It’s a question that has been asked since the dawn of time, or at least since beer was invented: how many Bud Lights does it take to get drunk? The answer, unfortunately, is not a straightforward one.
It depends on a number of factors, including your weight, metabolism, and the alcohol content of the beer. But there are some general guidelines you can follow. Read on to find out more.
Factors That Affect How Much Beer You Can Drink
There are several factors that will affect how much beer you can drink before you start to feel buzzed or even outright drunk. First and foremost among these is your weight.
Heavier people will be able to drink more because it takes more alcohol to reach a certain percentage of body mass. For example, a 120-pound person would need to drink four beers in an hour to reach a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08%, the legal limit for driving in most states.
A 200-pound person, on the other hand, would only need to drink two-and-a-half beers in the same amount of time to reach the same BAC.
Another important factor is your metabolism. People with slower metabolisms will absorb alcohol into their bloodstreams more slowly and therefore won’t get drunk as quickly as those with faster metabolisms.
This is why men generally can drink more than women; on average, they have faster metabolisms. Other factors that can affect how quickly you metabolize alcohol include medications you’re taking, what you’ve eaten recently, and how much sleep you’ve had.
Then there’s the issue of the alcohol content of the beer itself. Beers can range from around 3% alcohol by volume (ABV) all the way up to 12% or more. Obviously, the higher the ABV, the less beer you’ll need to drink to get buzzed or drunk. And finally, there’s your own tolerance level. If you drink regularly, your body will become accustomed to processing alcohol and you’ll be able to drink more before feeling its effects.
How Much Beer Should You Drink?
Now that we’ve gone over some of the factors that affect how much beer you can drink without getting drunk, let’s talk about some guidelines for safe drinking.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that men consume no more than two drinks per day and women consume no more than one drink per day. They define “one drink” as 12 ounces of 5% ABV beer, 5 ounces of 12% ABV wine, or 1½ ounces of 40% ABV liquor (80 proof).
That said, these guidelines are for moderate drinking; if you want to stay on the safe side, you should probably stick closer to one drink per day for men and half a drink per day for women regardless of type of alcoholic beverage consumed.
Conclusion:
How many Bud Lights does it take to get drunk? The answer depends on several factors including your weight, metabolism, and tolerance level. According to the CDC, men shouldn’t consume more than two drinks per day and women shouldn’t consume more than one drink per day if they want to avoid getting drunk.
However, these guidelines are for moderate drinking; if you want to play it safe, you should stick closer to one drink per day for men and half a drink per day for women regardless of what type of alcoholic beverage it is.
