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According to the American Medical Association, a
1
80-pound (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355
ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a
BAC of about
0.06
percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking three 4-ounce (120
ml)
glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces
(45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.
It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if
the same person drank three double martinis
(3
ounces
or
90
ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s
BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A person who
consumes food just before or during drinking will have a
somewhat lower BAC level.
There
is
a gender difference, too. Women generally have
a lower relative percentage of body water than men.
Since alcohol is carried in body water, this means that a
woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a
man of her same body weight when each has the same
number
of
drinks.
The law in many
U.S.
states sets the legal limit at a
BAC
of
0.10
percent.
In
a growing number of
U.S.
states, and
throughout Canada, the limit is 0.08 percent. In some
other countries it’s even lower. The BAC limit for all
commercial drivers in the
U.S.
is
0.04
percent.
The BAC will be over
0.10
percent after three to six
drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we’ve seen, it
depends on how much alcohol is
in
the drinks, and how
quickly the person drinks them.
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