Wednesday, June 10, 2015

SELF HELP - DO YOU KNOW YOUR DRINKING CAPACITY (Alcohol Tolerance Level)

Nowadays – most youngsters – boys and girls – drink alcohol.

Sadly – many youngsters do not know how to enjoy drinking and get the best from alcohol.

The evidence of this is the increased propensity towards drunkenness  which can lead to all sorts of consequences – including – personal harm, misbehaviour, violence, brawls, date rape, drunk driving accidents etc

The Navy taught me many things. 

One of the things I learnt in the Navy was how to drink alcohol.

After around 25 years of enjoyable drinking  I quit drinking around 15 years ago.

For the benefit of posterity – I wrote a series on HOW TO DRINK ALCOHOL and posted it online on my blogs in the year 2011 – and revised versions later – in 2012 and 2013.

Recently – during a “Cocktail Party” – which was more of a drunken spree with wild dancing – I observed many persons who got terribly drunk and made a spectacle of themselves.

From time to time – you hear of the increasing number of drunken driving accidents.

All this prompts me to delve into my alcoholic archives and post  once again  Part 4 some of my series on How to Drink Alcoholon the topic HOW TO FIND OUT YOUR DRINKING CAPACITY (Alcohol Tolerance Level)

Every individual has a different drinking capacity – and if you want to avoid getting drunk – you must know your alcohol tolerance level.

Below this article – I am giving the links to my posts (Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) of my series on HOW TO DRINK ALCOHOL.

Cheers  Enjoy !!!

HOW TO DRINK ALCOHOL - Part 4

HOW TO DISCOVER YOUR DRINKING CAPACITY or ALCOHOL TOLERANCE LEVEL
( “Flash Point and Fire Point” Method )
By
VIKRAM KARVE

HOW TO DISCOVER YOUR DRINKING CAPACITY or ALCOHOL TOLERANCE LEVEL – Flash Point and Fire Point” Method (By Vikram Karve)

HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU DRINK

It is best not to drink alcohol.

But if you do drink then you must ask yourself: “Why do I drink?”

You drink because you want to “feel good”.

If you drink too much you will get drunk.

When you get drunk you hardly feel or remember anything  since your senses are dulled.

But if you get inebriated  in your intoxicated and drunken state  you will make a fool of yourself  and you may embarrass your near and dear ones.

And on the morning after your alcoholic binge  you will certainly feel miserable when you come to your senses from your drunken stupor  and suffer the pains of a terrible hangover.

The Moot Question is HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU DRINK ?

If you drink too little – well then  there is no point in drinking alcohol at all

You might as well have some fruit juice  or a soft drink  or a glass of milk. 

You may find it laughable  but at some parties  I have seen some persons just holding a drink in their hands for keeping up appearances. 

They do this because they want to project a “proper” image before their hard drinking bosses and colleagues  and they don’t want their hard-drinking colleagues and friends to call them a “sissy”. 

There is no shame in being a teetotaller – in fact you should be proud of it

By the way  after over 25 years of “work hard  play hard  drink hard” Navy Style Living  I too am living a life of sobriety for the last 15 years.

I write this series as I wish to share my drinking experiences with you  and enable you to take more out of alcohol than alcohol takes out of you.

So  if you want to truly enjoy drinking  you must drink just the right amount of alcohol that makes you feel good.

The aim of drinking alcohol is to feel high  not to get drunk 

(And  of course  the aim of drinking is not to remain dead sober as a teetotaller  in which case it is a waste of good liquor)

So – here is the answer to the question How Much Should You Drink:

You must never drink just to keep up appearances” to avoid being called a “prude” or a “sissy”.

If you drink too little – well then  there is no point in drinking alcohol at all – besides it a waste of good liquor (and your money).

You must drink enough  just that much so that you feel high  but you must not get drunk.

And – for achieving this delightful “high” state  you must know your drinking capacity which depends on your alcohol tolerance level. 


HOW TO DISCOVER YOUR DRINKING CAPACITY 

Well  it was through sheer serendipity that I discovered my drinking capacity. 

This method worked for me. 

To find out whether it works for you  do try it out  at your own risk  and tell us how it worked for you.


INGREDIENTS REQUIRED for “Flash Point” and “Fire Point” Test

You will need the following which you must keep handy on a table next to your chair:

1. A Bottle of Rum or Whisky or adequate quantity of your regular drink (If you drink shots, line enough of them up).

2. A Book (with comfortable font size)

3. Water


“FLASH POINT” and “FIRE POINT” TEST METHODOLOGY

Before I describe the technique – let me impart to you some “theory”.

If you were a science student  you must have performed a chemistry laboratory experiment to find out the FLASH POINT and FIRE POINT of a fuel. 

You start heating the volatile liquid. 

