The idea that cold air makes a person more intoxicated is a common perception, often stemming from the intense feeling of the cold “hitting” someone who has been drinking. This sensation leads many to believe that ambient temperature speeds up the body’s intoxication process. To understand this belief, it is necessary to separate the biological process of alcohol metabolism from the physical and cognitive effects of cold exposure. Examining the science behind how the body processes alcohol and reacts to low temperatures provides a clear picture of this interaction.
The Scientific Answer on Alcohol Metabolism
The rate at which a person becomes intoxicated is measured by their Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC), determined by the speed of alcohol absorption and metabolism. Alcohol metabolism occurs almost entirely in the liver, primarily through the action of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which converts ethanol into acetaldehyde.
The efficiency of this liver-based process is governed by core body temperature, genetics, and the amount of alcohol consumed, not by the temperature of the outside air. External cold air does not increase the concentration of ADH or accelerate the chemical reactions that break down alcohol. The liver metabolizes alcohol at a relatively constant rate, approximately 15 to 25 milligrams per hour.
Therefore, ambient temperature does not directly increase the rate of absorption or metabolism, meaning cold air does not cause a higher BAC. Any perceived increase in drunkenness is due to other physiological and perceptual factors, not a faster chemical process.
How Cold Exposure Alters Perception of Intoxication
While the cold does not chemically increase the rate of intoxication, it significantly alters how a person experiences and perceives alcohol’s effects. Alcohol is a vasodilator, meaning it causes blood vessels near the skin’s surface to widen, increasing blood flow to the extremities and creating a deceptive sensation of warmth.
This sensation is misleading because the increased blood flow rapidly facilitates heat loss to the cold environment, causing the core body temperature to drop. This rapid heat loss and the body’s struggle to maintain its core temperature exacerbate the central nervous system depression caused by alcohol.
The combined stress of low temperature and alcohol impairment makes a person feel more disoriented and clumsy, which is often misinterpreted as increased drunkenness. This sensory confusion contributes directly to the belief that the cold air has intensified the effects of the drinks consumed.
Serious Health Risks of Drinking in Cold Environments
The primary danger of combining alcohol consumption with cold exposure is the significantly increased risk of hypothermia. Alcohol impairs the body’s natural thermoregulatory responses, disrupting the mechanisms that are supposed to protect against the cold. The initial deceptive feeling of warmth from vasodilation encourages the body to shed heat, accelerating the drop in core temperature.
Alcohol also decreases the body’s ability to shiver, which is its involuntary mechanism for generating heat. Furthermore, alcohol can impair the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, with alcohol-induced hypoglycemia potentially exacerbating the fall in body temperature. This combination of factors compromises the body’s defense against the cold, making it less capable of maintaining a safe internal temperature.
The depressive effects of alcohol on the central nervous system are particularly hazardous in a cold environment because they lead to decreased mental awareness and impaired judgment. An intoxicated person is less likely to recognize the early signs of hypothermia and is less capable of making sound decisions, such as seeking shelter or putting on warmer clothing. This failure to recognize danger drastically increases the risk of accidents, falls, and prolonged exposure, making the combination of alcohol and cold a serious health risk.