It's related to body size, but the effect isn't so drastic that different dwarves are either dead or not drunk. I do fear for gnomes somewhat. Perhaps that's just the course of their lives.
Madness string 43307
Never a day passed during my stay in the city that I did not meet one or more houses shifting their quarters. One day I met nine. Going out Great Madison Street in the horse cars we had to stop twice to let houses get across.