The carbonation increases the surface area of the liquid. More surface area allows for quicker absorption. The final "buzz" is the same based on volume, just one acts a little quicker.
Seems like we got a little if topic for a few posts. I believe your question was more along the lines of "why isn't it physically possible to carbonate a higher ABV", which is not addressed by the debate of why carbonation leads to quicker intoxication.
If I were you I'd look up the solubility of CO2 in ethanol. Should be easily found using Google. Engineering Toolbox is a great website for such information. What I suspect you'll find is exactly what someone else here said; it's more difficult to carbonate alcohol. It may be that above 11.5% you can't get high enough volumes of CO2 for it to be very bubbly, which is a requisite for champagne.
Let us know what you find out!
Actually, the latest scientific evidence indicates the bubbles in carbonation make you bloated, and your body's response to this is for your stomach to kick into overdrive trying to rid your system of what's in it. Therefore the alcohol hits your upper GI tract quicker causing a higher concentration of alcohol to hit your system than if you were drinking a flat beverage.
Do you have a link to that article? I'd love to read about it. All I could find was THIS and it didn't give a mechanism, just that in some people carbonation showed increased the rate of adsorption, in some people it had no effect or a decreased the rate of of adsorption.
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