Wine Drunk vs Beer Drunk: Do Certain Alcohols Affect You Differently? (2024)

We all have a preferred drink of choice when we go out. Whether you're a wine type of person or prefer an ice-cold Natty Light, chances are good that you choose this drink because of the way it makes you feel. Believe it or not, different drinks may affect how drunk and/or how hungover you get.To figure out the differences between wine drunk vs beer drunk, I've laid out the most common ways wine and beer affect you.

How Wine Affects You

Wine Drunk vs Beer Drunk: Do Certain Alcohols Affect You Differently? (1)

There's always a time for wine, whether you're sipping on a glass over dinner or celebrating the job you just landed. Wine mayreduce the risk of heart diseaseand diabetes and even contains polyphenols that decrease inflammation.Wine makes you the sleepy, "feeling yourself" type of drunk, but the hangover can be brutal. People often get killer headaches after drinking wine, especially red wine.

Why? Most people think it has to do with the high level of sulfites in wine, but this is actually not the case. Research suggests that the real culprit is the high level of histamine and tyraminein wine. Our bodies lack the enzyme to break down these chemical substances, which is what makes a wine hangover so brutal.

How Beer Affects You

Wine Drunk vs Beer Drunk: Do Certain Alcohols Affect You Differently? (2)

You're likely well versed in the negative effects of beer—it makes you gain weight and it's bad for your liverif you drink too much beer. But if you enjoy beer in moderation, there are actually quite a few health benefits to drinking it. Beer can actually regulate your kidneys and mayprevent you from developing kidney stones. It also might boost your creativity and can aid in digestion.

Beer typically makes you feel more bloated than wine does, but it tends to have the same relaxing effects and doesn't provoke aggression like other spirits tend to do.

Wine Drunk vs Beer Drunk

Wine Drunk vs Beer Drunk: Do Certain Alcohols Affect You Differently? (3)

Figuring out which alcohol gets you drunker quicker all depends on which one enters your bloodstream the fastest. Although close in alcohol content, wine enters the bloodstream faster and will get you more drunk over the same amount of time as beer. In terms of a hangover, there is no clear winner. Both in excess will lead to a rough next morning, but they are equal as far as effects in general.

Although the notion of wine drunk vs beer drunk is commonly accepted as being true (i.e. that wine will make you feel more relaxed than beer will, and so on), researchers are conflicted on whether or not different types of alcohol actually affect you differently. Research has been conducted on a set of alcohol-related beliefs called "expectancies."This research has found that if you think a certain drink will make you feel relaxed, more confident, etc, it will simply because you expect it to affect you this way. There are also arguments that wine makes you feel more relaxed because you sip it slowly, whereas beer is often drank more quickly.

#SpoonTip: Alcohol's effects on your body depends on your height, weight, age, and gender. For example, a male who weighs 190 lbs. won't get drunk as fast as a female who weighs 130 lbs. Likewise, younger people are more likely to feel the positive effects of drinking than someone much older than them.

Drinking Responsibly 101

Wine Drunk vs Beer Drunk: Do Certain Alcohols Affect You Differently? (4)

To avoid the lousy headaches and nausea the next day, alternate your alcoholic drinks with a glass of water and space them out over a long period of time.Downing four drinks in 20 minutes may seem cool, but your body and yourbrain willthankyou the next day if you drink responsibly.

#SpoonTip: Spoon University doesn't support binge drinking or underage drinking.

Wine Drunk vs Beer Drunk: Do Certain Alcohols Affect You Differently? (2024)

FAQs

Wine Drunk vs Beer Drunk: Do Certain Alcohols Affect You Differently? ›

The direct effects of alcohol are the same whether you drink wine, beer or spirits. There's no evidence that different types of alcohol cause different mood states. People aren't even very good at recognising their mood states when they have been drinking.

Are wine drunk and beer drunk different? ›

The faster alcohol gets into your bloodstream, the drunker you'll feel. People tend to sip wine, which may explain why being wine drunk is described as feeling more relaxed and chill than say, beer drunk, which often involves chugging, or tequila drunk, which involves the quick pounding back of potent shots.

