Blood Alcohol Content
How does body weight affect BAC?
Your body weight affects Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level in that the heavier you are, the more your body weight, the more alcohol it will take to reach a particular Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level. So, for example, if somebody weighs 250 pounds, it's going to take considerably more drinks of alcohol in order to reach, suppose, a .08 BAC, than it would for somebody who weighs 120 pounds.
How does food consumption affect my BAC?
Food consumption affects your BAC in that it causes the alcohol to absorb into your blood stream more slowly. For example, suppose that you consumed enough alcohol to reach a .10 BAC, which is above the legal limit. If you drank that alcohol on an empty stomach you're going to reach that peak of .10 alcohol level much faster than if you drink the alcohol on a full stomach.
How does my rate of consumption affect my BAC?
Your rate of consumption has an affect on BAC level in that drinking the same amount of alcohol over a longer period of time slowly is going to cause you to reach a lower peak BAC level then if you drink that alcohol very quickly, if you were to chug some drinks very quickly. The reason for that is when you drink over a period of hours slowly, the alcohol that's absorbed initially begins to metabolize while later consumed alcohol is still absorbing. And so, for example if you drank your alcohol very quickly that might be enough to get you ultimately to a .12 BAC, where if you would drink that alcohol slowly over time you may only reach, say a .06 or .07 BAC.
How do biological factors affect my BAC?
There are a number of biological factors that can affect your BAC level, how fast you reach a certain BAC and the ultimate BAC that you reach. In particular, those factors would be your height and your weight, as well as whether you have an empty or a full stomach and your metabolism.
Can beverage carbonation affect my BAC?
Yes, beverage carbonation can affect your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level in that it causes the alcohol to absorb more quickly. So if you're drinking carbonated beverages and enough alcohol let's say to reach a .09 BAC, you're going to reach that .09 faster than if you were drinking noncarbonated beverages.
Does mixing energy drinks with alcohol affect my BAC?
Actually, if you drink an energy drink or something that has a lot of sugar in it, a martini that has a sweetener, or fruit juices that will actually cause the alcohol to absorb more slowly. So when you reach your peak, it will take longer for you to reach your peak Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) than if you were drinking alcohol that did not have lot of sugars and other carbohydrates in it.
