The language of intoxication: Drunk, hammered or merely tipsy?

"Drunk" is the oldest English-language synonym related to intoxication. But people who drink alcohol use a variety of words to describe their level of inebriation, and those descriptions are often at odds with the terms used by doctors and health professionals, say researchers from the University of Missouri.

Individuals do not perceive the word "drunk" in the same ways, says Ash Levitt, a graduate student in psychological science and a co-author of the study. The study of 290 college students found that "drunk" often reflected a level of intoxication between moderate and heavy. Intoxicated men tended to say they were "hammered" and women to say they were "tipsy."

"As social and cultural animals, humans have developed a rich and diverse vocabulary of intoxication-related slang to describe the subjective states they are experiencing while drinking," said Levitt in a news release. "However, alcohol researchers have largely ignored the language of intoxication."

Women's descriptions of alcohol use could have important public health implications, Levitt said. The study found that women's use of the word "tipsy" reflected an average of four drinks over two hours. That's a quantity that actually meets the criteria for binge drinking for women. When doctors and researchers ask about drinking, they should use terms that are personalized and relevant to the patient's gender, he said. The study is published online today in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

-- Shari Roan

Photo credit: Chris Vail / For The Times

Comments

[Nancy]

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[Reason]

It's natural that women would say they're only 'tipsy' and not drunk because of all the men who would gladly take advantage of a woman who is not in charge of her faculties. Meanwhile, it is somewhat of a pride point for men to say they have drunk more than they usually do, therefore they are not ashamed to admit they are 'hammered.'

[James Brown]

If 4 drinks in 2 hours is binge drinking, then most of my friends and I need to check into rehab.

[Seriously]

This is an article? Go to any place they serve drinks and you'll get this article. No offense Shari, but did you get paid for this?

[Boozy]

Hell, I'm drunk now as I read this. Finals people!!!!

[K2]

Thanks for the buzz kill, Nancy.

There are a lot of reasons why I'm glad the nineteen-fifties and sixties are over---but oh for the days when the health and safety police weren't out there trying to scare us and warn us about the evils of alcohol every time somebody decides to have a celebratory drink.

[Tim Warren]

I have always felt most comfortable with "Tired & emotional".

[Rico]

This report comes from a university that prides itself on the statistics that close to half of every freshman class will leave Mizzou prior to completing their first yearr because of drinking/partying ... 'nuff said.

[CTM]

What do you call the "buzz" you still have in the morning?