In an era of heightened awareness about the perils of drinking and driving, the decimal, “0.08,” requires no explanation. We all know what it means: If your blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.08% or higher, you're legally impaired and you can be arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI).
08% BAC; you will test as legally impaired at this blood alcohol level if you're 21 or older. 0.10 – 0.12% – Obvious physical impairment and loss of judgment. Speech may be slurred. 0.13 – 0.15% – At this point, your blood alcohol level is quite high.
Legally intoxicated: .08 percent BAC. Very impaired: . 08–0.40 percent BAC. At this blood alcohol level, you may have difficulty walking and speaking. Other symptoms may include confusion, nausea, and drowsiness.
One drink increases your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) by 0.02%. Reaching a BAC of 0.08%, considered legally drunk in most states, takes about five drinks depending on various factors such as weight, gender, and metabolism.
It is calculated in grams per 100 mL of blood, so a BAC of 0.08 means your blood is 0.08% alcohol by volume.
Your age, weight and metabolism also play a role in how quickly you become intoxicated. Some general signs of being close to the legal limit include feeling more outgoing than normal and feeling fewer inhibitions. At . 08 and higher, you may begin to slur your speech and have mood swings.
Given the general rule, if your blood alcohol content is at the limit of 0.08, it would go down to 0.065 after one hour. It would take roughly five hours and twenty minutes for your body to completely metabolize the alcohol and eliminate it from the body.
Standard Drinks and BAC
For every one drink, your BAC goes up by about 0.02 percent, so reaching a BAC of 0.08 percent takes about four to five drinks. However, that does not take into account any of the various factors that contribute to how you process alcohol.
After Two Drinks
Two standard American drinks will, on average, produce a blood alcohol concentration of about 0.04, and most light and moderate drinkers will feel relaxed at this level.
Many experts believe that it takes about 3 drinks (12 oz beer, 5 oz glass of wine, or a shot of liquor) taken within an hour for a 100 lb person to reach . 08% BAC. Other general guidelines include: At 140 lbs it takes about four drinks an hour to reach a .
A BAC of 0.0 is sober; in different countries the maximum permitted BAC when driving ranges from about 0.02% to 0.08%; BAC levels over 0.08% are considered impaired; above 0.40% is potentially fatal.
80 mg is 0.08 grams. 0.08 grams of alcohol in 100 mL is 0.08% This can also be expressed as 80 mg/dL or a BAC of 0.08.
Generally, one green band means your BAC is under 0.05%, which is within the legal limit to drive. Two green bands indicate that your BAC is between 0.05% and 0.10%, and three bands means it's over 0.10%. You can buy either type of test for yourself if you want to make sure you're safe before you get behind the wheel.
At a blood ethanol level of less than 50 mg/dL, or 0.05% concentration, an individual is not considered to be intoxicated. The possible critical value for blood ethanol is >300 mg/dL.
Generally, a breathalyzer test can test positive for alcohol for up to 12 hours after consuming one alcoholic drink. The average urine test can also detect alcohol 12-48 hours later. If your BAC is 0.08, it will take approximately 5 hours to metabolize the alcohol completely before you can become “sober” again.
It would take roughly five hours and 20 minutes for you to completely metabolize all of the alcohol you consumed and get back down to 0.00 percent. And that is just if you start at 0.08, which is right at the legal limit.
How Fast Can You Sober Up? Alcohol leaves the body at an average rate of 0.015 g/100mL/hour, which is the same as reducing your BAC level by 0.015 per hour.
You may be surprised that just 2-4 drinks in one hour will land most drinkers above . 08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
Most toxicologists will tell you that for many people, impairment of one's ability to operate a motor vehicle begins at a blood alcohol concentration of just 15mg of alcohol in 100mL of blood. The legal limit is 80mg of alcohol in 100mL of blood. So you could be impaired and be at less than 20% of the legal limit.
Your BAC will fall by 0.015 per hour, on average. For instance, say you knew based on the number of drinks that you had that your BAC was right at 0.08. If you had a glass of water and waited for an hour, it would then be at 0.065. An hour after that, it would hit 0.050.
For example, if you weigh 120 pounds and drink six beers in four hours, your BAC will be around . 11, which is well above the legal threshold. On the other hand, if you weigh 180 pounds and drink six beers in four hours, your BAC will be around . 06, which is below the legal limit.
You can beat a breathalyzer by hyperventilating, exercising, or holding your breath before you blow. Fact: An often-cited decades-old study found that hyperventilation and vigorous exercise did indeed lower subjects' BAC readings by as much as 10%.
This one is 100 percent false. The only thing water does is rehydrate you so you feel better and aren't quite as hung over the next morning. Alcohol is a diuretic, so the liquid going out of your body is greater than the liquid you're pulling in.
Blood Alcohol Content, or BAC, refers to the percentage of alcohol in a person's bloodstream, and can be measured within 30-70 minutes after drinking. Contrary to popular belief, nothing can lower BAC except time; coffee, cold showers, and chugging glasses of water will not help you sober up any faster.