8 minute read
KNOW YOUR BAC
KNOW YOURBAC
It’s Easy as ABC.
BY MATTHEW BIDDLE
PICTURE THIS: After a
celebratory evening, you and a few friends are waiting for a ride share or a taxi. You’ve had the exact same number of drinks, but you’re all feeling a bit differently.
That’s because each person’s body processes alcohol differently — and understanding how your body responds to alcohol is key to raising a glass responsibly.
Blood alcohol content, or BAC, measures the ratio of alcohol to blood in your bloodstream. For example, a 0.08 percent BAC means you have 0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter of blood. While a 0.08 percent BAC is the legal limit for drivers in almost every state, including Ohio, the safest decision is to never drive after consuming alcohol.
As you enjoy a cocktail, it takes about 15 minutes for the alcohol to absorb into your bloodstream, causing your BAC to rise and you to feel its effects.
“Those mood enhancements — feeling more social, getting relaxed, feeling like you can dance — tend to be at lower BACs, between 0.02 percent to maybe as high as 0.06 percent,” said Jim Lange, PhD, executive director of the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery at The Ohio State University. “The not-so-good things you try to avoid are usually above that 0.06 percent level.”
Several factors affect how your body metabolizes alcohol and thus the BAC you reach, including how many drinks you’ve had and how quickly you consumed them. Eating a meal before grabbing a drink will slow down the alcohol’s absorption rate, but eventually it will reach your bloodstream. Meanwhile, drinking water may help you feel better — particularly the next morning — but its effect on your BAC will be minimal.
“Where it can be useful is when people use water to slow their drinking down,” Lange said. “If you alternate your drinks with water or something else that doesn’t contain alcohol, that gives your body time to absorb what you’ve already consumed and start to metabolize it.”
Body composition, weight, and gender are critical factors, too. Generally speaking, smaller individuals will feel alcohol’s effects more than larger people. And, according to Lange, if a man and woman of the same size match each another’s drinks, her BAC will climb faster than his.
“For an average-sized man, drinking what we consider one standard drink will move his BAC up to about 0.02 percent,” said Lange, noting that a standard drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of spirits. “But a woman of average size with that same drink would reach 0.03 percent.”
By contrast, Lange said the rate alcohol leaves the body is relatively constant; most people will lose about 0.015 percent BAC each hour, regardless of their size or gender.
“There’s nothing you can do to increase the rate at which alcohol leaves the body,” Lange said. “Once you consume alcohol, the only way to get rid of it is through your body’s natural metabolizing process. Anything else you’ve heard is not really confirmed.”
Before pouring a drink, Lange shares that it’s most important to monitor your intake to stay safe.
“Think about what you really want alcohol to do for you — and understand that those BACs are pretty low for what most people are interested in experiencing,” he said.
SLIDE UP TO THE VIRTUAL BAR
HIS AND HERS COCKTAILS
Understanding the science behind BAC, and knowing what to expect when you drink alcohol, are very different things. Thankfully, there’s an app for that.
Launched by Responsibility.org, Virtual Bar is a BAC calculator that allows you to input your gender, weight, height, and age, and estimate how consuming alcohol will affect your BAC, mood, and behavior.
“It’s not a tool to use as you drink, but rather beforehand, so folks can make a plan and set limits for themselves before the first sip,” said Sam Nathews, vice president of communications and branding for Responsibility.org.
After entering your demographic information, choose your beverage and how quickly you “drink” it, and Virtual Bar will estimate your peak BAC and describe how you might be feeling or behaving. You can also see how eating various foods before having a drink affects how quickly your body may absorb alcohol.
“It’s a way to really think about the impact of what you’re eating and drinking,” Nathews said. “People can use it to educate themselves and others generally or even to help make a plan before having a drink, like planning to eat beforehand and being sure to have safe transportation arrangements so they never drive impaired.”
Virtual Bar is available for Apple and Android users, and as an online tool at responsibility.org/drink-responsibly/ bac-calculator.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the median height and weight for U.S. men is 5 feet, 8 inches and 199.8 pounds, respectively. The median woman stands 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 170.8 pounds.
If two 35-year-olds with those measurements head to the bar, here’s how their BACs may change during the night, based on data from Virtual Bar. Eating food would lower the percentages.
