Coffee will not make you drunk because it doesn’t contain any alcohol. However, caffeine intoxication does have a similar feeling to being drunk. In order for this to occur, you will need to have consumed 1,000 mg of caffeine or more in one sitting.
Drinking too much coffee at once can leave you with a funny feeling in your head and body. This leads a person with caffeine intoxication to believe they may be drunk. On this page, we’re going to discuss if caffeine can make you drunk and why it could leave you feeling funny. Keep reading to learn more.
Can Coffee Leave You Feeling Drunk?
Coffee doesn’t make a person drunk but it can leave them feeling a similar way if they have consumed too much at once. It takes a lot of coffee in order to get this drunk-like feeling.
To feel drunk from coffee, the average person would need to drink 8 cups in a row or 1,000mg. This feeling can come into effect when someone is suffering from caffeine intoxication.
Why Does Too Much Coffee Feel Similar to Drinking Alcohol?
Caffeine intoxication can have some side effects that are similar to being drunk. The first thing people usually notice is that their heart is beating much faster and they begin to feel more adrenaline.
All sorts of feelings can come rushing through, such as feeling hyper or anxious. Some people also feel light-headed and dizzy when they have too much caffeine.
What is a Caffeine High?
People who are more sensitive to caffeine may feel somewhat high after consuming a big cup of coffee. This high is because the caffeine causes the brain’s neurons to perform quicker, which gives the person a rush of adrenaline.
This caffeine jolt can make a person feel high because they are more restless and even jittery. Similar to the drunk feeling, they may also compare the increased heart rate with being high.
Will Drinking Coffee With Alcohol Make You Feel Drunk Quicker?
An Irish coffee may taste good going down, but the effects of the caffeine with alcohol could make you think you are more alert than you actually are. This alert feeling can sometimes play a trick on the drinker, making them feel like they haven’t consumed as much alcohol as they really have.
For this reason, they could be likely to drink more than usual and get drunker than expected. The drunkness may appear to hit them quickly as the caffeine wears off because they will no longer seem as alert and energetic.
Does Coffee Cause Euphoria?
Some adults may feel a sense of euphoria when they drink coffee because caffeine produces a mild effect on their brains. This could cause them to feel more pleasure and enjoyment because of the enhanced activity in the brain.
However, this is a very mild state that isn’t the same euphoric feeling that may compare to recreational drug use. If anything, the euphoric feeling from coffee will just lead the person to desire another cup of coffee.
Can Coffee Sober Up a Drunk Person?
Coffee is often used to help a drunk person sober up because caffeine makes them feel more alert. That being said, coffee will not remove the alcohol from a person’s system, so it can’t make them sober.
While coffee can prevent them from feeling too drowsy and passing out in a random place, it isn’t capable of sobering them up. There is no way for a caffeinated beverage to reverse the effects of many alcoholic beverages.
What Should a Drunk Person Drink to Sober Up Faster?
Coffee isn’t the key to sobering up a drunk person, instead, you should be focused on making sure they are hydrated. Water is the best beverage to give to drunk people because alcohol is very dehydrating.
Sports drinks, like Powerade and Gatorade, are also great choices for rehydrating. If the drunk person’s stomach is upset, a hot herbal tea or peppermint tea is a much better choice than coffee.
Is Coffee Dehydrating?
According to Mayo Health, coffee doesn’t actually cause a person to become dehydrated. As long as the person consumes a regular amount of coffee daily, they don’t have to worry about fluid loss.
However, some people link coffee to dehydration because the beverage is a diuretic. This means that when you drink coffee, you will have to urinate more frequently.
Does Coffee Count as a Hydrating Beverage?
According to Web MD, coffee can be counted as part of your daily beverage intake. This is because the myth that coffee dehydrates people has been debunked.
People can go back to enjoying a morning cup of coffee without having to worry about off-setting their water intake for the day.
What are the Risks of Caffeine Intoxication?
Too much caffeine can have very dangerous effects if you experience caffeine intoxication. According to Very Well Mind, too much caffeine has been linked to seizures, delusions, and hallucinations.
While the cases are very rare, there have been times when caffeine intoxication has led to comas and death. This is why you should not drink too much coffee in one sitting.
How Much Coffee Can You Safely Drink in a Day?
Mayo Clinic suggests that people should not consume more than 400 mg of caffeine per day. If your caffeine consumption comes from coffee, this is the equivalent of 4 standard cups of coffee.
Keep in mind that caffeine levels can vary depending on how you make the coffee and what type you use. This is the same amount of caffeine that can be found in 2 energy drinks or 10 cans of caffeinated soda.
What are the Disadvantages of Drinking Too Much Coffee?
Exceeding 4 cups of coffee a day can have some negative side effects, such as nervousness, upset stomach, and even insomnia. Too much caffeine can make a person feel restless and they may start shaking or have a case of jitters.
Drinking too much caffeine could also make you feel sick to your stomach, causing you to vomit or feel nauseated.
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.