Let’s get ready to rumble! Normally people would associate the word heavyweight with the weight classes or divisions to compete in boxing or other contact sports like mixed martial arts and others. Who would’ve thought that the word heavyweight could also be associated with drinking alcohol? Today, heavyweight drinkers take center stage as today’s choice of drink.
What & Who is a Heavyweight Drinker?
As mentioned earlier, normally the term heavyweight has a connotation or association with the gallant men and women in the world of sports. Men like Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Joe Frazier Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and Joe Frazier for boxing. Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture for UFC, Dave “Batista,” “John Cena” and “Triple H” of WWE, and many more in their ranks.
But the heavyweights that are butting heads as of now are those of the drinking scene. If the sporting events mentioned earlier all have their heavyweights pegged on how much competitors weigh. Interestingly enough, the heavyweight division in some sports is subdivided into three, which are; the light heavyweights, the heavyweights, and the super heavyweights.
To be considered part of the three heavyweight classes, a competitor must weigh 179 pounds or 81 kilograms for the light heavyweights, 201 pounds or 91 kilograms to be a heavyweight, and one must weigh above 201 pounds to be called a super heavyweight. Mind you, though, that these pounds and kilos are considered only under sports competitions which brings us to the question of what makes a person a heavyweight in terms of drinking.
There are indeed different standards for men and women, which some find offensive; however, considering only the black-and-white of things, for a man to be called a heavy drinker, he must consume at least 15 or more drinks in one week. Women, on the other hand, must consume right about 8 or more glasses or bottles of drinks in a week.
Why the disparity, biologically speaking, men are built differently from women physically, and in line with that is the capacity to carry one’s self when drinking alcohol or alcohol tolerance. However, it would also be correct to say that there will always be exceptions to the rule.
Signs that You Are a Heavyweight Drinker
Hold up! Wait a minute if you are starting to seriously consider yourself a heavyweight when it comes to drinking. You should put yourself under more scrutiny to be sure; here is a friendly checklist of some signs that you might be a heavyweight when it comes to drinking.
You are a heavyweight drinker if:
- Firstly, you can drink liquor or any kind of alcoholic drink from morning until night without feeling too woozy or getting unconscious. Of course, this can only be possible if you can pace yourself well in drinking. This is a trait of real heavyweight drinkers.
- Second, you can drink more than 15 cans, bottles, and glasses of alcohol in two days or a week because it would be an exaggeration to say you could finish more than 15 a day. It would mean you could be in danger of an alcohol-induced coma.
- Third, you can still go home and wake up in the morning remembering everything that happened while you were drinking because, unlike lightweights who fall unconscious after a few drinks, heavyweights can drink and still be sane.
Thinking about it, all three markers are signs of alcohol tolerance lightweights are the people who have very little to zero tolerance when it comes to drinking alcohol, while heavyweights are the people who can devastatingly hold their liquor well. So if you know you can hold your own when it comes to drinking, then you might just be a heavyweight when it comes to drinking.
Funny enough, though, there is a very scientific explanation for the phenomenon of people being lightweights. A study conducted in a certain university in Washington, USA, found that there are people who are biologically incapable of holding down their drink because of a brain receptor named GABAA that functions in hyperdrive even on the littlest amount of alcohol and makes them feel drunk already.
Risks of Being a Heavyweight Drinker
Although it may seem cool to be labeled as a heavyweight in drinking alcohol, the risks that come with it aren’t necessarily a good thing to be tagged with. Some of the complications one could face under heavy drinking are damages to the liver, as it is the organ responsible for expelling alcohol from the body.
Now if there is too much alcohol to expel, the liver must work double and even triple time, which will cause the liver to eventually break down. A high possibility of developing heart problems due to an increase in blood pressure is also one of the many risks of heavy drinking. The big ‘C’ or cancer is also a health risk if one is a heavyweight in alcohol drinking.
Alcohol poisoning is another risk because even though a heavyweight in drinking can pace himself or herself in drinking alcohol, there is still a large percentage that he or she can get alcohol poisoning, not to mention the likelihood that they or will get addicted to alcohol and become dependent on this kind of drink.
Alcohol dependence is a nuisance because it not only destroys a person’s health but it also destroys families and the lives of people around the person who has fallen into the trap of alcohol addiction.
Other complications may present themselves as nerve and digestive problems, experiencing seizures even though one is non-epileptic, gout, elevated blood pressure, nausea, anemia, and lack of proper sleep.
Carrying Your Weight
Being a lightweight is nothing to be ashamed of in addition, being a heavyweight is not necessarily a good accolade to boast of. It is nice to be able to carry your weight in drinking, but it also does not mean that if you are not fit to a certain mold in terms of drinking, it’s okay.
But if you find that it is difficult to and have already fallen prey to the grasp of alcohol, you can always ask for help from others who are willing to help you get through your addiction and get your life back on track. There is always help for those who seek it.
I am a passionate beer connoisseur with a deep appreciation for the art and science of brewing. With years of experience tasting and evaluating various beers, I love to share my opinions and insights with others and I am always eager to engage in lively discussions about my favorite beverage.
