Do you get more drunk on a plane than on land?

Dear Loopiness in the Sky, 

You bring up some elevated questions about how being high up in the air can influence a buzz. It might not be the alcohol itself that’s making you feel loopier on a plane than on land. Several factors can affect the way your body feels when you fly, such as dehydration, motion sickness, and air pressure. If you’re interested in how alcohol metabolizes, how air travel can impact your body, and the combined effects of alcohol and flights—buckle up, prepare for take-off, and read on. 

How does your body metabolize alcohol? 

In general, when you consume alcohol, it gets absorbed into the bloodstream and then travels to different organs where it’s metabolized. The metabolization process occurs mostly through the liver. Small amounts of alcohol skip the usual breakdown process and are turned into fatty acids instead. Afterwards, they leave the body through sweat, breath, and urine. That’s how breath and urine tests can measure your blood alcohol concentration (BAC).  

Enzymes in the liver break apart alcohol molecules to convert them into toxic substances like acetate and acetaldehyde. These are chemicals that make you feel loopy when you drink alcohol. It may be helpful to keep in mind that when drinking large amounts of alcohol, in a short period of time, there can be a build-up of these chemicals. This build-up can be toxic to the body and may lead to intoxication and poisoning.  

It’s worth noting that there are many factors that impact how efficiently a person can break down alcohol, and these factors are unique to everyone. Genetic and biological differences may play a role. For example, people assigned female at birth have less of an enzyme that breaks down alcohol than those assigned male at birth, which impacts their ability to metabolize alcohol.  

How can air travel affect your body? 

Air travel can impact your body in more ways than one. Some examples include: 

• Dehydration: air in airplane cabins can be super dry. Low humidity and low moisture at high altitudes can dry out your nose, throat, and skin, which can leave you feeling dehydrated.  
• Hypoxia: high up in the sky, air pressure levels in an airplane cabin are lower than they are on land. Decreased air pressure means it’s harder for your body to take in oxygen. Hypoxia can occur when there’s less oxygen, which can make you feel lightheaded. 
• Motion sickness: when you’re on a flight, you might feel pressure on your ears when you're at high altitudes. This happens because your ears are trying to adjust to fluctuating air pressure levels. The stress on your ears might contribute to motion sickness.  

How does alcohol affect your body during a flight?  

When you drink alcohol on a plane, your body still goes through the same metabolic process as it does on the ground. But up in the air, a combination of factors like dehydration, hypoxia, and motion sickness can have a greater impact, making you feel tipsier at 30,000 feet than you would on land.  

On top of that, recent studies suggest that having a drink and then snoozing on a flight might potentially lower blood oxygen levels and raise heart rate, which can be risky for people with heart conditions. That said, more research needs to be done to really land on a clear answer for this effect.  

What are ways to mitigate the effects of alcohol and air travel?  

It’s recommended to stay hydrated while flying. Your body is already running low on liquid because of the dry cabin air. Whether you’re sipping cocktails high up in a plane or on solid ground, drinking plenty of water can help keep the worst effects of alcohol from taking off.  

However, keep in mind that health care professionals often recommend avoiding alcohol on flights since the effects of air travel can intensify the impact of alcohol.   

All that said, alcohol doesn’t actually become stronger mid-flight. It just feels like it hits harder because of the unique conditions in the cabin. Hopefully this helped clear the air! 

Catch you on the next flight,