Why Alcohol Affects People Differently  Most people have a mate or know someone who’s got ‘hollow legs’, or in normal terms can drink a lot without it getting to them. This is not because they were fed it from birth, or even due being able to put it in empty legs, but because the effects of alcohol vary from person to person. No one person is the same as another, it would be a very boring world if we were all the same, especially when it comes to what has an affect on us. So bear the following reasons why alcohol affects people differently in mind the next time someone tells you that you’re a lightweight.
 How big you are
- What sex you are
- There is more fat (sorry ladies) and less fluid in a women’s body than a man's, which means even if they are a similar weight and size to man, drinking the same amount means they will have a higher concentration of alcohol in the blood. Also two weeks and then 2-3 days before periods women are likely to feel the effects of alcohol more quickly, than they would normally.
 Your age
- Genes
– It has been suggested that people from different races have different reactions to alcohol e.g. people of an East Asian origin get a reaction to alcohol similar to an allergy, due to an enzyme they have.
- What you’ve had to eat
– When you haven’t eaten anything alcohol will affect you more quickly and in a greater way as it is absorbed more quickly on an empty stomach. It sounds like an urban myth but it’s true, so if you do drink always have something to eat before hand. However don’t line your stomach with milk, like another urban myth tells you to, as it does nothing.
 What you’re drinking– What you have to drink does actually have a bearing on how it will affect you and no this doesn’t mean the level of alcohol in it or whether it’s a double, as stronger drinks will obviously affect you more. Drinks like wine and sherry are absorbed faster than others like beer and spirits, and so you can feel the effects a lot quicker. Mixing alcohol in fizzy drinks speed up alcohol absorption; as do the chemicals in lager and sparkling wine but the sugar in sweet drinks slows it down. If you or anybody you know are having problems with alcohol try the following places for help and support @ the Addictions Links Page. Read:
by ChrisM
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