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One "tired" Hopkins student shows his tolerance level by taking a quick nap on a couch in a row house. [Click to enlarge]

You're an Asian woman who has been stressed out and taking birth control pills for a few months (hopefully not because of your stress). You've had a few drinks, and you're already on your knees in front of the toilet. Your roommate, a Native American man who didn't expect to get drunk tonight, has had just as much to drink and is barely tipsy. Why have you ended up so miserable while he's sitting pretty? The answer lies in the many factors that contribute to differing alcohol tolerances in different people. So while you're lying on your bed in hangover misery, here are some answers to your dilemma of why you get so wasted after only a few beers.

The true definition of tolerance refers to the body's decreased responsiveness to alcohol due to increased drinking. However, there are many more factors other than how much you usually drink that contribute to how drunk you'll feel on a certain night.

According to the McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois, there are many factors that contribute to how much alcohol you can tolerate on a certain night. As we've all seen on those blood-alcohol charts, speed of drinking and body weight are major factors that determine the effects of alcohol. Obviously, a smaller person chugging six beers will feel much more than a bigger one sipping them. Yet anorexics feel the effects of alcohol more than most for more than one reason. Drinking on an empty stomach can increase blood-alcohol concentration (BAC), while drinking with a meal can decrease BAC by around 50 percent.

Psychology also has a good deal to do with how much alcohol one can tolerate, or how inebriated one feels. Such factors as the environment in which one drinks, the drinker's expectations, and his or her emotional state are also determining factors. As many of us know, people can become intoxicated on less alcohol simply because they expect to get drunk that night. People are also more susceptible to alcohol when they are extremely tired, sick or under emotional stress.

Lastly, gender can determine how well one can tolerate alcohol. When people with similar proportional body weights are given the same amount of alcohol, females generally have a higher BAC than men. This is due to less body fluids that dilute alcohol and more body fat. Poor alcohol tolerance in females is exacerbated by the fact that females are generally more affected by alcohol prior to menstruation. Also, females that are taking birth control pills can remain intoxicated longer than those who aren't, due to the fact that the liver must metabolize both at the same time, and thus the process is slowed.

Some experts say that tolerance is hereditary. According to an Indiana University study published last August in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, those with a family history of alcoholism drink more to feel the same effects. In the first part of an experiment, participants who had a family history of alcoholism "reported greater feelings of intoxication after initial exposure to alcohol than participants who did not have a family history of alcoholism." However, after several repeated trials, those with a family history of alcoholism quickly adapted to the effects, and developed an acute alcohol tolerance.

Over time, nerve cells in the central nervous system adapt to the presence of alcohol. Thus, the body requires more alcohol to produce the desired effects. In addition to the role of the central nervous system, liver enzymes that detoxify alcohol multiply with frequent drinking. Thus, the body is able to break down alcohol more readily with increased alcohol consumption, aiding in the development of tolerance.

One of the greatest mysteries behind alcohol tolerance occurs quite often here at Hopkins. That mystery is what is commonly known as "Asian flush." If you haven't noticed, most Asians have a very low alcohol tolerance, and after only a few beers, are usually red in the face and stumbling drunk. According to http://mentalhealthchannel.net, research has shown that many Asians have a deficiency or complete absence of a liver enzyme that breaks down alcohol. Because of this, they experience vomiting, flushing and increased heart rate. Accordingly, groups like Native Americans who have a high incidence of alcoholism tend to have a high alcohol tolerance.

There are so many factors that contribute to your level of inebriation that you probably won't be able to keep track of them. However, this knowledge can be handy. With it, instead of simply blaming yourself for your antics the night before, you can instead blame everything from your ancestors to the flu bug that's been going around campus all winter.

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