Is the alcoholic “buzz” not universal to all?

For the first time in my life, at age 33, I had alcohol recently. Having been a teetotaler upto this point, I did have my doubts. All my life, I’ve been ravaged by depression pain, and chronic migraines. Being trapped in a toxic job didn’t help me either. Anxiety war one other thing, that would throw me curveballs.

So, I made up my mind to have alcohol as a pain reliever, atleast once in life, just to see what the fuss was all about… As I had no interest in having any complications, I played it safe… I just read up on the internet, as to the risks and everything, blah blah, and then chose a light beer of 330 marked at max 6%ABV (20 ml of pure alcohol). The first sip tasted quite bitter, but I did feel something in my head as I worked over the rest of the bottle. It took me some time to finish it.

After I finished it, I did experience a remarkable loss of coordination. And I did feel a little drowsy, and slept off. I had slept soundly, without any racing thoughts, or anxiety that usually plagues me.. That was a definitely encouraging to me. I thought I felt something pleasant in my head. However, I was wary of the pitfalls of alcoholism, and hence, I scheduled my next drink for next week.

Fast forward a week, then I ordered the same drink. I didn’t care about the skunk like taste, because I wanted the buzz, regardless of how it tasted. This time, it was a huge anti climax. I couldn’t believe my body’s lack of reaction to the same 330 ml. I was sorely disappointed. Then I read up again, about everything from alcohol tolerance to different people’s differing reactions to alcohol. I waited another week to test something.

Again, the day arrived. This time I took a different brand of light beer with same ABV and quantity… with one small change. As suggested by someone else, I stopped pacing my consumption, and drank the entire thing at thrice the speed. This time, the loss of coordination was more pronounced. After I finished,I couldn’t get up immediately even though I tried. I felt my walk become unsteady, and not quite straight. I did belch a few times, and I did sleep soon. I was careful to keep drinking water to keep myself hydrated. As per health guidelines, no amount of alcohol is completely safe. Yet, I felt that this weekly routine may not cause much trouble if I kept myself disciplined. As for any pleasant buzz, I’m not sure I actually received any. And it makes me wonder whether my brain simply imagined the buzz as a placebo effect.

The lack of buzz was a monumental disappointment to me. The Internet also says that if a person has had extreme stress frequently, alcohol may simply provide the negative effects on the body, without releasing any endorphins.

Has anyone ever felt this? I don’t want to try any higher abv drinks if all its gonna do is make me stumble a little… Are there any other drinks, other than beer, which definitely relieve stress, and cause a pleasant buzz?