Why does vodka get me drunker than beer even if I drink the same number of alcohol units?!

Why does vodka get me drunker than beer even if I drink the same number of alcohol units?

I have noticed that if I drink beer I can drink a greater number of units of alcohol before I am drunk than if I drink a comparable number of units of alcohol in vodka. I have a friend who can drink loads of vodka and not be drunk but they are gone after a few beers. If I am consuming the same amount of alcohol units over the same period of time why would this happen?

2 days ago
OK when I talk about drinking vodka it is usually mixed with coke or cranberry or something so that the actual amounts of liquid I drink is roughly the same.

When you say, "alcohol units," I assume you mean, "ounces of alcohol."

And, because the C2 H6 O (alcohol) in vodka is the same C2 H6 O in beer, then either you haven't calculated the units correctly, or something ELSE is going on.

First, let's check the arithmetic. Let's say that the beer is 3.5% alcohol. If you drink 16 oz. of beer, then .56 (about a 1/2) oz is alcohol.

And let's say the vodka is 80 proof. That means it is 40% alcohol. That means you would need to drink 1.4 oz ov vodka to get .56 of an ounce of alcohol. Herer's the math:

Beer: 16 X .035 = .56
Vodka: 1.4 X .4 = .56

So, 16 oz of beer (at 3.5% alcohol) has the same amount of alcohol as 1.4 oz of vodka (at 40% alcohol).

Now, you and your friend check your homework to be sure you've got the numbers right. Clearly, if you could separate the alcohol from BOTH the beer and the vodka, and put it in a shot glass by itself, you'd end up with .56 of an oz either way of the pure product -and one would get you equally as intoxicated as the other -ALL OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL.

But, all other things are NOT equal. They never are. However, there are 4 factors in particular which can carry a very big influence.

1. Time: how long it takes to drink down the equal portions determines how fast it acts on your brain, as well as the speed of your perception of the impact. Vodka is often taken more slowly, and often is mixed with something else -your typical martini, for example. Beer is usually swallowed in gulps. Thus, you might quaff an entire bottle of beer in about faster than you sip down a martini, for example.

2. Carbonation. Those bubbles in the beer have a way of speeding things along into the blood stream which will make the beer act faster.

3. Metabolism of food. What (and whether) you've eaten shortly before drinking, or WHILE drinking, effects how quickly the alcohol is metabolised (used up). Likewise, your activity level before and during the session makes a difference.

4. Last previous intake of alcohol. If you're running the test in the evening -what you had at lunch that day can matter. If it was alcohol, you might hit your "high" sooner; if not, but you had a lot of carbohydrates (pizza, for example) then it might take longer to feel the jolt.

So, if you're sure that the alcohol units are exactly the same, then the other factors must be accounted for somehow. One thing you can be sure of, however, is that the alcohol in ALL the beverages is the same stuff chemically and is not altered chemically by anything else in the drink.

I hope you'll report your findings.

PS: Reading ther other answers reminds me of another factor. Many bottled liquors (such as Grand Marnier, Khalua, etc.) include caffine as an ingredient, with an obvious result of some sense of alterness. Likewise, many mixed drinks use a soft drink such as Sprite or Mountain Dew, both of which have caffine and sugar, with obvious effect on your metabolism. So, to rule out those variations, run your test with just beer and just vodka (on the rocks is OK).

Salute!