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What factors affect how quickly a person’s BAC level rises?

There are many factors that can impact how quickly a person’s blood alcohol content level rises, such as weight and gender.

When people in Louisiana consume an alcoholic beverage, the alcohol goes into their system and eventually reaches their bloodstream. At this point, their blood alcohol content level can be measured. Although how quickly this process happens varies greatly depending on many different factors, the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles states that a person can be arrested for driving while intoxicated with a BAC level of 0.08 or higher.

Understanding what factors affect BAC

Although many different factors can affect how quickly a person’s BAC level rises, some of the most common include the following:

  • Age-After consuming the same amount of alcohol, the BAC level of an older person will likely be higher than that of a younger one.
  • Gender-Men’s bodies have less fat and water than women’s. Since alcohol has a harder time going into fat cells than other cells, more alcohol tends to stay in the blood of women. A women’s hormones may also have an impact on the way alcohol is broken down within the body.
  • Weight-Water can dilute alcohol and lower a person’s BAC level. Since the more a person weighs affects how much water is in his or her body, the more the person weighs, the lower his or her BAC level will be.
  • The number of drinks consumed-A person’s BAC level will steadily rise as he or she increases how many alcoholic beverages he or she drinks per hour.

In addition to these factors, how much food a person has eaten before or during drinking can impact his or her BAC level. Since food in the stomach can absorb alcohol, a person who has eaten something will have a lower BAC level than a person who is drinking on an empty stomach after consuming the same amount of alcohol.

The risk of variability

Because so many factors impact how quickly a person’s BAC level rises, those who consume alcohol may have a hard time determining when their BAC level reaches 0.08 or higher. When this occurs, they may inadvertently exceed the legal limit and be arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Those in Louisiana who were arrested for drinking and driving may be worried about the potential penalties they face, which may include heavy fines, jail time and license suspension. For this reason, those facing DWI charges should reach out to an attorney for assistance asserting their legal rights.