Heavy drinkers can’t hold their liquor, study finds

The study examined light, heavy and drinkers with substance use disorders
Although heavy drinkers felt less impaired, their cognitive skills declined
How quickly people consume drinks also impacts the level of impairment

Updated: Jun 19, 2023 / 09:42 AM CDT

Wineglasses and wine bottles on display for serving a wine tasting. Red and white fermented grape beverages are poured into two sparkling glasses. Warm, orange brown wooden cellar wine racks are reflected and in soft focus in the background. The close-up view of the alcohol is indoors, with no people. (Getty)

(NewsNation) — The ability to “hold your alcohol” and drink more than usual while still remaining functional is a myth, according to new research.

The study, from the University of Chicago, addressed the idea that people can become more tolerant to alcohol if they drink heavily or often.

Researchers examined three groups of people: those who were light drinkers, those who were heavy social drinkers and those with alcohol use disorder.

Participants were given drinks and tested twice, after being given drinks with alcohol and placebo. Those in the study did not know if the drink they were receiving at any given time contained alcohol or not.

Before and after drinking, participants were given tasks to assess cognitive ability and fine motor skills. They were also asked to report how impaired they felt.

While those who were heavy drinkers or who had alcohol use disorder reported feeling less impaired, they still performed poorly on the tasks.

When researchers gave people with alcohol use disorder another drink, they found that while they had only consumed 50% more alcohol, their impairment on tasks was more than 50% higher.