People with alcohol use disorder impaired after heavy drinking, despite claims of higher tolerance

Alcoholism, is a gateway of many cardiovascular as well as neurological disorders. Heavy drinkers are known to tolerate a certain amount of alcohol better than light or moderate drinkers, the concept of “holding your liquor” is more nuanced than commonly believed, according to new research from the University of Chicago.

The researchers conducted the study with three groups of young adults in their 20s with different drinking patterns. They noted that drinkers with alcohol use disorder (or AUD, traditionally known as alcoholism) displayed less impairment on fine motor and cognitive tasks than light or heavy social drinkers after consuming a standard intoxicating dose—equivalent to four to five drinks that produce breathalyzer readings of 0.08-0.09%, i.e., the threshold for drunk driving.

Yet when those drinkers with AUD consumed a higher amount akin to their usual drinking habits—equivalent to seven to eight drinks and breathalyzer readings of 0.13%--they showed significant impairment on those same tasks, more than double their impairment at the standard intoxicating dose that did not return to baseline performance three hours after drinking.

“There's a lot of thinking that when experienced drinkers (those with AUD) consume alcohol, they are tolerant to its impairing effects,” said Andrea King, PhD. “We supported that a bit, but with a lot of nuances. When they drank alcohol in our study at a dose similar to their usual drinking pattern, we saw significant impairments on both the fine motor and cognitive tests that was even more impairment than a light drinker gets at the intoxicating dose.” They ended.

Reference: People with alcohol use disorder impaired after heavy drinking, despite claims of higher tolerance; Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research, DOI:10.1111/acer.15080