What is “one beer”? 330ml? 500? A pint?

Tolerance would be my first guess. When you drink regularly, the liver (and/or whatever) upregulates enzymes that break down ethanol and the assorted byproducts. If you consume less for a while, there’s no reason to keep producing them in such amounts.

Also, don’t underestimate the effects of stomach contents etc. - alcohol hits much harder (and sometimes subjectively differently) on an empty stomach.

You’re gonna love hitting 30. Good luck staying up till 1am, forget about pulling an all-nighter.

Some minor/hard-to-notice health-related things can dramatically reduce alcohol tolerance and/or give “hangovers” shortly after starting a session.

For me, inflammation is a big cause. I have (barely noticeable) cat allergies, and (obvious but hard to avoid) food intolerances & gut issues. If I don’t stay on top of avoiding triggers, my alcohol tolerance goes from multiple G&Ts giving a nice buzz, to 1-2 sips of G&T giving dizziness and headaches. Electrolyte imbalance can also cause it. I’ve found I have to add magnesium and potassium salt to my diet, or else I generally feel tired more, and my alcohol tolerance plummets. Once you start controlling these factors, you’ll start getting clear feedback from your body when you have too much or too little salt, in the form of water and food tasting different and general feelings of tension or tiredness.

My advice: try antihistamines, easily-digestible meals, and/or sports drinks for a few days before you drink. If those help your tolerance, you probably have some health stuff going on - figure it out and you’ll probably find a way to generally feel better.

normal… but you can practice drinking and get better at it. a couple years ago after I’d stopped drinking I tried to pick it up again and noticed that I couldnt handle my liquor at all. but through practice and perseverance I was eventually able to enjoy various rums and whiskeys without passing out after 5 or 6 ounces. eventually got tired of it again so now I just enjoy a beer every few weeks.

In my 30s here. I spent my 20s getting shit faced drunk almost every day. I can’t drink anymore. The hangovers are just too severe. I would rather be sober and deal with all the boringness that comes with it than get hungover. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.

I remember the days in college where I’d drink the night and then have kegs and eggs in the morning. Or drinking and then taking a bus to Philly that night and drinking for St Pattys day. It’s been a decade since and now way in hell could I do that again.

There’s some ways to counteract it. Make sure you drink a ton of water. I usually always have vodka sodas now so I’m more hydrated. Also carry liquid ivs around which helps.

You’re getting older. When you reach your 30’s, you’ll feel tired the next day because you had a couple of beers. You’ll feel like crap for a couple of days if you get drunk.

It look me til mid, late 30s. Had drank so heavily for so long, was getting sicker and sicker. Realized was heading straight into Leaving Las Vegas territory, had to quit.

It could be that you’re drinking 6-10 natty lights and now you’re an adult so you don’t buy piss water any more.

Your body builds tolerance to alcohol, which means you can drink more and not feel the effects as much.

When you stop drinking or drink less and more infrequently, your body’s tolerance lowers, so you’ll feel the effects more than when you were drinking heavily.

It is not only rare but a red flag if you can drink like a 21 year old in your 30s and 40s. If you can drink like that in your 50s you probably have ascites.

So yes this is normal, and it will get worse, but if you stay fit you’ll still be able to drink and stay up late, as long as you drink a lot of water.

As well as the medical effects, there’s also the realisation (age varies when this happens) that going out in order to get drunk is not a good time.

I remember, long ago, going to breakfast with a group of people that partied HARD the night before and laughing that “we’re paying for last night” as we ate and laughed only to go do it again that night.

Now I drink two whiskeys and need 3 business days, four Xanax’s and a metric ton of Pedialyte to even raise my head from the pillow in bed. I’m in my late 30s. It’s usually better - for me at least - not to drink at all. Mileage definitely varies.

Drinking 10 beer in general is not normal. You got yourself pretty damaged by alcohol and now your body is suffering the wear and tear.

I recommend cutting it down to 1 or 2. Your body will thank you.