[somethingroma]

I'm confused.

IF a consciousness was housed in a black box (a brain, but we're ignoring it's internals) AND that black box had inputs connected to a computer that can send signals to the black box that it WOULD interpret as signals of sight, sound, touch, hunger, intoxication, etc.

THEN how is one suppose to conclude that they are not just a consciousness in a box because they 'feel' drunk after they 'feel' they've ingested alcohol.

There's no need to monitor alcohol levels because the alcohol hasn't been proven to exist!

[chongli]

I think your confusion arises from the fact that this discussion is about two different thought experiments: the brain in a vat [1] (a la The Matrix) and proper solipsism (which implies no real world at all, not even a vat). [2]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solipsism

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_in_a_vat