How Many Shots Of Gin To Get Drunk

Many of us have been making the most of pubs being open once again ... Yup , even if it involves sipping a Guinness in the middle of a hail storm - which, after the past few months, oddly still feels like nothing but absolute bliss.

But wit h venues reopening for indoor service from Monday , giving us even more reason to celebrate, we know our drinking may well descend into chaos if we're not careful, given that we've been out of action for some time.

Dr Simran Deo, an online doctor at Zava , told LADbible that certain drinks will get you drunk faster than others, explaining that there are a number of reasons why.

Surprisingly, it turns out that drinking aerated beverages like gin and tonic or champagne will see you get drunk quicker, as the booze gets absorbed into the bloodstream in less time.

Deo said: " Aerated drinks or those that are fizzy (even if you've added a fizzy mixer such as Coke) cause more gas to be present in the stomach which increases the pressure and helps force alcohol through the stomach lining and into the bloodstream faster.

"As a result, you get drunk faster."

Deo also advised knowing the alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage of what you're consuming, as this can also affect the rate at which you get drunk.

" Drinks with higher alcohol content are more likely to increase your blood alcohol levels more rapidly, for example sherry will increase it more rapidly than beer ," she said.

"Absinthe, rum and vodka have a higher alcohol content than most other alcoholic beverages, ranging from approximately 36-95 percent in strength. Gins and whiskeys can have between 36-50 percent alcohol whilst liqueur such as sambuca or amaretto only contain 15 percent on average. Wines generally range from 14-24 percent in strength with most beers being 4-6 percent.

"Those drinks with higher alcohol strength will result in us getting drunk faster; whilst drinking a larger amount of a lower strength alcohol can also lead to blood alcohol levels rising."

Conversely, despite what many of us assume, it transpires that mixing drinks doesn't actually get you more hammered.

Deo said: "Mixing drinks doesn't directly cause you to get more drunk, however when lots of different drinks are imbibed we often underestimate how much we have actually drunk, and due to the different alcoholic strengths of different drinks higher levels of blood alcohol may be achieved faster."

It transpires that doing this can also make a huge difference, as food not only slows down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, it also speeds up how quickly your body starts to break down alcohol and remove it.

What this means is that blood alcohol levels will be higher and rise faster if you drink on an empty stomach, and that you're more likely to feel inebriated faster if you don't eat before a big sesh .

Deo explained: " On an empty stomach the blood alcohol levels tend to reach their highest about one hour after drinking and this then reduces over the next 4 hours. When food is present in the stomach it reduces the absorption of alcohol by slowing down the processes used in emptying it."

She added: "Some studies have found the blood alcohol levels achieved on drinking on an empty stomach can be up to 4 times higher than after eating."