly can't figure out why more US young men don't make the pilgrimage to Montreal for the urban folk dancers.


  • Drinking age is 18
  • Strip bars are all-nude, and serve alcohol (many US states are either-or)
  • $10 full-contact lap dances ("These feel real!", "Thanks, baby, I just had them done")
  • Great drunk food (Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, poutine)
  • Currency exchange rate makes it a bargain for USAmericans at the moment (that $10 lap dance will actually only cost you $7 USD)

Do they just not know?
 
Hate to be that guy but.....

Exercise is my key to enjoying copious amounts of homebrewed gold.

Minimum 4 miles, 5-6 times a week. (even if its just walking, just make sure to exercise for 60mins a day)
I'm up at 5:00AM regardless of what I drank the night before, which means going to bed around 10-11.

To the OP, craft beer has made a huge difference in how much I drink. I'm still adjusting t the increased calories and ABV.

im 46 w/ 7 kids..
 
I had three beers last night. Got to bed at 4:30AM. Woke up at 8:30AM.

FML
 
Kombat, are you drinking mostly hoppy beers?
Reason I ask, every time I drink heady topper after 6pm I wake up in the middle of the night, usually sweating. It happens with other hoppy beers, It doesn't happen with most other beers. I wonder if it has to do with a tolerance for hops at a certain age. I never had a hop problem before late 30's.
 
A lot don't and its not just young men. I went a strip club here in MN. Didn't serve alcohol and a "private dance" which was really just another room full of couches was $60! AND no touching of the dancers at ALL.

I was outta that place.

The other deterrent with young men is probably the needing of a Passport to get into Canada now.




kombat said:
I honestly can't figure out why more US young men don't make the pilgrimage to Montreal for the urban folk dancers.


  • Drinking age is 18
  • Strip bars are all-nude, and serve alcohol (many US states are either-or)
  • $10 full-contact lap dances ("These feel real!", "Thanks, baby, I just had them done")
  • Great drunk food (Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, poutine)
  • Currency exchange rate makes it a bargain for USAmericans at the moment (that $10 lap dance will actually only cost you $7 USD)

Do they just not know?
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Speaking of sleep being interrupted by the call of nature splashy endings I just ordered one of these:

https://www.touchofmodern.com/sales/glowbowl/glow-bowl?open=1

Hoping it will help me get back to sleep quicker not having to turn on the bathroom light without missing.

(Mad respect to those that sit to pee but I don't have enough estrogen in me to do it. Just kidding ;) honestly its just too much work at 3am )

45f40057ed3c70fad50e74dca29988f6_medium.jpg
 
44 and I have a similar problem. I'll wake up at 3:00 am and be wide awake. I'm a light sleeper on my best night so perhaps that has something to do with it. Now, here's something that may sound weird. Drinking makes my feet hot and I can't sleep when my feet are too hot. I'll hang them outside the blankets to regulate temperature........God, it's good to finally get that off my chest..lol
 

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