Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is a measure of the amount of alcohol present in your bloodstream. It is expressed as a percentage that indicates the grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. For example, a BAC of 0.08% means there are 0.08 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. In all 50 states and Washington, DC, driving with a BAC of 0.08% is illegal. In Utah, the limit is 0.05.
Understanding your BAC and its effects is crucial for making informed decisions about alcohol consumption, ensuring your safety and the safety of those around you.
Responsibility.org’s Virtual Bar allows you to customize your drinking experiences to safely learn how alcohol affects you before you start drinking. It takes unique factors including your gender assigned at birth, weight, height, and the food you eat, to educate you about how alcohol may affect your behavior and impairment. It also gives you a sense of how long it would take for your BAC to return to 0.00, which may be surprising.
Here’s one example: A 170-pound man can consume approximately four drinks in an hour on an empty stomach before reaching a .08 BAC. A 137-pound woman could drink three drinks in one hour on an empty stomach before reaching a .08 level. Studies show that the fatal crash risk at .08 BAC is at least 11 times that of a sober driver.
What do changes in your BAC feel like—how do you act or react? The Virtual Bar also addressed this by telling you how you might feel at different BAC levels and help you relate to and better understand the differences between them.
0.01-0.03
You feel warm and relaxed. You’re experiencing slight euphoria and loss of shyness, but no loss of coordination. If you are under 21, it is illegal to drive after any amount of alcohol. It will take up to 2 hours to return to a BAC of 0.0.
0.04-0.07
You are feeling relaxed, talkative, and mildly euphoric. Your inhibitions are lowered, and your reasoning and memory are impaired slightly. Your coordination may be mildly impaired. At 0.05 BAC, it is illegal to drive in Utah. It will take up to 6 hours to return to a BAC of 0.0.
0.08-0.09
Your balance might be off, and your speech slurred. Your judgment and self-control will be reduced, and your reasoning, ability to assess risk, and memory may be impaired. At 0.08, it is illegal to drive in all 50 states and Washington, DC. It will take up to 10 hours to return to a BAC of 0.0.
0.10-0.11
You believe you are functioning better than you are. You are noisy and may engage in possibly embarrassing behaviors. There is a noticeable reduction in your reaction time. You should absolutely not drive or make other decisions at this time. It will take up to 12 hours to return to a BAC of 0.0.
0.12-0.14
You may be very clumsy and clearly drunk at this point. Your judgment and memory are getting worse, as well as your vision, reaction time, and hearing. You should absolutely not drive or make other decisions at this time. It will take up to 14 hours to return to a BAC of 0.0.
0.15-0.19
It is very likely that you could have large gaps of memory missing the next morning. Your speech, vision, reasoning, and memory are all severely impaired. You have lost your gross motor skills and lack physical control. You should absolutely not drive or make other decisions at this time. It will take up to 16 hours to return to a BAC of 0.0.
0.20-0.24
You are sloppy drunk and will need assistance walking. Your inability to keep your hands steady might cause you to spill your drink if you have another one. You’re in danger of passing out, and should have severe nausea at this point, as your body is trying to expel alcohol. It will take up to 18 hours to return to a BAC of 0.0.