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(1) This guide below shows, for a given individual, the DMV's best guess as to what the breath test results would be for a given amount of drinking. There are so many variables in the formula used to calculate breath test results based upon weight and number of drinks consumed that it has limited utility as a way to precisely determine an individual's breath alcohol concentration.
(2) One drink=1 ounce of 80 proof spirits; 3 ounce glass of wine; or 8 ounce glass of 5% beer.
Alcohol is a general term denoting a family of organic chemicals with common properties. Members of this family include ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, and others. This introduction discusses the physical, chemical, and physiological aspects of the most commonly ingested of these - ethanol.
Alcohol (ethanol) is a clear, volatile liquid that burns (oxidizes) easily. It has a slight, characteristic odor and is very soluble in water. Alcohol is an organic compound composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen; its chemical formula is C2H5OH.
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and it is the central nervous system which is the bodily system that is most severely affected by alcohol (see chart below). The degree to which the central nervous system function is impaired is directly proportional to the concentration of alcohol in the blood2.
When ingested, alcohol passes from the stomach into the small intestine, where it is rapidly absorbed into the blood and distributed throughout the body. Because it is distributed so quickly and thoroughly the alcohol can affect the central nervous system even in small concentrations. In low concentrations, alcohol reduces inhibitions. As blood alcohol concentration increases, a person's response to stimuli decreases markedly, speech becomes slurred, and he or she becomes unsteady and has trouble walking. With very high concentrations - greater than 0.35 grams/100 milliliters of blood (equivalent to 0.35 grams/210 liters of breath ) - a person can become comatose and die. The American Medical Association has defined the blood alcohol concentration level of impairment for all people to be 0.04 grams/100 milliliters of blood (equivalent to .04 grams/210 liters of breath). The following is a generally accepted guide to the effects of alcohol. |
|
| 0.01 - 0.05 |
Subclinical |
Behavior nearly normal by ordinary observation |
| 0.03 - 0.12 |
Euphoria |
Mild euphoria, sociability, talkitiveness
Increased self-confidence; decreased inhibitions
Diminution of attention, judgment and control
Beginning of sensory-motor impairment
Loss of efficiency in finer performance tests |
| 0.09 - 0.25 |
Excitement |
Emotional instability; loss of critical judgment
Impairment of perception, memory and comprehension
Decreased sensitory response; increased reaction time
Reduced visual acuity; peripheral vision and glare recovery
Sensory-motor incoordination; impaired balance
Drowsiness |
| 0.18 - 0.30 |
Confusion |
Disorientation, mental confusion; dizziness
Exaggerated emotional states
Disturbances of vision and of perception of color, form, motion and dimensions
Increased pain threshold
Increased muscular incoordination; staggering gait; slurred speech
Apathy, lethargy |
| 0.25 - 0.40 |
Stupor |
General inertia; approaching loss of motor functions
Markedly decreased response to stimuli
Marked muscular incoordination; inability to stand or walk
Vomiting; incontinence
Impaired consciousness; sleep or stupor |
| 0.35 - 0.50 |
Coma |
Complete unconsciousness
Depressed or abolished reflexes
Subnormal body temperature
Incontinence
Impairment of circulation and respiration
Possible death |
| 0.45 + |
Death |
Death from respiratory arrest |
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Alcohol is absorbed from all parts of the gastrointestinal
tract largely by simple diffusion into the blood. However the small intestine is by far
the most efficient region of the gastrointestinal tract for alcohol absorption because of
its very large surface area. In a fasting individual, it is generally agreed that 20% to
25% of a dose of alcohol is absorbed from the stomach and 75% to 80% is absorbed from the
small intestine. Because of this peak blood alcohol concentrations are achieved in fasting
people within 0.5 to 2.0 hours, (average 0.75 - 1.35 hours depending upon dose and time of last
meal) while non-fasting people exhibit peak alcohol
concentrations within 1.0, and in extreme cases
up to as much as 6.0 hours (average 1.06 - 2.12 hours).
Alcohol has a high affinity for water and is therefore found
in body tissues and fluids inasmuch as they contain water. Absorbed alcohol is rapidly
carried throughout the body in the blood and once absorption of alcohol is complete an
equilibrium occurs such that blood at all points in the system contains approximately the
same concentration of alcohol.
