Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) and its Effects

Alcohol gets absorbed into the blood, resulting in a rising blood alcohol level, or BAL. As a depressant to the central nervous system, it slows down things like reaction time, coordination, and at high doses, even breathing and heart rate.

The effects typically seen at different levels are as follows:

Illustration of red plastic cup with GLASS text and branding elements on it.

  • .02% Begin to feel an effect.
  • .04% Feel more relaxed, buzzed.
  • .06% Judgment starts going down, decision making is affected. Less able to make rational decisions.
  • .08% Impairment of motor coordination. Slurred speech. Risk of nausea from here on out.
  • .10% Clear deterioration in judgment, coordination and reaction time. Lack of control.
  • .15-.30% Risk of blackout. Risk of passing out. Risk of vomiting.
  • .30-.40% Risk of losing consciousness. Risk of death.
  • .45% Considered a lethal dose.
 

These effects occur for people who have not developed a high tolerance for alcohol. For people with a tolerance, these effects may not occur until higher levels of intoxication, even though the person’s BAC is the same. Essentially, tolerance means needing more alcohol to get the same effect a person used to achieve with lower levels of alcohol. Tolerance reduces the pleasurable effects of alcohol and makes drinking more expensive.

Remember that if you are under 21, it is still illegal to drink, no matter your BAC level. For those over 21, a BAC over 0.08% is considered legally drunk. Because of reaction time impairment, drinking and driving is never a good idea. You can still get a DUI if your BAC is under 0.08%.

One drink is:

  • 12 ounces of beer
  • 4 ounces of wine
  • 1.5 ounces of hard alcohol

Use a Solo Cup as a standard point of reference.

Did You Know: The lines on a Solo Cup are measurement marks.

Red Solo cup labeled with measurement marks; 12 ounce beer at top line; 4 ounce wine at lower line; 1.5 ounces liquor at lowest line

 

BAC Charts