Factors that influence BAC

As a general rule of thumb, it takes an average healthy person about one hour to process one standard drink. But remember, this is a guideline only! Two people who drink the same amount of alcohol can have very different BACs. This is because everyone processes alcohol at a different rate. Your BAC is affected by the amount of alcohol that you drink and the period of time over which you drink it. If you consume a lot of drinks in a short amount of time, your BAC will be higher than if you drank them over a longer period of time. Your BAC will also depend on a number of other factors including your: Gender Due to differences in body composition, the same amount of alcohol will generally lead to a higher BAC in a woman than in a man. Age Younger people will reach a higher BAC faster than older people due to their faster metabolism. Body size A larger person has more blood to dilute the alcohol, and so will take longer to reach the same BAC as a smaller person. Also, muscle absorbs alcohol but fat does not, so the more body fat a person has, the faster their BAC will rise. Liver function Damaged or unhealthy livers cannot process alcohol as efficiently as healthy ones, resulting in higher BACs. Stomach content Food in your stomach slows absorption of alcohol, making your BAC rise slower than if you drank on an empty stomach. Genetics The liver enzymes used to break down alcohol differ from person to person, depending on genetic make-up. These enzymes work at different rates, meaning some people will naturally process alcohol faster than others

How many standard drinks are in different types of alcohol?

Type of alcoholic drink Low-strength beer (2.7%) 1 can or stubbie 1 pot (285ml) Standard drinks 0.8 0.6

1 pint (570ml) 1.2 Mid-strength beer (3.5%) 1 can or stubbie 1.0 1 pot (285ml) 0.8 1 pint (570ml) 1.6 Full-strength beer (4.9%) 1 can or stubbie 1.4 1 pot (285ml) 1.1 1 pint (570ml) 2.2 Wine (9.5%-13%) 100ml glass 1.0 Average restaurant serving (150ml) 1.4 to 1.6 750ml bottle 7 to 8 Spirits (37%-40%) 1 nip (30ml) 1.0 700ml bottle 22.0 Pre-mixed spirits (5%-7%) 1 can (375ml) 1.5 to 2.1 1 bottle (275ml) 1.1 to 1.5