The liver is responsible for the elimination - through
metabolism - of 95% of ingested alcohol from the body. The remainder of the alcohol is
eliminated through excretion of alcohol in breath, urine, sweat, feces, milk and saliva.
The body uses several different metabolic pathways in its oxidation of alcohol to
acetaldehyde to acetic acid to carbon dioxide and water.
Healthy people metabolize alcohol at a fairly consistent
rate. As a rule of thumb, a person will eliminate one average drink or .5 oz (15 ml) of
alcohol per hour. Several factors influence this rate. The rate of elimination tends to be
higher when the blood alcohol concentration in the body is very high or very low. Also
chronic alcoholics may (depending on liver health) metabolize alcohol at a significantly
higher rate than average. Finally, the body's ability to metabolize alcohol quickly tend
to diminish with age.
In general, the less you weigh the more you will be affected
by a given amount of alcohol. As detailed above, alcohol has a high affinity for water.
Basically one's blood alcohol concentration is a function of the total amount of alcohol
in one's system divided by total body water. So for two individuals with similar body
compositions and different weights, the larger individual will achieve lower alcohol
concentrations than the smaller one if ingesting the same amount of alcohol.
However, for people of the same weight, a well muscled
individual will be less affected than someone with a higher percentage of fat since fatty
tissue does not contain very much water and will not absorb very much alcohol.
Blood alcohol concentration depends on the amount of alcohol
consumed and the rate at which the user's body metabolizes alcohol. Because the body
metabolizes alcohol at a fairly constant rate (somewhat more quickly at higher and lower
alcohol concentrations), ingesting alcohol at a rate higher than the rate of elimination
results in a cumulative effect and an increasing blood alcohol concentration.
It's not how many drinks that you have, but how much alcohol
that you consume. As you can see from the chart below some drinks are more potent than
others. |
|
| Manhattan |
1.15 oz. (34 ml) |
| Dry Martini |
1.00 oz. (30 ml) |
| Malt liquor -12 oz. (355 ml) |
0.71 oz. (21 ml) |
| Airline miniature |
0.70 oz. (21 ml) |
| Whiskey Sour/Highball |
0.60 oz. (18 ml) |
| Table Wine - 5 oz. (148 ml) |
0.55 oz. (16 ml) |
| Beer - 12 oz. (355 ml) |
0.54 oz. (16 ml) |
| Reduced Alcohol Beer |
0.28 oz. (8 ml) |
|
Mixed drinks are based on
typical drink recipes using 80 proof liquor.
The amount of alcohol in actual mixed drinks may vary. |
|
| Beers (lager) |
3.2 - 4.0 |
| Ales |
4.5 |
| Porter |
6.0 |
| Stout |
6.0 - 8.0 |
| Malt Liquor |
3.2 - 7.0 |
| Sake |
14.0 - 16.0 |
| Table wines |
7.1 - 14.0 |
| Sparkling wines |
8.0 - 14.0 |
| Fortified wines |
14.0 - 24.0 |
| Aromatized wines |
15.5 - 20.0 |
| Brandies |
40.0 - 43.0 |
| Whiskies |
40.0 - 75.0 |
| Vodkas |
40.0 - 50.0 |
| Gin |
40.0 - 48.5 |
| Rum |
40.0 - 95.0 |
| Aquavit |
35.0 - 45.0 |
| Okolehao |
40.0 |
| Tequila |
45.0 - 50.5 |
|
The concentration of the drinks that one ingest can have a
slight effect on the peak alcohol concentration due to the differences in absorption rate
of different concentrations of alcohol. Alcohol is most rapidly absorbed when the
concentration of the drink is between 10% and 30%. Below 10% the concentration gradient in
the gastrointestinal tract is low and slows absorption and the added volumes of liquid
involved slow gastric emptying. On the other hand concentrations higher than 30% tend to
irritate the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract and the pyloric sphincter,
causing increased secretion of mucous and delayed gastric emptying.
Food taken along with alcohol results in a lower, delayed
blood alcohol concentration peak (the point of greatest intoxication). There are two major
factors involved in this phenomenon.
