Difference Between Tipsy and Drunk

calendarJul 17, 2022 · 6 min read  ·
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Consuming Alcohol is one of the socializing activities that we do while we get together with people. Many occasions may drive us to drink alcoholic beverages. A few of them will be very close people and we tend to drink a bit more than what we normally do during social occasions. While consuming alcohol, there are many stages a person may pass through.

There are occasions where a person may pass out. At the same time, you may also find people talking too much with excitement. Drinking alcoholic beverages can take you to different stages of intoxication. Every stage is unique in its clinical reactions in our body.

The most prominent terms that we come across in the context of drinking alcoholic beverages are Tipsy and Drunk. Though both of them is activated by the reactions that happen in the bloodstream, the levels of intoxication are different.

Tipsy vs Drunk

The main difference between Tipsy and Drunk is that Tipsy is an intoxication stage where a person shall be excited and confident throwing away all his inhibitions in his behaviour. Whereas drunk is the most intoxicated stage where the person shall pass out because of excessive drinking.

Tipsy is a stage where you can feel the imbalance nature in the body but Drunk is the superior stage of the same.

 

Comparison Table Between Tipsy and Drunk (in Tabular Form)

Parameter of ComparisonTipsyDrunk
MeaningIt means slightly drunk.It means a person is heavily consumed alcoholic beverage and is not under the control of his behaviour and senses.
StageTipsy is a beginning stage of intoxication while drinkingIt is the advanced stage of intoxication while drinking.
Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)0.03 to 0.12%0.18 to 0.30
SymptomsA person in this stage can be identified as very talkative and sound confident on those things that he is not on normal occasionsA person in this stage will have difficulty walking properly. Body coordination shall be lost.
Mental StateThe mind shall throw away all inhibitionsThe mind shall be left confused and at times it shall be blacked out too
 

What is Tipsy?

Tipsy is an initial intoxication stage owing to consuming an alcoholic beverage. It depends on a person’s capacity and the body’s acceptance of alcohol where this stage is arrived between drinking 2 to 3 glasses of alcohol mixed drink.

A person shall reach this stage within an hour of consuming the drink. The person is seen very confident in talking in this stage. On clinical terms, the alcohol shall hit the bloodstream directly and it starts reacting slowly. Tipsy is the stage where it is the initial reactions of the impulses when the alcohol functions on the brain.

Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) is the unit utilized to know how many levels of alcohol is mixed in the bloodstream. A person in the tipsy stage has 0.03% to 0.12% of BAC.

Two extremes of intoxication stages can be easily identified with a person’s behaviour. One of them is Tipsy.

You can tell if a person becomes tipsy with the following actions

  • The person is more confident to do certain acts that he would dare not do it when he is normal.
  • The person is found too chatty and talks everything about everything as if he knows
  • They are prone to take certain risks to prove their braveness
  • They tend to talk a lot than listen

    • A group of people who are in the Tipsy stage shall be very boisterous.

    The clinical aspects of a person becoming Tipsy are as follows

  • The motor nerves shall slow down than normal
  • The attention to detail shall be reduced
  • It can be observed that a person may have a temporary short term memory loss
    •  

    What is Drunk?

    It is the advanced stage of consuming an alcoholic beverage. Depending on the capacity of a person’s body, this stage is reached when he/she consumes more than 5 to 6 drinks. The clinical aspects show it is a mix of time and quantity of alcohol consumed by a person. If a person consumes 3 to 4 drinks within an hour is prone to be drunk.

    At the same time, a person who drinks 4 to 5 drinks in 2 to 3 hours can still stay sober. Indeed, it is a stage where a person’s body capacity and the number of drinks coupled with time factor matters.

    The Blood Alcohol Content in the drunk stage is 0.18% to 0.30%. This is the next stage after Tipsy that can be identified easily with a person’s behaviour.

    A person is in the drunk stage when

  • He/She cries or laughs uncontrollably, emotional outbursts are common.
  • He/She gets emotional even at the slightest sad thing happened in his or others lives
  • He/She cannot stand straight nor walk properly too
  • No pain is felt if injured

    • Clinically, a drunk person shall experience

  • Major loss of coordination, the brain ceases to function on the thought process
  • The muscles get cramped or the body loses balance
  • A confused mental state starts developing
  • Cannot understand what is happening in the surroundings
  • The brain starts responding slowly

    • Main Differences Between Tipsy and Drunk

  • The main difference between Tipsy and drunk is, Tipsy is the initial outburst of happiness and excitement due to alcoholic intoxication in the body while Drunk is the almost last stage of intoxication where he/she loses his/her senses completely or partially.
  • Tipsy is the stage where it instigates to drink more, while Drunk stage will stop you from drinking further.
  • The BAC level while in Tipsy is between 0.03% to 0.12% whereas the BAC level of a drunk person shall be between 0.18% to 0.30%.
  • A person in tipsy seems very boisterous and talkative. He shall remain ‘ I can do anything’ while the drunk person loses his senses and cannot even balance his body to stand or walk.
  • The mind shall be at its intoxicated best in giving away all the inhibitions and makes a person feel very confident while the Drunk stage leads to mental and emotional confusions.
    •  

    Conclusion

    Drinking is a social activity that is common these days. Such activities are taking place in pubs or private houses. A person must be responsible while he attends such official or unofficial parties. He must know the limit to carry himself properly even after the drink. The way we approach to drink must be the same approach after drinking too.

    Most of the person’s character is judged while he is drinking. This business world keeps watching everyone in this context. Tipsy is a vulnerable state, it may instigate to drink more or it may also end up verbal rubble. The drunk state makes you dependent which is even troublesome. Watch out to be responsible and carry yourself with style while you are on a party that involves alcoholic drinks too.

    References

  • https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A198599&dswid=848

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