How Many Shots Does It Take to Get Drunk? (2023 Updated) (2023)

Last Updated on August 22, 2023 by Lydia Martin

If you plan to take a few shots with friends or enjoy a little whiskey over dinner, it is important to know your alcohol tolerance to avoid getting intoxicated. While it is true that no size fits all, our team will explore how alcohol affects our bodies and will help you avoid getting intoxicated.

Do you ever wonder how many shots does it take to get drunk? Keep on reading to find out.

How Many Shots Could Get You Drunk?

An average person can get drunk after four to five shots of alcohol. Two or three shots can get you tipsy, while seven or more shots will leave you extremely drunk.

However, alcohol has different alcohol content, and people have different alcohol toleration.

Furthermore, there are factors to consider when defining the ideal alcohol consumption of a person. It could be the type of alcohol, body mass, gender, genetics, and the drugs you take when drinking.

Types of Alcohol

Gin

Gin is a colorless or pale yellow spirit made from grain mash. A standard drink’s principal flavor ingredient is juniper berry [1].

This alcohol is mostly similar to vodka because of its neutral spirit, but it has a completely different taste when mixed with flavors and spices.

Gin has an ABV of 36% – 50%, like whiskey and rum, and it is not as strong as vodka.

Basically, there are two ways to drink gin: neat or mixed drink. Five to six shots can make you intoxicated if you plan to consume gin neat.

However, three to four alcoholic drinks mixed with gin can make your night out enjoyable.

Rum

Rum, like whiskey, has an average alcohol content from 36% to 50%. Depending on the brand and type, spiced rums can make the alcohol flavored for a better taste.

You may not feel tipsy after the third shot because hard liquor may take time to affect your system. But, how much rum can get you drunk?

Rum can be a strong spirit, and if you plan on drinking neat shots of rum, you may get intoxicated on the sixth shot, especially if you take 3-4 shots, then wait 20 minutes.

Brandy

Brandy contains 50% ABV and is usually served on the rocks or with a mixer as an after-dinner drink.

Since brandy is a pretty versatile drink, the alcoholic beverage is popular among bars and can be used as a base for cocktail drinks.

Since the liver absorbs 1 ounce of alcohol per hour [2], two shots of brandy can make you tipsy.

However, a seasonal female drinker may need five shots of mixing alcohol to get intoxicated with brandy.

Vodka

Drinking vodka has health benefits, and it can be consumed the same way you drink wine and beer. Vodka has an ABV of 40%.

However, depending on the brand, it can go higher up to 95%. Since vodka is distilled, the alcohol percentage may increase dramatically, especially Smirnoff and Grey Goose.

When drinking popular vodka brands, you can notice the difference between cheap and expensive, especially when you drink it neat because of its smoothness.

Two to four shots of vodka can make you a little tipsy, while you may feel extremely intoxicated in ten or more. But, how many vodka shots will get you drunk?

Tequila

Tequila is a Central and South American beverage extremely popular in the U.S and other parts of the world.

Most tequilas sit at around 50% ABV, and the most popular way to drink it is in a single shot.

An average person can be tipsy after two shots of tequila, moderately intoxicated in four shots, and very intoxicated at eight or more.

However, it may vary depending on alcohol toleration, gender, age, and body weight. Learn how to make tequila jello shots here.

Whiskey

Whiskey can be one of the most confusing types of alcohol you can encounter because of its spelling; whiskey or whisky and its subcategories; Irish whiskey, bourbon, or scotch.

Depending on the categories and brands of whiskey, the average ABV of this pure alcohol ranges from 36% to 50%.

So, how much whiskey will get you drunk? Generally, a four-shot glass of whiskey can get you seriously intoxicated, especially if one glass contains 30 ml to 45 ml.

Doing the math, around 120 ml to 180 ml of a whiskey bottle can make you intoxicated faster.

Beer & Malt

Beer and Malt, like wine, have a wide selection of subcategories like ales, pilsners, and lagers.

However, since the liquor brewing process has a large effect on the ABV percentage, beer and Malt range from 4% to 8% only.

An average guy can consume up to 4 to 5 bottles of beer to be intoxicated, and for the average woman, it’s three to four beers.

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Signs That You’re Already Drunk

Everyone can be affected when drinking too much alcohol differently. Each sign can depend on age, past drinking history, weight, gender, food, and drug intake.

Some of the signs to know if you are intoxicated or worst in alcohol abuse are slow or poor judgment, lack of coordination, and vision problems.

You may also feel slow heart rate or breathing, drowsiness, and loss of balance when you consume too much alcohol, especially on an empty stomach.

Since the more alcohol you consume has a stronger effect on the body, it can be dangerous, so drink moderately and within your limits. But what are drinks that don’t taste like alcohol?

Factors to Consider

Body Mass

The first factor to consider when identifying the alcohol toleration of a person is the body mass.

It is not a coincidence that bigger people can hold alcohol and do heavy drinking better than petite ones because body mass plays a large role in getting intoxicated.

When you drink alcohol, the liquid is distributed on the body, and if you are bigger, you have more space to diffuse the alcohol on the body.

Also Read: How Many Shots Are In A Litre?

Drug Interactions

Do you take antidepressants or opioids? Do you know that drug interactions can increase the intoxication of alcohol?

If you are taking medications and want to have more than one drink, you may be creating a bottleneck effect on your liver.

When you consume alcohol and have drug interaction, the alcohol will be absorbed slower and more intoxicated.

Medical practitioners highly advise not to take liquor when on medication because of health risks.

Find out which shot is our favorite to order at a bar here.

Dehydration

Blood alcohol levels quickly rise when dehydrated because there is less water in your bloodstream.

And since you don’t have enough water in your bloodstream, it would be harder to dilute the alcohol you are drinking.

Also, when you consume alcohol and are dehydrated, instead of your body absorbing the filtered water from the kidney, it will go straight to your bladder.

Empty Stomach

Before consuming liquor, eating food is important because you may easily get intoxicated on an empty stomach.

When you have a full meal before drinking alcohol, intoxication can be slower and take you an hour or more.

Eating healthy will also slow down the absorption of alcohol in your body. It also helps avoid high blood pressure and makes you less intoxicated than usual.

Also Read: How Many ML In A Shot?

Genetics

Genetics or genes create an impact on intoxication, and your ethnicity can be a factor to consider when it comes to higher alcohol tolerance.

Science proved that Asians and Native Americans get drunk faster because they produce less alcohol dehydrogenase [3].

With less dehydrogenase, alcohol stays in the blood longer and more concentrated, making you intoxicated easily.

Gender

Your gender has a large role in how well you can handle alcohol. Normally, women tend to be quickly more intoxicated than men because of little acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. You will need to metabolize the alcohol in the liver.

Since men have 40% more of these enzymes, it would be easier to metabolize and digest the alcohol they drink.

Read: Do Americans Consume More Wine or Beer?

FAQs

Final Thoughts

The number of shots to get drunk depends on different factors such as body weight, genetics, gender, body build, drug interactions, and how much alcohol you will take.

Whether you want to explore your own alcohol tolerance or are just curious about someone’s capacity in drinking, make sure you are within the legal limit and legal drinking age.

In addition, don’t consume alcohol on an empty stomach, stay hydrated, sip slowly and know your limits. Drinking in moderation can be harmful, and binge drinking can be dangerous.

Lastly, don’t drink and drive because you may get into legal trouble or be unable to drive safely.

References:

1. https://www.britannica.com/topic/gin-liquor
2. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319942
3. https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh301/3-4.htm