[removed]

Practice. I can drink that much soda easily. My wife can drink that much Arnold Palmer, but neither of us ever have alcohol.

I'd say that it's a matter of satiation.

People can consume large quantities of food-- quite a bit more than liquids.. not because there is more space in your stomach for food, but that your brain says stop a lot sooner with liquids. I personally don't know why, but I suspect that there's a bigger hunger for foods because they satisfy a different need than water.

I feel like beer satisfies that same need, More so than lighter / less nutritious tasting liquids.

I think "many people" do it because alcohol is habit-forming (and addictive), not because it is easy. 6 to 10 beers in an evening is pretty damaging to the body.

See: https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/factsheets/alcohol.htm

[removed]

[removed]

The diuretic effect might have something to do with it. Beer makes ya pee. If you keep peeing, you keep drinking. There is still generally a net hydrating factor, but not as much as water or other less diuretic liquids.

I know I am basically bottomless if I get into the PBR while camping and/or snowboarding. But I'm gonna be peeing like 30 times that day.

[removed]

Sure it’s damaging, but drinking 6-10 Pepsis is damaging too.

You can drink 10 pepsis in a night?? Why would you ever practice that, lol.

My theory is that the effects of alcohol are somewhat like pain relief, in that you don’t really notice as much when you are full or your body is telling you to stop.

I don’t know if this is correct though, which is why I’m asking. I also wondered if there is some sort of affect on the stomach that allows you to consume more without feeling full.

It seems to be purely practice and addiction. Nothing specific to alcohol.

[removed]

I had a coworker that would drink a 12 pack of coke a day before going home.

[removed]

If I had that many glasses of water in an evening, I'm either really dehydrated or looking for the bathroom.

OP I just want to say I’m right there with you. For decades I wondered how it is that I could put away a dozen beers but anything more than 16-20 ounces of Coke sounds disgusting.

It's a combination of several factors others here pointed out.

Beer is a pretty decent diuretic (makes you pee).

It's practice/addiction/tolerance to be able to drink any amount of alcohol, but beer is weaker than spirits or wine, so you can filter it quicker.

Finally, beer is mostly water. If you're constantly drinking and peeing it out, you can go through it quite quickly (like water) while your system is filtering.

The general rule of thumb is 1 drink/hr filtration. Be that a pint, a glass of wine, or a shot of hard liquor, the filtration rate is roughly equal. Food alters this rate too. Pizza is paired well with beer because it's highly filling and stays digesting for a long time compared to something better for the body, like a salad. So on a full stomach of pizza, you can drink more than an empty stomach, but not suffer from the same intoxication level.

Beer also has a sugar content, but nothing like the orange juice you mentioned. It has some sodium, but not a ton, like soda, and is one reason why water is toxic if you have too much, causes sodium deficiency.

I say this as an avid drinker of all adult beverages other than tequila.

[removed]

6-10 Pepsis (or any soda) might be even more damaging for some people than the equivalent in beer.

A girl that sat next to me at college used to drink 6-8 cans of pepsi consecutively

Agree, but apparently there are some serious Pepsi drinkers here

Same, but when it comes to alcohol, I can only drink 3 cans max, and i'm really pushing it on the third.

I could totally go through a 12 pack of diet coke a day, but my finances don't allow me to drink like that.

I feel like that's probably not true for most people. I imagine Pepsi is easier on the liver and brain, and diet Pepsi would be easier on the sugar. Not arguing that it's healthy, it's clearly not. But i think 10 beers is pretty definitely worse.

Not sure how you’re defining quantities of food vs liquid here, but it’s pretty well-known that liquids promote far less of a satiated feeling, which is why it’s far easier to consume large amounts of calories in liquid form than in solid form. If you really wanted to put on weight fast, for example, you should liquidise high-calorie foods to get fatter faster!

Please read this entire message

Your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):

ELI5 is not meant for any question that you may have, including personal questions, medical questions, legal questions, etc. It is meant for simplifying complex concepts.

If you would like this removal reviewed, please read the detailed rules first. If you believe this submission was removed erroneously, please use this form and we will review your submission.

I'm trying to touch on that addictive quality that keeps you coming back for more, even when you really should be done. When I say satisfies a kind of hunger, I mean it feels good, not 'you're satisfied so you don't want any more'. I can see how my choice of words are confusing though. Sorry about that.

Thanks for explaining, I do see your point now!