Most of us, or at least some of us brave enough to say it, probably had one of those regretful nights. I mean those dreaded nights of heavy drinking that we are not so willing to admit. It happens to the best of us and there is no shame in that at all. It may not even be your fault and you are just a social victim in a night set up by your friends or colleagues. Maybe your friend assured you that it would be for a few drinks only to later find out that you have been peer pressured into drinking way too much. Maybe you did not even have that much to drink but the cocktails arrived too quickly, one after another, and you could not keep up. Or maybe you just got one drop over your normal limit. Rest assured, this is nothing to be ashamed of as experts from sober living houses would say.
But when you need to have those wits on again, what is the quickest way to sober yourself up? This is an important question that you could be asking yourself. You might have a job interview tomorrow, a difficult exam, a meeting with your bosses or an important game. You could be in a real pinch so is there really anything that you can actually do?
Can it be done?
If you have tried to scour for information about the tricks to sobering up, then you might have been disappointed at the lack of information. For every sound scientifically backed advice, there are about 10 of those tall tales and legends that no one really cares enough about to prove or disprove. And most importantly, without the proper papers to back it up, you would never know how anything works for someone else but somehow it does not work so well for you.
If your search finally ended up with you talking to your doctor, chances are that you are just going to be faced with even more disappointment. Your doctor have probably told you the simple answer that sobering up quickly is just not possible.
What can you do?
Well, it is not entirely hopeless though. There are several ways to improve alcohol tolerance, and there are also tips on how to reduce the effects of hangovers afterwards. This does not however mean that you are encouraged to drink more. It is still of your best interest to moderate your drinking habits. In fact, sober living houses recommend that you stop drinking altogether.
The only real factor that sobers a person up is time. Alcohol levels in your bloodstream start to lower down after a while and is directly proportional to the volume of alcohol you consumed. The proportionality factor however can be improved albeit limitedly.
Knowledge is key.
Different alcoholic beverages affects us differently as well. Stronger alcoholic beverages, meaning having more alcohol content, can is absorbed more quickly by our body. While milder ones can get some time before being absorbed. This means that, generally, you will be feeling a longer hangover and drunkenness when drinking tequila as compared to drinking beer.
It is good to have a general knowledge or at least know the alcoholic drinks you are consuming. For instance, beer has about 5 percent alcohol, wine at about 12 to 15 % and hard liquor as having 45 to 60 percent. So if you are planning on celebrating getting accepted on a job, it is best to do so with just a few beers if you plan on impressing your new boss. This is also the reason why shots gets you drunk faster than a whole pint of beer. There is, after all, good reason as to why they call it shots. After just a few minutes, you will feel groggy and tipsy. And after an hour or so, you will probably be knocked out.
Fine tuning your body
Your body has a lot of say about your drinking habits. Not only is your body going to be the one responsible for sobering you up, it is also the victim of your night of letting loose.
The most important factor perhaps is how much you have eaten and how much you weigh. You probably already experienced how bad it is to drink alcohol on an empty stomach and of course, how much beer contributes to your beer belly.
Alcohol intake in the body is processed in the liver. The liver breaks down the alcohol you consume. This process of breaking down varies depending on your body’s overall health and the type of alcohol. On average, it takes about an hour to break down a glass of beer, wine or a shot. If you do not pace yourself however, your liver will get overburdened and you will get drunk. This is basically the reason why you cannot sober up quickly. The human liver is programmed to only be able to process alcohol at a specific pace. Since you cannot speed this up, you will be stuck with the same hangovers and drunk nights.
The only option
You would never know when you need to have your wits with you. An emergency could pop up anytime, you could be tasked to drive, or it could be a few hours before a very important event in your life. Perhaps the best way, or even the only way, for you to stay sober is to never drink a drop of alcohol in the first place. This is never an easy thing to do, especially if you have developed a dependency to alcohol. If this was the case, then it might be best if you seek professional help. Many sober living houses offer professional help to assist you as you begin in this journey. They offer rehabilitation by housing you in a community along with other alcohol dependents. They host activities and exercises that not only takes your mind off the alcohol, but as well as reaffirm your commitment to a healthy lifestyle.