When two people have a glass of wine, they may assume that they are just as intoxicated. If they both have multiple drinks and one person knows that they can’t drive because their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is over the legal limit, they may assume that is true for the other person, as well.
But the reality is that a BAC reading can be much different from one person to the next, even when they have had the exact same amount of alcohol. Here are a few different factors that influence how quickly a person’s BAC goes up.
Their weight
First of all, those who weigh less tend to see their BAC go up faster. A person who weighs 120 pounds could have a much higher reading than someone who weighs 250 pounds, even though they have the same drink.
Their gender
Gender also plays a role, and women tend to become intoxicated faster than men. Part of this is just that women tend to be smaller. But their body composition also plays a role.
What they ate
Eating a meal doesn’t sober you up, but if someone eats before drinking, that can delay the process of alcohol entering their bloodstream. So someone who drinks on a full stomach may have a lower BAC.
Sleep patterns
Finally, studies have found that someone who is lacking sleep is more likely to feel far more intoxicated off of less alcohol. If someone stayed up for 24 hours straight and then had a beer, it would affect them far differently than if they had gotten a full night of sleep.
These are just a few things to keep in mind. If you do find yourself facing drunk driving allegations because your BAC was over the legal limit, be sure you know about your legal defense options.
