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Blood
Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
The
legal system uses a more scientific method for determining
when a person is drunk, Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC,)
the percentage of alcohol in the blood (or proportion of alcohol
to blood in the body) as someone drinks.
In
most states, a BAC of .10% is considered legally drunk. This
means that for every 1,000 milliliters of blood, the body
contains 1 milliliter of alcohol. In some states, the legal
definition of intoxication is .08%, which means that for every
1000 milliliters of blood, the body contains 8/10ths of a
milliliter of alcohol.
In
addition, most states practice zero-tolerance laws,
meaning if you are under 21 any alcohol in your system
is against the law.
- The
faster someone drinks, the higher the BAC is, and the more
dangerous drinking becomes.
- A
BAC of .37%-.40% or higher can cause death.
Growing
Impairment
Following
are ten snapshots of increasing drunkenness and impairment
as blood alcohol concentration increases. Ranges are approximate
and vary with the drinker:
1. BAC
= .02 = Drinkers begin to feel moderate effects.
2. BAC
= .04 = Most people begin to feel relaxed, mildly euphoric,
sociable, and talkative.
3. BAC
= .05 = Judgment, attention, and control are somewhat
impaired. Ability to drive safely begins to be limited.
Sensory-motor and finer performance are impaired. People
are less able to make rational decisions about their capabilities
(for example, about driving.)
4. BAC
= .08 = This is legal level for intoxication in some
states. There is a definite impairment of muscle coordination
and driving skills.
5. BAC
= .10 = This is legally drunk in most states. There
is a clear deterioration of reaction time and control.
6. BAC
= .12-.15 = Vomiting usually occurs, unless this level
is reached slowly or a person has developed a tolerance
to alcohol. Drinkers are drowsy.
Drinkers
display emotional instability, loss of critical judgment,
impairment of perception, memory, and comprehension.
Lack
of sensor-motor coordination and impaired balance are
typical. Decreased sensory responses and increased reaction
times develop. The vision is significantly impaired, including
limited ability to see detail, peripheral vision, and
slower glare recovery.
7. BAC
= .15 = This blood-alcohol level means the equivalent
of 1/2 pint of whiskey is circulating in the blood stream.
8. BAC
= .18-.25 = Drinkers are disoriented, confused, dizzy,
and have exaggerated emotional states. Vision is disturbed,
as is perception of color, form, motion, and dimensions.
Drinkers
have increased pain threshold and lack of muscular coordination.
Drinkers stagger or lose the ability to walk and have
slurred speech. Apathy and lethargy are typical.
9. BAC
= .25-.30 = Drinkers display general inertia, near
total loss of motor functions, little response to stimuli,
inability to stand or walk, vomiting, and incontinence.
Drinkers may lose consciousness or fall into a stupor.
10. BAC
= .30-.50 = Symptoms are complete unconsciousness,
depressed or absent reflexes, subnormal body temperature,
incontinence, and impairment of circulation and respiration.
Death
may occur at .37% or higher. BACs of .45% and higher are fatal
to nearly all individuals.
Blood Alcohol Concentrations (BAC) Tables
The
tables below show typical BACs for different numbers of drinks.
However, these tables don’t take into account individual
body composition, medications taken, or amount of food in
the stomach. Therefore, an individual’s BAC on any given
occasion may be slightly different than the tables show.
Note:
A standard drink is 12 grams of pure ethanol = 12 ounces
of beer or wine cooler, 8 ounces of malt liquor, 5 ounces
of wine, or 11/2 ounces of 80-proof
distilled spirits.
