THE DISTRIBUTION OF ALCOHOL IN THE BODY

Alcohol enters the bloodstream through normal digestion. It is distributed through the average size body (150 pounds) in approximately 20 minutes. It must pass through your system before it can be broken down and metabolized in the liver. Only 5% of the alcohol we consume is eliminated through perspiration and urine. An average liver can only process 11/2 ounces of alcohol per hour. The more alcohol consumed, the slower the elimination rate due to the inebriated effect the drug has upon the entire system. At 3 drinks per hour, a persons BAC will place him under the influence in less than an hour and approach legal intoxication in less than 2. But look at how slowing that rate down from 3 in the first hour to only I in the second hour reduces the BAC. While the person would be borderline impaired, his BAC would fall back below .05 in approximately 15 minutes. This is a major point Consider the average person who over a 2 hour period, may have I or 2 cocktails, 2 or 3 glasses of wine with dinner and perhaps an after dinner drink What is his BAC? We know he drank this over a two hour period and probably drank the first two cocktails and a glass of wine in the first hour, then the next two glasses of wine, followed by coffee and his after dinner drink in the second. Referring back to the Table, if his body weight is 170 pounds, you would first have to consider what his BAC would be at the end of the first hour (.06%). He continued to drink another 3 equivalent drinks, so his BAC increased .06 in the second hour, however, by subtracting a BAC of .01 for each 40 minutes of drinking, you can safely estimate this persons BAC. In this case, he would be approaching legal intoxication since his BAC would he approximately.09�/O.

Mathematically, it looks like this:

  120/40=3

  3 x .01 = .03

.12-.03 = .09

THE PROGRESSIVE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL

 As a person consumes alcohol and his BAC increases, the suppression of blood oxygen in the brain causes various physical side effects. These side effects are important as they signal the observer as to what the persons state of intoxication may be. There is a caveat here in that each individual is different As stated earlier, many factors come into play and the only real determinant of a persons condition~on is his BAC, measured against his consumption over a period of time. There are four stages of intoxication. The first state occurs at BAC levels between .00 and .04. A person at This stage usually relaxes his inhibitions. He will converse more, loosen his clothing and enjoy the company of those around him. As he continues to drink, judgement becomes impaired and his emotional system Is a~affected. His reflexes also begin to slow down. This occurs at BAC levels between .05 and .08. His behavior may become boisterous, or even vulgar. Because his judgement is impaired, he will lose sense of time and perhaps complain about the strength of his drink or slow service. He may become, belligerent or depressed, depending upon his mood. He may also drink faster because alcohol has a tendency to affect the palate by thickening the saliva.