Alcohol & Health
Treatment
Helping Alcoholics
Medically Reviewed by Annamarie Coy, BA, ICPR, MATS
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Do you ever wonder how much alcohol it takes to get drunk? If so, you’re not alone. The United States has set a legal consumption limit of alcohol at a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08.1
United States legislators put this measure in place to discourage alcohol-impaired driving and reduce accident rates. They tried to get it lowered from .08 to .05 in 2014, but it failed.
Many people have a vague understanding of this concept. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about this intoxication threshold.
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BAC represents the measured amount of alcohol present in your bloodstream.2 A BAC of 0.08 means that you have 0.08 grams of alcohol for every 100 ml of blood.
All 50 states have a legal BAC limit of 0.08 when driving under the influence of alcohol. However, certain states have stricter limits. Utah has a 0.05 BAC limit, for instance. These restrictions apply to citizens over the legal drinking age of 21.
A standard drink in the United States typically contains 14 grams of pure alcohol.3 The amount of alcoholic content in wine, beer, and hard liquor varies. 4
Below, you’ll find the average amount of alcohol content in various standard drinks:
It’s also worth noting that most alcoholic beverages don’t solely contain alcoholic content. Some are mixed with water and other external ingredients.
A woman can reach the 0.08 BAC level after having four drinks in 2 hours.5 According to research, women reach higher BAC levels with fewer traces of alcohol compared to men.6
Men typically reach the 0.08 BAC level after five drinks on a single occasion.
Theoretically speaking, a .08 BAC level doesn’t signal an alarming amount of alcohol intake. Going over that limit is risky.
Your blood absorbs the alcohol you consume. Upon reaching your brain, alcohol affects various cognitive functions. You may have difficulties performing physical tasks or driving safely with excessive alcohol consumption.7
Different beers have different ABV levels. A person’s weight, height, and BMI can also affect their BAC. You can determine your BAC by following these four primary techniques:
When you cross over the 0.08 threshold, you may experience:
If you start feeling any of these symptoms, stop drinking and let your body metabolize the alcohol.
The “one-drink-per-hour” rule is fairly easy to follow. A little bit of willpower is all it takes to master this.
Keep in mind that some beverages (like vodka) have higher concentrations of alcohol, so their impact can stay longer than an hour.
Several BAC charts and calculators are available online for free use. These tools can be used to calculate your BAC levels based on gender, height, and the number of drinks consumed.
You can also use this formula to calculate your BAC: [Grams of alcohol consumed / (Body weight in grams x r)] x 100. “R” represents the gender constant, which is 0.55 for women and 0.68 for men.
A breathalyzer is the most reliable way to measure your BAC level.8 Breathalyzers are generally accurate in their ratings, ensuring that users know the exact amount of alcohol they’ve consumed.
Various factors can affect your body’s BAC levels and determine your behavior when you’re under the influence of alcohol.9 These factors may vary by person.
Some of the common factors that influence BAC include:
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Let’s take a look at how different BAC levels can affect your body:
Most feel relaxed at the 0.02 BAC level.13 However, some might lose their sense of judgment. You’re also bound to get distracted more easily, and it might become difficult to keep track of the movements of other people, animals, or objects.
At this level, you may lose some focus and alertness, according to one study.11 This study demonstrates how visual impairment can result in a poor response during emergencies.12 It may be harder for you to steer clear of moving objects. Hence, driving would be a huge risk.
There may also be a loss of muscle control at this level.
At 0.08 BAC, you may experience:
At this level, you have a much higher risk of getting in an accident while driving due to impaired judgment.10
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The rate that your body absorbs alcohol depends on multiple factors, including:
These factors may affect your body’s metabolism and the time it takes for you to sober up. As a general rule of thumb, most people feel the effects of alcohol on their bodies for up to 12 hours. They may also remain in a state of a hangover for several hours until their BAC levels subside.
If you suspect that you have fallen prey to alcohol intoxication, you should seek medical help immediately.
When calculating the amount of alcohol in a drink, you must consider the alcohol content of the beverage and the number of external liquids in the drink.
Suppose you’d like to know how many standard drinks there are in other beverages. In that case, you can search online for alcohol content calculators or manually compare the amount of alcohol in different drinks.
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