According
to
the American Medical Association, a 180-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.
4-3
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