Sparkling alcoholic beverages can make you feel more drunk.Due to carbon dioxide, champagne can cause a higher alcohol level in the blood.It increases your biomembranes' permeability, allowing more alcohol to enter your bloodstream.Insider Life: The best in real estate, fitness and travel. Loading Click to sign up for Insider's marketing emails. You also agree to receive partner offers.Germans have a term that expresses the joy and exuberance one feels while drinking bubbly."Sektlaune" refers to being forced to do something you wouldn't normally while under the influence champagne.It's something we have all seen: Sparkling tipples such as champagne and prosecco are often reserved for toasts and celebrations.Even though sparkling wines and other alcoholic beverages have similar alcohol levels, the feeling is that the former makes you feel more drunk and moves faster.Is it only in our heads?After drinking champagne, blood can be tested for higher alcohol levels.H2CO3, a mixture of carbon dioxide (CO2), and water (H2O), can be found in sparkling wines and champagne as well as mineral water.Researchers published their findings in Alcohol and Alcoholism. They found that one drink with and one without carbon dioxide can make one feel more tipsy than the other.The scientists split twelve volunteers into two different groups.Two glasses of champagne were given to some, and others received the same drink but it had been shaken or stirred, in other words, non-carbonated.Both groups received exactly the same amount, 0.6 grams per kg of body weight.After five minutes, the subjects' blood alcohol levels rose to 0.54 parts per million after drinking two champagne glasses that had been uncorked.However, the stirred version only increased the alcohol levels of the subjects to 0.39 parts per million.This subjective feeling of feeling less tipsy was related to blood values. Perception and reaction tests further confirmed this result.Higher blood circulation is better for alcohol absorptionNikolaus Merkt from the University of Hohenheim, viticulture expert and winemaker, explained that carbon dioxide in sparkling beverages is what increases your biomembranes' permeability.Merkt states that carbonic acid stimulates blood flow in your mucous membranes like your stomach, small intestine and oral cavity.He said that better circulation means more alcohol can enter the bloodstream. This happens from the very first sip.You're not imagining champagne makes you feel more drunk than wine, and you aren't the only one who has noticed.You can reduce the effect by drinking sparkling wine in a non-fluted champagne flute. The slim design of the champagne flute was designed to trap as little carbon dioxide as possible.
