Definition of Tolerance of Drug and Alcohol

The tolerance of drug and alcohol occurs when the body begins to get used to, or adapt to the presence of the substance in the system, and the body requires more to feel the effects. That’s why you may hear many drug addicts mention how they are ‘chasing the high’ because they want to have that ‘first high’ feeling again, and over prolonged use it takes more and more of the substance to give them what they are craving.

The same is the case with alcohol abuse. When it may have once taken three beers to give you that ‘buzz’, you may notice over time that now in order to get the same buzz or to ‘feel good’ you have to drink four or even five beers. Your body has built up a tolerance, which will continue to increase over time.

When a person begins drinking or doing drugs, their tolerance for the drug and alcohol is low, because it’s something that hasn’t been introduced to their body before that point in time. Because no two people are alike, the effects that drugs and alcohol have on one persons system can’t be compared to another. A person’s weight and body composition can play a part in how one person is affected by drugs or alcohol. Food consumption also plays a part in how fast the absorption of the drug or alcohol is in the bloodstream.

As tolerance builds, so does the abuse of drug and alcohol, and the downward spiral can lead to many medical problems, and possible death without addiction treatment help.