A Report On Blood Alcohol Concentration
Blood Alcohol Concentration:
Aka B. A. C, the Blood Alcohol Concentration is a measure of the percentage of alcohol in a person's blood stream usually used as an indication of how intoxicated a person may be.
How Is The B. A. C Calculated?
A B. A. C of 0. 01 reflects a 1% of intoxication. Though it isn’t much, this level still has mild impacts on brain activities. However, one or more drinks following it within an hour, will increases the BAC to 3% based on factors such as: tolerance, age, weight, health, gender, etc.
A typical one standard drink has the following characteristics:
- A 12 oz. beer carries 0. 045 alcohol.
- One 7 oz. malt liquor typically holds 0. 07 alcohol.
- A 5 oz. glass of wine is equal to 0. 12 alcohol.
- One shot of hard liquor, typically 1. 5 oz. holds 0. 4 alcohol.
Nationwide, a B. A. C of 0. 08% or higher is considered an impairment, especially behind a motor vehicle. Not only, can you be arrested and charged for a DUI (Driving Under The influence), you can also be required to pay fees.
How Does Alcohol Affects You?
The weight of a person affects the absorption of alcohol through the liver. Typically, the smaller the person, the longer and less room it takes for alcohol to distribute itself.
Generally, men have a high tolerance than women. This is due to anatomic differences, percentage of body fat, and water mass. Furthermore, a woman's ability to metabolize alcohol can be affected by her estrogen level. Therefore, a woman is more likely to get drunker than a man if they were consuming the same amount. Ladies should probably shy away or pace themselves in drinking games.
The liver, which is the organ that metabolizes ethanol usually processes a serving per hour. When a surplus of alcohol is added, the liver takes longer to metabolize, thus, rising your B. A. C quickly.
The following are typical side effects of alcohol in the body:
- A decrease in your reaction time: the ability to respond to certain situations quickly and efficiently.
- Reduced concentration: a decrease in your awareness.
- An increase in your lack of coordination: clumsiness, carelessness.
- Inhibited judgement: a delay in your ability to react.
- Reduced vision: a clouded and jittery field of view.
The more you intake, the worse your brain is affected. Not only does your B. A. C increases, so does your lack of judgement prone to leading you to make bad decisions.
B. A. C Levels And Their Effects:
Binge drinking throughout the hour will quickly lead to intoxication or even worse a blackout. Alcohol takes longer to metabolize as the liver needs more time to break down its atoms: Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen. So, as you partake in the drinking, you should allow a minimum of one hour for every beverage consumed.
Here are synapses of Blood Alcohol Concentration levels and their effects:
- A BAC of 2% or 0. 02 generally causes a minor euphoria, an increase in mood swings, relaxation and an inability to multitask efficiently.
- A BAC of 5% or 0. 05 leads to a lack of coordination, relaxation, an exaggerated behavior and an overall sensation of warmth.
- A BAC of 8% or 0. 08 tends to reduce muscles’ coordination, a blurry vision, lack of self-control and weak hearing.
- A BAC of 10% or 0. 10 is marked by slurred speech, loss of good judgement, poor coordination and the inability to drive within the lane.
- A BAC of 15% or 0. 15 is characterized by vomiting, blurred vision, major loss of balance and carelessness.
Though drinking is a way to relax and have a good time in certain environments, we advise to monitor the amount of alcohol consumed and to eat before or while drinking.
What To Remember:
If a person consumes more than one drink in an hour, the excess of alcohol will remain in the body, waiting its turn to be metabolized. Thus rapidly increasing the B. A. C.
Even unconscious, a person’s blood alcohol concentration has the chance to still increase. Moreover, if drinking has stopped, the remaining alcohol in the stomach and intestine continues to enter the bloodstream.
The quickest way to get drunk, binge drinking tends to be fatal because the person ingests alcohol uncontrollably before losing consciousness or showing signs of poisoning. Slow down!
Only time can TRULY lower your BAC. Contrary to popular belief, coffee, cold showers and runs around the block will just leave you alert, wet, and out of breath but still intoxicated.
Diluting alcohol with water or juices also reduces the volume of alcohol in your bloodstream. Drinking straight alcohol or alcohol mixed with carbonated beverages however speeds up the absorption process.
Before It’s Too Late:
Drinking doesn’t equate to struggling with AUD or an addiction, but constantly being drunk or having a codependency of alcohol strongly indicates potential problems. If you, a family member, or a friend show symptoms of alcoholism, we urge you to get help. You could contact an addiction specialist, check into a rehabilitation center, or consult a physician.
References:
- https://alcohol. stanford. edu/alcohol-drug-info/buzz-buzz/what-bac
- https://www. alcoholrehabguide. org/alcohol/crimes/dui/
- https://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC4040959/
- https://www. selfgrowth. com/articles/learn-the-impacts-of-drinking-and-driving
