The Problem

The game started at one, but your friends began to appear at least an hour earlier. You were all hyped as this was the first time your college actually had a chance to beat their long time rival.

You were the master of the grill, so everything was perfect in time for kick off. Hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, salsa… Hey, where is the salsa?

Off you hurry to the store to get the crucial missing part of your (up to this point) well thought out weekend. As you race along the road, you see a blue light in your rear view mirror… oh #@ you think, this is going to cost me…. How right you are!

How many beers can you have before you are legally drunk? How many hours does it take for your body to dissipate the alcohol in each drink you take?

If you do not know the answers to these questions, the results of your encounter with this policeman may be much more costly than you imagine. Even though you may be completely able to operate your car in a safe manner… even if you could pass the driving test with an instructor sitting next to you… even though you only had a few beers and have made this trip in this condition dozens of times.

Do you know when you are legally drunk? Most people can still perform the tasks need to operate an automobile safely even after crossing the invisible line that makes them legally drunk.

It is very easy to go over the limit, and not realize you could be charged with a DUI.

How to calculate your Blood Alcohol Level

The following chart shows estimated percentage of alcohol in the blood by the number of drinks in relationship to body weight. This percentage can be estimated by using the following three steps.

  • Count the number of drinks you have consumed: 1 drink equals the following
    1 One ounce of 100 proof liquor. * (please note that a typical bar drink is 86 proof)
    1 Five ounce glass of table wine.
    1 Twelve ounce bottle of regular (not Lite alcohol) beer.
  • Use the chart listed below to locate your approximate body weight, and the number of drinks you have consumed. The point at which the vertical and horizontal lines intersect is your blood alcohol level.

  • Subtract the percentage of alcohol "burned up" during the time elapsed from your first drink. The rate of "burn" is .015% per hour. Here is an example of this formula:
    180lb man drinks 8 drinks in 4 hours: 180 intersects with 8 at the number .167. He therefore has a blood alcohol level of .167 minus the time elapsed. We then take 4 (the number of hours elapsed) and subtract it from the blood alcohol number we have already gotten from the chart (4x.015=.06). Our final approximated blood alcohol level is .107 (.167-.06=.107)

Number of Drinks

Body Weight

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

100 LB

.038

.075

.113

.150

.188

.225

.263

.300

.338

.375

.413

.450

110 LB

.034

.066

.103

.137

.172

.207

.241

.275

.309

.344

.379

.412

120 LB

.031

.063

.094

.125

.156

.188

.219

.250

.281

.313

.344

.375

130 LB

.029

.058

.087

.116

.145

.174

.203

.232

.261

.290

.320

.348

140 LB

.027

.054

.080

.107

.134

.161

.188

.214

.241

.268

.295

.321

150 LB

.025

.050

.075

.100

.125

.151

.176

.201

.226

.251

.276

.301

160 LB

.023

.047

.070

.094

.117

.141

.164

.188

.211

.234

.258

.281

170 LB

.022

.045

.066

.088

.110

.132

.155

.178

.200

.221

.244

.265

180 LB

.021

.142

.163

.083

.104

.125

.146

.167

.188

.208

.229

.250

190 LB

.020

.040

.059

.079

.099

.119

.138

.158

.179

.198

.217

.237

200 LB

.019

.038

.056

.075

.094

.113

.131

.150

.169

.188

.206

.225

210 LB

.018

.036

.053

.071

.090

.107

.125

.143

.161

.179

.197

.215

220 LB

.017

.034

.051

.068

.085

.102

.119

.136

.153

.170

.188

.205

230 LB

.016

.032

.049

.065

.081

.098

.115

.0130

.147

.163

.180

.196

240 LB

.016

.031

.047

.063

.078

.094

.109

.125

.141

.156

.172

.188

Reader Beware! There are many other factors that effect an individual's blood/alcohol level - they include the person's weight, sex, food intake, activities during the drinking process, and other factors. This chart is just an approximation of your possible blood /alcohol level after drinking!