You might think a good bartender would cut you off when you're wasted. But they may be more likely to fulfill your drunk drink order than you think, particularly if you are a woman, according to recent research conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Alcohol and Drug Research in Norway, where a smart but largely ignored law prohibits bartenders from serving alcohol to people who look drunk.

A bunch of male and female actors in their 20s put this piece of legislation to the test in the name of science. Pretending to be drunk, they visited 153 bars in three Norwegian cities and ordered a total of 425 alcoholic drinks on Fridays and Saturdays between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.

Eighty-two percent of these orders were served to "drunk" actors who ordered them. (Only 78 drink orders were denied.) So either their performances weren't that convincing or (more likely) the bartenders didn't follow the law (or use common sense). Either way, some interesting patterns emerged: After midnight, bartenders were more likely to serve drunk women than drunk men: 95 percent of late-night orders made by "drunk" women were filled, compared to 67 percent of orders made by "drunk" men before midnight. Poor lighting, loud music, and a rowdy bar crowd also increased the odds that a bartender would serve any "drunk" a drink.

These findings could have some pretty scary implications for female drinkers, in particular, who start out with lower tolerance than guys. Previous research suggests that bartenders aren't out to get women (or anyone, in particular): Often, they're just distracted by the pressures of serving lots of customers, and they want to avoid conflicts that come when you deny a paying customer a drink. Of course this still seems pretty careless — especially in the U.S., where many states hold bars responsible if they get someone drunk enough to get hurt. Because you know your limits better than anyone behind the bar, it's still up to you to know your limits before things go too far.

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Elizabeth Narins Senior fitness and health editor Elizabeth Narins is a Brooklyn, NY-based writer and a former senior editor at Cosmopolitan.com , where she wrote about fitness, health, and more.

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