First, because alcohol is absorbed most efficiently in the
small intestine, the ingestion of food can slow down the absorption of alcohol into one's
system. The pyloric valve at the bottom of the stomach will close in order to hold food in
the stomach for digestion and thus keep the alcohol from reaching the small intestine.
While alcohol will be absorbed from the stomach it is a slower and less efficient
transition.
Second and equally important is the fact that alcohol
elimination rates are inversely proportional to alcohol concentration in the blood.
Therefore the suppressed levels of alcohol due to food ingestion cause the body to
eliminate the alcohol that is absorbed at a faster rate.
The type of food ingested (carbohydrate, fat, protein) has
not been shown to have a measurable influence on this affect but the larger the meal and
closer in time between eating and drinking, the greater the diminution of peak alcohol
concentration. Studies have shown reductions in peak alcohol concentration (as opposed to
those of a fasting individual under otherwise similar circumstances) of 9% to 23%.
If you are taking any medication, it could increase the
effects of alcohol. You should always consult your physician or the medical information
that accompanies the medication when drinking alcohol in conjunction with any medication.
Fatigue causes many of the same symptoms that are caused by
alcohol intoxication. These and other symptoms will be amplified if alcohol intoxication
is concurrent with fatigue.
Tolerance is the diminution of the effectiveness of a drug
after a period of prolonged or heavy use of that drug or a related drug (cross-tolerance).
There are two types of tolerance at work with alcohol. The first is metabolic tolerance in which the alcohol is metabolized at a higher rate (up to 72% more quickly) in chronic
users. Because of the higher metabolic rate for alcohol lower peak blood alcohol
concentrations are achieved by chronic alcohol users than the average drinker when the
same amount of alcohol is ingested. The second is functional tolerance in which
there is an actual change in the organ or system's sensitivity to the drug. Studies have
shown that chronic alcohol users can have twice the tolerance for alcohol as an average
person. It is important to note however that even in light of these tolerance factors, it
has been shown conclusively that even in heavy alcohol users functional impairment is
clearly measurable at the blood alcohol concentration levels that are currently used for
traffic law enforcement and safety sensitive job performance.
As outlined above in the section on Body
Weight and Body Type different body types coincide with different body water
percentages. In general, but by no means in all cases, women tend to have a higher
percentage of body fat and thus a lower percentage of body water. Therefore, in general,
if a man and a woman of the same weight ingest the same amount of alcohol the woman will
tend to achieve a higher alcohol concentration. This, of course, would not be true if the
woman was very fit and the man was somewhat obese, but on average, this is the case.
Furthermore, total body water tends to decrease with age, so an older person will also be
more affected by the same amount of alcohol. According to the table below the differences
in alcohol concentration due to average body composition differences based on gender would
be between 16% and 10% depending on age. |
| 18 to 40 |
61% |
52% |
| over 60 |
51% |
46% |
|
| Another gender based difference is in the
elimination of alcohol. Although not explained, studies appear to show that women
eliminate alcohol from their bodies at a rate 10% greater than that of men. |
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The Intoximeters Inc. "Drink Wheel"1 is a form that you can fill out. Upon completion we will instantly
compute your estimated blood/breath alcohol concentration
("BAC") based on the information that you have provided and
return that estimate to you. It is presented as a public service
to Intoximeters web site visitors. Its primary purpose is
to provide useful information about the responsible use of
alcohol.
We call it the "Drink Wheel" because
it is based on various paper and cardboard BAC calculators
that are given out in alcohol awareness programs, some of
which are in the form of a wheel that you can spin around
to calculate your estimated BAC based on what and how much
you have had to drink.
It would be extremely foolish for us
to pretend that our "Drink Wheel" can tell you what your BAC
actually is, first because it would open us up to an incredible
amount of potential liability and second if it really did
work accurately there would be no need for anyone to buy the
instruments that we make and sell.
A person's actual BAC is dependent on
many complex factors, including their physical condition (body
composition, health etc...) and what they have recently ingested
(including food, water, medications and other drugs). This
site includes a more detailed discussion of the Pharmacology
and Disposition of alcohol in humans.
The results that are generated are rough
estimates of an average healthy person's BAC assuming typical
beverage sizes, recipes and alcohol content. The BAC estimates
generated by the Drink Wheel should not be used to
infer anyone's fitness to work, drive or perform any other
task or duty. |
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