Factors Which Can Accelerate the Affects of Alcohol

Stuart Criminal Defense Attorney & Lawyer, serving Stuart, Florida, Martin County, and St. Lucie County by providing aggressive and experienced criminal defense legal representation.

There are various factors that may affect the how alcohol effects the chemical and physical systems of the human body. Any of these factors can affect the way you operate your vehicle on the roadways, which could lead to you being pulled over by law enforcement for suspicion of DUI.

These factors include:

• Absorption: Alcohol absorption, distribution and elimination are simultaneous processes that commence upon consumption.
  
  Absorption is the passage of alcohol into the blood. Distribution is the temporary placement of alcohol into various body tissues. Elimination is the removal of alcohol from the body. Diffusion is the method of passage of alcohol through cell membranes and is governed by concentration differences on either side of the cell wall.

• Body Weight and Body Type: In general, the less you weigh the more you will be affected by a given amount of alcohol. As detailed above, alcohol has a high affinity for water. Basically one's blood alcohol concentration is a function of the total amount of alcohol in one's system divided by total body water. So for two individuals with similar body compositions and different weights, the larger individual will achieve lower alcohol concentrations than the smaller one if ingesting the same amount of alcohol.
  
  However, for people of the same weight, a well muscled individual will be less affected than someone with a higher percentage of fat since fatty tissue does not contain very much water and will not absorb very much alcohol.
  
  Showing estimated percent of alcohol in the blood by number of drinks in relation to body weight. This percent can be estimated by:

  1. Count your drinks (1 drink equals 1 ounce of 100-proof liquor, one five ounce glass of table wine or one 12-ounce bottle of regular beer).

  2. Use the chart below and under number of "drinks" and opposite "body weight" find the percent of blood alcohol listed.

  3. Subtract from this number the percent of alcohol "burned up" during the time elapsed since your first drink. This figure is .015% per hour. (Example: 180 lb. man - 8 drinks in 4 hours / .167% minus (.015x4) = .107 %

• Body Type: In general, the less you weigh the more you will be affected by a given amount of alcohol. As detailed above, alcohol has a high affinity for water. Basically one's blood alcohol concentration is a function of the total amount of alcohol in one's system divided by total body water. So for two individuals with similar body compositions and different weights, the larger individual will achieve lower alcohol concentrations than the smaller one if ingesting the same amount of alcohol.
  
  However, for people of the same weight, a well muscled individual will be less affected than someone with a higher percentage of fat since fatty tissue does not contain very much water and will not absorb very much alcohol.

• Rate Of Consumption: The amount of alcoholic beverages consumed in a given hour.

• Alcohol Content: The concentration of the drinks may have various effects on blood alcohol levels. The absorption rate of a drink depends on its strength. Alcohol is most rapidly absorbed when the concentration of the drink is between 10% and 30%. In most cases, sticking to the rule of only drinking one alcoholic beverage per hour may be sufficient to remain under the legal limit, however, everyone's body reacts differently to alcohol.

• Medication: Taking certain medications alone may impair your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. Adding alcohol to the equation while taking medication may dramatically increase the possibility of unsafe or dangerous driving.

• Fatigue: Just as with medication, fatigue may impair your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. Adding alcohol to the equation while fatigued may dramatically increase the possibility of unsafe or dangerous driving. Alcohol is medically described as a depressant or "downer". It can add dramatically add to the effects the body has while experiencing fatigue.

• Tolerance: The more frequently one chooses to drink, the body develops and increased tolerance level to the consumption of alcohol. However, this physical tolerance has little or no barring the chemical reaction of your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) levels. In short, regardless if you feel drunk or not, you will still be legally over the limit, and subject to being charged with a DUI if stopped by law enforcement.

• Gender Differences and Age Differences: Men and Woman, 18 years of age or being a senior citizen... alcohol affects tour bodies differently. Numerous studies have clearly shown that a typically the female body reacts faster to the body of a male, and the older you get, the faster alcohol may affect your body. While there are exceptions, this analysis is generally true.

Stuart Criminal Defense Attorney & Lawyer, serving Stuart, Florida, Martin County, and St. Lucie County by providing aggressive and experienced criminal defense legal representation.