I have an incredibly high tolerance to alcohol. I'm usually able to out-drink men of the same height and weight as me, and I'm able to keep up with taller and heavier alcoholic men. I've, in fact, scared some people with how much I can imbibe.
I lose some auditory sensitivity, things have to be much louder for me to hear them, when normally I can hear sounds most people can't. When I drink I'm able to effectively tolerate bright light and crowded chaotic environments. I'm also able to communicate easier and better (better, meaning I can respond to someone talking to me at a normal rate rather than having to take time to quickly analyze for an appropriate response, and I'm able to carry a conversation instead of quickly failing at knowing what to say next).
I have to drink constantly if I'm going to stay drunk. If 30 minutes elapses without taking at least a sip of alcohol, I'll become sober at a rate that is unusual from what I've been told.
So I drink any time I'm in a heavily social space, around a lot of people (Birthday parties, in-law family gatherings, etc). I don't have to worry about the stresses of interaction with people I don't know well, I don't become overwhelmed at all the noise and activity, I don't have to go hide somewhere quiet and secluded, we don't have to leave early because I can't handle any of it for any longer.
But, I don't get hangovers in the traditional sense. I feel lethargic, foggy, might have a headache, but that's where it stops being a standard hangover. My "hangovers" consist of a dramatic replay of everything that I can remember, in High Definition Dolby Digital Surround Sound. It's like drinking just pauses my standard reaction to stimulus and socialization, and by the time Play is hit, it's several times worse. I end up having to spend all day, sometimes two days, in dimly lit and mostly silent conditions with contact limited to only my husband who is my comfort person. I get scared easily by any loud or "aggressive" noises, I stop registering the colors of things (everything kind of becomes black and white), I can't eat anything with a significant texture or substance so I stick to broth and soups, I lose executive function except for basic needs, my coordination becomes so bad I can't do average things (e.g. washing a dish because they're all dirty and I need one) without injuring myself in some way.. basically all my ND traits are amplified by about 5-10x.
Caffeine only effects me when it's got a high sugar content as well. Like mountain dew, Dr pepper, redbull, etc. Coffee removes the sluggish fog I'm in when I wake up in the morning; a result of insomnia and poor rest caused by nightmares and night terrors since I was 6 years old.
_________________
"So much of what she'd thought was truth before was merely tricks. No more than clever ways of speaking to the world. They were a bargaining. A plea. A call. A cry."
I am a Bookwyrm.
30 Dec 2017, 2:52 pm
welcome to WP 