|
MALES
|
| (Drinks
in one hour) |
Weight
in Pounds
|
|
#
|
100
|
120
|
140
|
160
|
180
|
200
|
220
|
240
|
|
1
|
.04
|
.04
|
.03
|
.03
|
.02
|
.02
|
.02
|
.02
|
|
2
|
.09
|
.07
|
.06
|
.05
|
.05
|
.04
|
.04
|
.043
|
|
3
|
.13
|
.11
|
.09
|
.08
|
.07
|
.07
|
.06
|
.05
|
|
4
|
.17
|
.15
|
.13
|
.11
|
.10
|
.09
|
.08
|
.07
|
|
5
|
.22
|
.18
|
.16
|
.14
|
.12
|
.11
|
.10
|
.09
|
|
6
|
.26
|
.22
|
.19
|
.16
|
.15
|
.13
|
.12
|
.11
|
|
7
|
.30
|
.25
|
.22
|
.19
|
.17
|
.15
|
.14
|
.13
|
|
8
|
.35
|
.29
|
.25
|
.22
|
.19
|
.17
|
.16
|
.14
|
|
9
|
.37
|
.32
|
.26
|
.24
|
.20
|
.19
|
.17
|
.15
|
|
10
|
.39
|
.35
|
.28
|
.25
|
.22
|
.20
|
.18
|
.16
|
|
11
|
.48
|
.40
|
.34
|
.30
|
.26
|
.24
|
.22
|
.20
|
|
12
|
.53
|
.43
|
.37
|
.32
|
.29
|
.26
|
.24
|
.21
|
|
13
|
.57
|
.47
|
.40
|
.35
|
.31
|
.29
|
.26
|
.23
|
|
14
|
.62
|
.50
|
.43
|
.37
|
.34
|
.31
|
.28
|
.25
|
|
15
|
.66
|
.54
|
.47
|
.40
|
.36
|
.34
|
.30
|
.27
|
|
FEMALES
|
|
(Drinks
in one hour)
|
Weight
in Pounds
|
|
#
|
100
|
120
|
140
|
160
|
180
|
200
|
220
|
240
|
|
1
|
.05
|
.04
|
.04
|
.03
|
.03
|
.03
|
.02
|
.02
|
|
2
|
.10
|
.08
|
.07
|
.06
|
.06
|
.05
|
.05
|
.04
|
|
3
|
.15
|
.13
|
.11
|
.10
|
.08
|
.08
|
.07
|
.06
|
|
4
|
.20
|
.17
|
.15
|
.13
|
.11
|
.10
|
.09
|
.09
|
|
5
|
.25
|
.21
|
.18
|
.16
|
.14
|
.13
|
.12
|
.11
|
|
6
|
.30
|
.26
|
.22
|
.19
|
.17
|
.15
|
.14
|
.13
|
|
7
|
.36
|
.30
|
.26
|
.22
|
.20
|
.18
|
.16
|
.15
|
|
8
|
.41
|
.33
|
.29
|
.26
|
.23
|
.20
|
.19
|
.17
|
|
9
|
.46
|
.38
|
.33
|
.29
|
.26
|
.23
|
.21
|
.19
|
|
10
|
.51
|
.42
|
.36
|
.32
|
.28
|
.25
|
.23
|
.21
|
|
11
|
.56
|
.46
|
.40
|
.35
|
.31
|
.27
|
.25
|
.23
|
|
12
|
.61
|
.50
|
.43
|
.37
|
.33
|
.30
|
.28
|
.25
|
|
13
|
.66
|
.55
|
.47
|
.40
|
.36
|
.32
|
.30
|
.27
|
|
14
|
.71
|
.59
|
.51
|
.43
|
.39
|
.35
|
.32
|
.29
|
|
15
|
.76
|
.63
|
.55
|
.46
|
.42
|
.37
|
.35
|
.32
|
Gender
Inequality
Women
become intoxicated more quickly than men, even when body weights
are the same. There are three likely explanations for this
fact.
First,
soon after consumption, alcohol rapidly spreads throughout
the water in a drinker’s body, and men’s bodies
have a greater percentage of water by volume. If a woman drinks
the same amount as a man, the effect is similar to pouring
the same amount of alcohol into a smaller pail of water.
Women
also have lower levels of activity in the alcohol-metabolizing
enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenase, in the stomach. This
means that more alcohol is metabolized in the stomachs of
men before being absorbed into the bloodstream than in the
stomachs of women. The end result is that more alcohol passes
directly into the bloodstream of women.
Finally,
as a woman’s hormone levels vary during the course of
her menstrual cycle, her blood alcohol concentration can vary
dramatically with the same amount of alcohol intake.
How
to Sober Up
The
body can metabolize (process or break down) 1/2 an ounce (or
14 grams) of ethanol per hour. Recall that a "standard"
drink contains 12 grams of ethanol. That means the average
person can metabolize about one standard drink per hour. For
every drink a person consumes, he or she must let an hour
pass without taking in any more alcohol before being sober.
Some
people think that they can sober up quickly by eating, drinking
black coffee, sleeping, taking a cold shower, or running around
the block. The fact is that none of these strategies sober
up a drunk person faster. Nothing sobers someone up except
time -- lots of time. Nothing the person does during that
time will speed up the process. All that matters is that several
hours go by.
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