Does drinking different kinds of alcohol affect you differently? ›

While we long for a definitive yes or no answer, the truth is there are factors that may cause a person to feel or behave differently because of the type of alcohol they consume, but ultimately all standard drinks contain that same amount of alcohol.

Are wine drinkers healthier than beer drinkers? ›

Wine is lower-carb than beer, so it's a decent option for keto and similar diets. More studies show red wine is linked to better heart health outcomes over beer. It may be the extra polyphenols, flavonoids, or tannins in red wine over other alcoholic beverages. Red wine with meals may lower type 2 diabetes risk.

Why doesn't wine make me drunk? ›

If you're drinking wine for the first time, you'll likely need less wine to get drunk than someone who has been drinking wine for years. Seasoned drinkers developed more of a tolerance for wine. The same is true for different alcohol types. The more you drink, the higher your tolerance.

What alcohol gets you drunk the most? ›

Highly concentrated beverages, like vodka and gin, are absorbed faster by your body. It also absorbs fizzy and bubbly drinks, like champagne or soda mixes, quicker than other drinks. How fast you drink: Chugging rather than sipping will increase your BAC faster and cause you to feel drunker.

What alcohol makes you the happiest? ›

The people we polled said that certain forms of alcohol were more likely to give them different feelings. Men told us that wine, co*cktails, and India pale ales (IPAs) made them happiest when they drank, while women said that co*cktails, wine, and vodka left them with the most positive emotions.

Is wine or beer better for your liver? ›

In a Danish population–based study, 30,630 men and women with more than five drinks/day of all three types of alcohol were associated with an increased risk for liver cirrhosis compared to abstainers or low alcohol drinkers. However, wine drinkers showed lower risk than beer and spirits drinkers (45).

Is beer worse than wine for belly fat? ›

Red wine drinkers have less stomach fat than those who drink beer, white wine, or spirits, a study suggests. Registered nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert said red wine is more likely to be consumed in moderation, which could cut back on calories. "Alcohol has no nutritional benefits that warrant introducing it," she said.

What organ is responsible for detoxifying alcohol from your body? ›

Most of the ethanol in the body is broken down in the liver by an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which transforms ethanol into a toxic compound called acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), a known carcinogen.

Is drinking a whole bottle of wine a lot? ›

Drinking a whole bottle of wine in one sitting exceeds the recommended moderate drinking limits and is considered excessive. This level of alcohol intake is associated with increased risks of all-cause mortality, alcohol-related cancers, cardiovascular disease, and liver disease.

Why do I get stopped up when I drink wine? ›

For instance, beer and wine contain high levels of histamine, which can also contribute to a runny nose or nasal congestion. Or, maybe you're sensitive to sulfites or other chemicals in alcoholic beverages, resulting in nausea or headaches.

Is wine stronger in alcohol than beer? ›

the ABV (alcohol by volume) of beer is on average 4.5%, while that of wine is 11%. Consequently, we can say that in a generic way, wine contains more alcohol than beer, therefore more calories.

How much wine is equal to one beer? ›

A standard “drink” contains around 14 grams of alcohol, which is roughly how much is present in a 12 oz. beer at 5% ABV and a 5 oz. glass of wine at 12% ABV. At these proportions, the average glass of wine is equal to the average can of beer.

What does a wine hangover feel like? ›

Wine contains substances that can irritate or be toxic to the body. While the body processes the alcohol and byproducts, people may experience symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, thirst, or nausea. Some chemicals specifically found in wine may contribute to a hangover, such as tyramine, histamine, and sulfites.

Why does wine make me sleepy? ›

Alcohol is considered a depressant and directly affects the central nervous system. Once alcohol enters the bloodstream, it circulates to the brain, where it proceeds to slow down the firing of neurons. When neuronal firings decrease at a normal rate, it can result in relaxation, fatigue, and sleepiness.

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