Drink Time Elapsed His Peak BAC Her Peak BAC
His Time Until 0.0 BAC
Standard Mixed Drink 30 Minutes 0.012 0.018 1 hour, 40 minutes
Second Standard Mixed Drink
Third Standard Mixed Drink 60 Minutes 0.013 0.029 3 hours, 5 minutes
90 Minutes 0.020 0.046 4 hours, 40 minutes
Her Time Until 0.0 BAC
1 hour, 55 minutes
3 hours, 50 minutes
5 hours, 40 minutes
What’s in Ohio
LTO = Limited Time Offer
AMERICAN WHISKEY
BASIL HAYDEN SUBTLE SMOKE | 750 mL
BLACKENED RYE THE
LIGHTNING | 750 mL BOURBON COLLAB | 750 mL
BRIDGE AND MAIN AMERICAN
WHEAT | 750 mL ELIJAH CRAIG RYE | 1.75 L EVAN WILLIAMS WHITE BIB | 1 L GEORGE DICKEL RYE | 1.75 L HEAVEN HILL BIB BOURBON | 750 mL
HOOTEN YOUNG AMERICAN WHISKEY
12 YEAR OLD | 750 mL
JACK DANIELS BONDED TENNESSEE
WHISKEY | 700 mL JACK DANIELS TRIPLE MASH | 700 mL
LOCK STOCK AND BARREL 21
STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY | 750 mL
LOCK STOCK AND BARREL VATTED
STRAIGHT RYE 100 LTO | 750 mL
LOWERTOWN STRAIGHT
BOURBON | 750 mL
NOBLE CUT DISTILLERY PEACH
FLAVORED WHISKEY | 750 mL NOBLE OAK RYE | 750 mL OLD ELK DOUBLE WHEAT | 750 mL OLD ELK FOUR GRAINS | 750 mL
ORPHAN BARREL FABLE
AND FOLLY | 750 mL PINHOOK BOURBON | 750 mL PINHOOK RYE | 750 mL
PURSUIT UNITED
BOURBON LTO | 750 mL REBEL 100 PROOF | 1.75 L SAGAMORE DOUBLE OAK LTO | 750 mL
SAGAMORE SPIRIT RUM
CASK FINISH | 750 mL
TOWN BRANCH CASK STRENGTH
BOURBON | 750 mL
TOWN BRANCH TRUE
CASK LTO | 750 mL
WHISTLEPIG SMOKESTOCK
WHISKEY | 750 mL
WOODFORD RESERVE
BACCARAT | 700 mL
WOODINVILLE STRAIGHT RYE
WHISKEY | 750 mL
BRANDY
COURVOISIER MIZUNARA | 700 mL GRAN GALA VS COGNAC | 750 mL MARTELL BLUE SWIFT | 375 mL MARTELL CORDON BLEU | 375 mL MEUKOW 90 PROOF COGNAC | 750 mL ST REMY SIGNATURE | 750 mL
CANADIAN WHISKY
CARIBOU CROSSING SINGLE BARREL
CANADIAN WHISKY | 750 mL
CORDIALS
99 LONG ISLAND ICED TEA | 750 mL
CASA D ARISTI KALANI COCONUT
LIQUEUR | 750 mL
FABRIZIA CREMA DI
LIMONCELLO | 750 mL FAIR KUMQUAT LIQUEUR | 1 L
HANDY AND SCHILLER BUFFALO
TRACE OLD FASHIONED | 750 mL
HANDY AND SCHILLER SAZERAC RYE
MANHATTAN | 750 mL STIRRINGS TRIPLE SEC | 750 mL YUZURI | 750 mL
GIN
BROCKMANS GIN | 750 mL HA PENNY DUBLIN DRY GIN | 750 mL HA PENNY RHUBARB GIN | 750 mL HENDRICKS NEPTUNIA GIN | 750 mL
IRISH WHISKEY
IRISH AMERICAN 10 YEAR | 750 mL
MICHAEL COLLINS THE PREDICTION
IRISH WHISKEY | 750 mL
MIDLETON DAIR GHAELACH
KYLEBEG WOOD | 700 mL
RUM
ADMIRAL NELSON SILVER | 1.75 L BARCELO IMPERIAL ONYX LTO | 750 mL BUMBU THE ORIGINAL | 375 mL CANE RUN ESTATE WHITE RUM | 750 mL ET 51 PREMIUM RUM | 750 mL
RON ABUELO ANEJO 7 YEAR OLD
RUM | 750 mL
SCOTCH
ARDBEG ARDCORE | 750 mL
ARDBEG ARDCORE
COMMITTEE | 750 mL
CHIVAS ROYAL SALUTE 26 YEAR
KINGDOM EDITION | 750 mL
THE DALMORE 12 YEAR SHERRY CASK
SELECT | 750 mL
DEWARS 19 CHAMPIONS
EDITION | 750 mL
DEWARS 21 DOUBLE DOUBLE
LTO | 750 mL GLEN GRANT 12 YEAR | 750 mL
GLENFARCLAS 12 YEAR SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH | 750 mL GLENGOYNE 21 YEAR OLD | 750 mL GLENGOYNE 25 YEAR OLD | 750 mL
IMPERIAL 12 YEAR BLENDED
SCOTCH | 750 mL
LOCH LOMOND ‘THE OPEN’ COURSE
EDITION ST ANDREWS 2 YEAR | 750 mL
LOCH LOMOND ‘THE OPEN’ SPECIAL
EDITION 2022 | 750 mL NIKKA MIYAGIKYO | 750 mL NIKKA YOICHI | 750 mL SIA | 750 mL
TEQUILA
4 COPAS TEQUILA BLANCO | 750 mL
AMAN TEQUILA EL PROFESOR
ANEJO | 750 mL AVION REPOSADO | 1 L CALIROSA ANEJO TEQUILA | 750 mL CANTERA NEGRA ANEJO | 375 mL CASA DEL SOL ANEJO TEQUILA | 750 mL
CASA DEL SOL BLANCO
TEQUILA | 750 mL CASA DEL SOL REPOSADO | 750 mL CLASE AZUL ULTRA | 750 mL GHOST TEQUILA | 750 mL HUSSONGS REPOSADO | 750 mL
LOS VECINOS DEL CAMPO
ENSAMBLE NO 1 | 750 mL
LOS VECINOS DEL CAMPO
ESPADIN | 750 mL
LOS VECINOS TOBALA | 750 mL ABSOLUT WATERMELON | 1.75 L CIROC PASSION | 750 mL CIROC SUMMER CITRUS | 375 mL
NEW AMSTERDAM PASSION
FRUIT | 750 mL PLATINUM 10X VODKA | 750 mL SHIPHOUSE VODKA | 750 mL SVEDKA CITRON | 1 L SVEDKA RASPBERRY | 1 L TRULY PINEAPPLE MANGO | 750 mL
TRULY PINEAPPLE MANGO
VODKA LTO | 50 mL
TRULY STRAWBERRY LEMONADE
FLAVORED VODKA | 750 mL
TRULY STRAWBERRY LEMONADE
VODKA LTO | 50 mL
TRULY WILD BERRY FLAVORED
VODKA | 750 mL TRULY WILD BERRY VODKA LTO | 50 mL
Islay and Olive
