Your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is simply a measurement of the amount of alcoholic content in your bloodstream. It is important because the legal limit for people to drive is a BAC of 0.08%. It is possible for people to get arrested on drunk driving allegations even under the limit, if they demonstrate impairment in another fashion. But breaking the legal limit allows the court to presume impairment.
That said, BAC isn’t the same for everyone. It’s not as if everyone can have two drinks without going over the limit, but a third drink would put them over the top. It would be easier if things were so simple, but there are actually many different factors that impact how fast a person’s BAC will climb.
Their gender
There’s evidence that blood alcohol concentration goes up more quickly in women than it does in men. This could mean that, if a man and a woman have the same amount of drinks, the woman could be over the limit while the man hasn’t crossed that threshold yet.
Their weight
Part of the reason for the above is that women tend to weigh less than men. It takes more alcohol for a larger person to become intoxicated, as their BAC climbs more slowly. A 300-pound man may have three drinks and hardly feel it, while a 100-pound woman may have three drinks and feel completely intoxicated.
How quickly they drink
Additionally, keep in mind that a person’s BAC is always falling when they aren’t drinking, so the frequency of those drinks is going to play a major role. Someone who has one drink an hour for five hours will have a lower BAC at the end than a person who has all five drinks in one hour.
Have you been arrested on allegations of driving under the influence? Be sure you carefully look into your legal defense options.