You’re at a loud bar. Or maybe a quiet dinner. You look across the table and notice your friend is laughing just a little too hard at a joke that wasn't actually funny. Their face is flushed. You start wondering: are they just having a good time, or are they hammered? Understanding how can you tell if someone is drunk isn't just about being a buzzkill at a party; it’s a genuine safety skill that can prevent accidents, alcohol poisoning, or a really bad decision behind the wheel.
Alcohol hits everyone differently. Some people become the "happy drunk" who loves everyone in the room. Others get quiet, withdrawn, or even aggressive.
It’s tricky.
The biological reality is that ethanol is a central nervous system depressant. It starts by numbing the prefrontal cortex—the part of your brain responsible for "filters" and decision-making. Once those filters go, the rest of the physical signs start cascading down like a row of clumsy dominoes.
The Physical Red Flags Most People Miss
Most of us look for the obvious stuff like falling over or puking. But the early signs are much more subtle. One of the most reliable indicators is horizontal gaze nystagmus. That’s a fancy medical term for the involuntary jerking of the eyeball. When someone has had too much to drink, their eyes can’t follow an object smoothly. If you’ve ever seen a police officer move a pen back and forth in front of a driver's face, that’s exactly what they are looking for. The eye will "shudder" as it moves toward the periphery.
Then there’s the "glassy eye" look.
The eyes appear watery or bloodshot because alcohol causes the blood vessels on the surface of the eye to expand. It’s a dead giveaway. Combine that with a slack-jawed expression or a slight droop in the eyelids, and you’re likely looking at someone who has surpassed their limit.
Slurred speech is the classic trope, but listen to the volume too. Drunk people lose their ability to self-monitor how loud they are being. They might shout a secret or whisper a joke that everyone three tables over can hear. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), this happens because alcohol interferes with the communication pathways in the brain, affecting both motor control and sensory processing.
How Can You Tell If Someone Is Drunk by Their Movement?
Watch their feet.
Actually, watch how they stand up from a chair. A sober person uses their core. Someone who is intoxicated will often use their hands to push off the table or chair for extra leverage. Once they’re upright, look for the "sway."
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Even when standing still, a drunk person’s body will perform micro-adjustments to stay balanced. This results in a slight back-and-forth or side-to-side motion. They might lean against a wall and try to act like it’s a "cool" pose, but really, the wall is the only thing keeping them vertical.
Loss of fine motor skills happens way before the loss of gross motor skills.
- Can they pick up a dropped coin?
- Are they fumbling with their phone or dropping their keys?
- Did they just spill a bit of their drink while taking a sip?
These tiny "glitches" in coordination are the precursors to the "stumble and fall" stage. If you see someone struggling to navigate a crowded room or bumping into the corners of tables, their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is likely climbing toward the 0.08% legal limit or higher.
The Personality Flip and Loss of Inhibition
Alcohol is a truth serum that nobody asked for.
When you’re trying to figure out if someone is drunk, look for "inappropriate" emotions. This doesn't mean they're being mean. It means their reaction doesn't match the situation. Crying over a minor inconvenience, like the bar being out of lime wedges, is a major red flag. So is sudden, extreme over-familiarity with strangers. If your normally shy coworker is suddenly hugging the bartender and sharing their life story, the alcohol has successfully shut down their social inhibitions.
There is also the "repetition loop."
Have you ever had a drunk person tell you the exact same story three times in twenty minutes? Alcohol impairs short-term memory encoding. They literally don't remember telling you the story because the brain's "save" button isn't working properly. This is the beginning of what people call a "brownout" or "blackout," where the person is conscious and moving but the hippocampus has stopped recording memories.
Understanding the "Staircase" of Intoxication
It’s not a binary "sober or drunk" switch. It’s a progression.
- The Euphoria Phase (BAC 0.03% to 0.12%): They’re talkative, confident, and maybe a bit flushed. This is usually the "tipsy" stage.
- The Excitement Phase (BAC 0.09% to 0.25%): Coordination drops. Judgment is gone. They might become sleepy or lose their train of thought mid-sentence.
