Given the fact that each person responds to alcohol differently, it's no wonder why so many people don't fully understand the effects of alcohol, nor do they know when they have had too much to drive. According to the Office of Alcohol and Drug Education, intoxication occurs long before a person passes out.
Each person responds differently to the effects of alcohol and factors such as the person's mood, the drinking setting, their physical health, gender, and tolerance to the chemical can all affect intoxication.
Intoxication is defined as the point which alcohol depresses the central nervous system to the extent that mood, physical and mental abilities have noticeably changed. If you have consumed alcohol in the past, you may have noticed yourself that sometimes you can practically feel drunk on a couple of drinks when other times you can have several drinks and "not feel a thing."
The legal definition of being intoxicated is to have a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .08%.
Contrary to popular belief, "tolerance" has no correlation to a person's BAC, which is the amount of alcohol in a person's system based on their weight, the number of drinks consumed, and the period of time during which the alcohol was consumed; for example, three beers in one hour.
It is recommended that an individual not exceed a BAC of .056%, because at this point an individual can experience a positive, relaxed and euphoric state. However, when the BAC exceeds .056, the negative, depressant effects of alcohol set in.
When a person's BAC reaches .06 to .10, a person begins to experience the following undesired effects of alcohol:
- Inappropriate behavior and impaired judgment
- Stumbling, staggering, losing fine motor skills
- Slurred speech, overly talkative
- Slowed mental processing (forgetting, losing train of thought, inability to follow conversations well etc.)
- Intensified, and sometimes inappropriate emotions
- Decreased inhibitions
Predominant factors that affect intoxication and alcohol absorption include whether or not the person has eaten, the strength of the drink, body weight, body fat level, gender, rate of consumption, functional tolerance, medications, illness and fatigue.
If you are facing DWI charges, contact The Law Office of Troy P. Burleson
at (888) 503-2736 to discuss your case!