The flash point occurs when the fuel exhibits a flash. 

The fuel is heated further  and the fire point occurs when the volatile material catches fire and starts burning and continues to burn.

Applying the same analogy to drinking alcohol  you can say that your “flash point” occurs when you are “high” 

Yes – at your “flash point” you have reached your drinking capacity.

If you keep on drinking after your “flash point” – then you will reach your “fire point” – which is an inebriated state of drunkenness.  

Your aim is to remain happily high around your “flash point” – and in no circumstances must you cross your “fire point”.

But  how do you find out your “flash point”?


TEST PROCEDURE – 10 SIMPLE STEPS

Here is the technique of how to “measure” your “flash point” or drinking capacity in 10 simple steps:

1. Drink a glass of water

This is to stabilize you in case you are dehydrated – and to get you ready for the experiment.

2. Pour your normal drink.

3. Pick up the book and start reading.

4. Keep drinking at your normal pace and also keep reading continuously

Take your time  sip your drink  and focus on the book. 

If you finish your drink  pour another one. 

Keep on drinking as long as you can read easily and comprehend clearly what you are reading.

5. The moment you reach a state where your concentration starts wavering you are reaching your “flash point”

As you drink and read – a point will come when you can read the words  but you realize that you are not clearly registering what you are reading in your mind. 

This is your “flash point”.

At your “flash point” you will be in that delightful state of alcohol induced emotional flux which makes you feel “high”.

6. If you continue drinking beyond your “flash point” – you will reach a hazy state where the words in the book appear blurred  and you have difficulty in reading  as your eyes may not focus properly.

You have now reached your “fire point” (alcohol induced intoxication).

7. Once you reach your “fire point” – you must stop drinking alcohol immediately.

Now drink a glass of water and relax. 

Soon  you will gravitate back from your “fire point” towards your “flash point”  and feel less drunk.

However – if you continue drinking beyond your “fire point” – you will get inebriated and become drunk.

8. Measure the amount of liquor you have drunk to reach your “flash point”.

9. Repeat this experiment a number of times (on different days).

10. By successive iteration  fine tune the results  and soon you will know your drinking capacity (alcohol tolerance level).


ALCOHOL TOLERANCE LEVEL

There is a saying: “First you drink alcohol  and then the alcohol drinks you”.

Similarly  till you reach your “flash point”  you are the one drinking alcohol – you have reached the limit of your control but you still have control.

Near your “flash point” you will experience the “high” feeling which alcohol gives you and you must stop drinking at once – you will remain “high” for sometime  enjoying the euphoric sensation  and then you will have a pleasant relaxing feeling as the “high” gradually tapers off  and this is the best time to drift off into a nice sleep.

Once you reach your “fire point” you will lose control  and the alcohol will take charge of you  and it is the alcohol which will “drink” you and you will get drunk.

Let me sound a note of caution.

If you drink frequently  your alcohol tolerance will increase.

Increased Alcohol Tolerance means  that after continued drinking  consumption of a constant amount of alcohol produces a lesser effect  which means that larger amounts of alcohol are necessary to produce the same effect

Thus  you will need to drink more alcohol to reach your “flash point” to get a “high”. 

In effect  your “drinking capacity” increases. 

As you continue drinking  this has a snowballing effect.

Having a great drinking capacity may be a “macho” thing to boast about  and may win the admiration of your friends and colleagues.

However  high alcohol tolerance indicates a propensity towards alcoholism in later years – so you better watch out.

High alcohol tolerance is not necessarily something to be proud of.

Regular consumption of alcohol will raise your drinking capacity  which in turn will tempt you drink more to reach your “flash point”.

And if you continue this habit you may develop alcohol dependence  and you may eventually slip into the abyss of alcoholism.

So  if you realize that your “flash point” has increased – it is best to abstain from drinking for a few days  till your “flash point” falls to a reasonable level.

The less you drink  the better it is for your body  so in fact it is advantageous to have a low drinking capacity.

But then – you must remember never to cross your “flash point”.

Avoid binge drinking and competitive drinking which can damage your health.

Like I said in the beginning  it is best not to drink alcohol  but if you do drink  remember, as Winston Churchill once said  that  you must take more out of alcohol than alcohol takes out of you.

And how do you do that – well that I will tell you in my series on the golden rules of drinking alcohol.

Happy “Flash Point”

And may you never reach your “Fire Point”

Remember: The aim of drinking alcohol is to feel high  not to get drunk 

Do let me know if this “Flash Point” and “Fire Point” method helped you discover your drinking capacity.

Here are some other posts in my Series HOW TO DRINK ALCOHOL (links open in new window):







Cheers !!! 

I look forward to your feedback.

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
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© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:
1. This article is based on my personal experience. It may or may not work for you. So please do due diligence before trying out this technique.
2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)



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