- The Confusion Phase (BAC 0.18% to 0.30%): This is dangerous. Highly emotional, dizzy, slurred speech, and high pain threshold. They could hurt themselves and not even feel it.
- The Stupor Phase (BAC 0.25% to 0.40%): They can’t stand. They might vomit. They are at risk of passing out and choking. This is a medical emergency territory.
Smell and Other Sensory Cues
You can't always smell alcohol on the breath.
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Wait, what?
Actually, what you’re smelling isn't the drink itself—pure ethanol has almost no odor. You’re smelling the flavorings, the hops, or the fermentation byproducts. More importantly, you’re smelling the "boozy breath" that happens as the body tries to metabolize the toxin. As the liver processes alcohol, some of it is excreted through the lungs. It has a distinct, sickly-sweet chemical smell.
Also, look at their skin.
Is it sweaty? Alcohol causes vasodilation, which makes people feel warm even if it's cold outside. This leads to sweating and a red "flush" in the face and neck. If the room is 68 degrees and they’re wiping sweat off their forehead while everyone else is wearing sweaters, they’re probably deep into their third or fourth drink.
The Dangers of "Functional" Alcoholics and High Tolerance
Some people are experts at hiding it.
People with a high tolerance can have a BAC that would make a normal person pass out, yet they appear relatively "fine." They’ve learned to over-compensate for their lack of balance. They speak slowly and deliberately to avoid slurring.
But "functional" doesn't mean "safe."
Even if they don't look like the town drunk, their reaction times are still significantly slowed. If you want to know if a high-tolerance person is drunk, look at their eyes and their logic. They might be walking straight, but are they making sense? Are they forgetting things they said ten minutes ago? High tolerance is just a mask; the internal damage and cognitive impairment are still happening under the surface.
What to Do When Someone Has Had Too Much
Identifying that someone is drunk is only half the battle. The next part is the "what now?"
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If you've confirmed they are intoxicated, the goal is harm reduction.
First: Stop the intake. This is the hardest part. Don't be confrontational. "Hey, let's grab some water before the next round" works better than "You're drunk, put that down."
Second: Hydrate and Eat. Food won't "sober someone up"—only time can do that—but it can slow the absorption of any alcohol still in their stomach. Water helps with the inevitable dehydration that leads to the hangover from hell.
Third: The Left Side Rule. If someone is so drunk they need to lie down, never let them lie on their back. The "recovery position" (lying on their left side with the top leg bent) is vital. If they vomit while on their back, they can aspirate and suffocate. It sounds dramatic, but it happens every year at college parties and tailgates.
Fourth: Watch for Alcohol Poisoning. This is life or death. If their skin is blue or pale, if their breathing is slow (less than 8 breaths per minute), or if you cannot wake them up, call 911 immediately. Don't worry about them "getting in trouble." A hospital visit is better than a funeral.
Actionable Steps for Evaluating Sobriety
If you find yourself in a situation where you need to make a quick judgment call—maybe about whether to let someone drive or if they need medical help—follow these steps:
- Engage them in a complex conversation. Ask them something that requires more than a yes/no answer. "How do I get to the highway from here?" requires spatial reasoning. A drunk person will struggle to organize those thoughts.
- Check the "sway test." Ask them to stand with their feet together and arms at their sides. If they start to tilt significantly within 15 seconds, their equilibrium is compromised.
- Observe their pupils. In low light, are their pupils dilated or unusually slow to react to a flashlight?
- Evaluate their "sense of scale." Drunk people often lose track of how much space their body occupies. They'll try to squeeze through a gap that's too small or reach for a glass and knock it over because their depth perception is off.
Don't rely on "home remedies." Coffee doesn't sober someone up; it just creates a "wide-awake drunk" who is even more dangerous because they feel more capable than they actually are. Cold showers can cause shock. The only thing that lowers BAC is the passage of time. The liver typically processes about one standard drink per hour. If they've had ten drinks, you're looking at a long night.
Staying observant and knowing these subtle signs allows you to act before a situation turns into a crisis. Whether it's taking their keys or calling a rideshare, being the one who can actually tell when someone is drunk is the most responsible role you can play.