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BAC Levels for Men vs Women

By: William C. Head, veteran Criminal Attorney Near Me for Defense of Driving Under the Influence Charges

Men and women process alcohol differently due to many physiological factors. For example, women naturally have a smaller percentage of body water than men, which means that a man’s body will dilute more alcohol than a woman’s body.

Men naturally have more liver enzymes for alcohol-processing than women. This biological fact allows men to metabolize alcohol at a quicker rate, as the general rule. Because of these and other physiological factors, a man and a woman of the same size will feel different effects and legal blood alcohol level results on a breathalyzer test from consuming the same amount of alcohol.

This article helps you know and plan your night of drinking and driving, by moderating alcohol to stay within the permitted alcohol level set by Georgia DUI law.

Getting legally intoxicated and then driving is socially unacceptable as well as unnecessary, with cheap blood alcohol calculator testing devices for sale for under $100. The portable devices utilize a fuel cell that responds to ethanol via a chemical reaction to provide a rough estimation of the alcohol present on your breath, which correlates to the alcohol level in your blood.

Other Factors Affecting Your BAC Alcohol

The first question you must ask is, “What is the legal alcohol limit for my age and type of vehicle?” The current legal breath or blood alcohol limit in Georgia is .08% for adult drivers (persons who are age 21 and over) who are NOT operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV). In the United States, only one state, Utah, has dropped this adult BAC alcohol number to 0.05 grams percent for adults.

Due to federal laws, every CMV operator is held to a stricter BAC alcohol standard of only 0.04 grams percent blood alcohol content. Various subsections of OCGA 40 6 391 control these legal limit guidelines. Plus, drivers under age 21 have a zero-tolerance law that considers the underage driver to be over the legal limit at 0.02 grams percent.

Multiple other factors can affect the rate at which your body metabolizes alcohol. To focus on your blood alcohol limit GA, some of these biometric factors may include:

  • Body composition
  • Amount and type of food consumed prior to and during drinking
  • Any prescription medication or drug use than can potentiate signs of impairment
  • Health of the drinker’s liver
  • Whether the person consuming alcohol used carbonated mixers, which excite the pyloric valve
  • Ethnic background, since Asians process alcohol at a slower rate
  • 7 Rules For Using A BAC Calculator Over Time

These rules of thumb need to be followed to assure that you are estimating your approximate BAC levels correctly when imbibing. Your objective is to conservatively gauge your lean body mass in calculating the number of drinks and knowing when to extend the “wait” time several more hours before you get behind the wheel.

With the advent of Uber, Lyft and other ride sharing services, modern juries are quick to judge someone facing drunk driving charges. Consider staying on a couch at your friends’ house or being taken to a nearby hotel for the night, fewer excuses currently exist for driving under the influence (DUI).

If this advice it too little too late after binge drinking, then hiring the best DUI lawyer in Georgia is your smart choice. These cases can be won, but the odds of winning your DUI case increase when you retain experienced DUI attorneys near me as your legal counsel.

Consider Mr. Head’s 7 Rules for Alcohol Consumption, set forth below:

  • The BAC chart shown below assumes no food, but you need to stay with these numbers and not assume that your food intake will “hedge” your BAC results. Monitor the dose of alcohol that is put in your glass. With mixed drinks or wine, the drink can often be a double, and escalate your BAC far over these BAC calculator numbers.
  • Food eaten AFTER you are finished drinking alcohol will not lower your BAC, nor will it diminish your “peak” blood alcohol level. Eat before and during to help lower your peak BAC level.
  • Never assume that doing the so-called field sobriety tests for an investigating officer MAY result in being let go. These roadside “exercises” are not scientific, are NOT graded “normally,” and are designed to gather bogus police evidence for your trial.
  • If you have monitored your alcohol and your “wait” time before driving, you should have no fear of taking the official test requested by the police officer. Remember that breathalyzer tests ONLY show ALCOHOL results, but that blood test result or urine test results show ALL impairing substances.
  • So, if asked for a breath test, be ready to submit, but request an independent test AFTER you have complied with the official forensic breath tests. You need to be able to pay for this blood testing, and (in some states) may need to locate a blood draw nurse, EMT, or phlebotomist.
  • Thanks to pro-prosecution DUI laws, more and more states are obtaining forcible blood draws pursuant to the arresting officer seeking involuntary collection of blood under a judicial warrant.
  • If you refuse the post-arrest forensic breathalyzer test in most states (California, North Carolina, Minnesota, North Dakota, Texas, Arizona, Georgia), your officer has the right under state drunk driving laws to compel blood via a search warrant request that has been presented (by your arresting officer) to a magistrate judge or other judicial officer.

By following all other rules not incriminating yourself when being investigated by a law enforcement officer, you will increase your chances of giving your DUI lawyer the best chance to win your case. Remember, what comes out of your mouth in conversation is what convicts most people. Shut up!

Give your name and address only. No conversation about anything else, especially how much you had to drink, or your use of marijuana or other prohibited substances! Silence is GOLDEN, just like the blood alcohol chart below.

Rate of Consumption Affects Elimination Rate

The rate at which you consume alcohol plays a large role in determining your BAC limit. For an average-sized male (175 pounds) his body can process about one standard serving of alcohol per hour.

For a 105-pound female, one drink every two hours is a safe “number” so that her body can process out the ethanol. When the drinker consumes more than this, the excess alcohol saturates your blood and body tissue as it waits to be metabolized by your liver. This is when a person starts to feel a buzz, which is the first sign that the alcohol is starting the process of intoxication.

How Body Weight Affects Level of Intoxication

Body weight also plays a large role in your ability to process alcohol. For example, a man who weighs 225 pounds will have a BAC around .039% after consuming two servings of alcohol, whereas a 150-pound man will have a BAC around .058% after consuming the same amount.

Not Every Blood Alcohol Chart is Accurate

Like with all web research, not every blood alcohol chart is accurate or reliable in producing a precise “number” that will reflect your legal blood alcohol level. Doing some basic testing at various web locations that have an interactive BAC chart program running, our DUI experts have discovered that the range of answers can vary from 10% to 30%. So, never trust a blood alcohol level chart or “drunk calculator” for an exact answer.

Hire The Best Atlanta DUI Lawyer for Your Representation

In today’s economy, NOT having a DUI on your record is critically important. The stakes for having an impediment to future success are extraordinarily high in circumstances such as these. Plus, you only have 30 days after arrest to SAVE your right to drive, in most cases.

Aggressive, vigorous legal advocacy offers the greatest opportunity to achieve a positive outcome. To learn more about how William Head, Cory Yager and Larry Kohn, veteran DUI lawyers in Georgia can help you during this time of personal crisis.

Contact our attorneys in Atlanta today. A FREE lawyer consultation is available, even on weekends. (404) 567-5515. Call our law firm 24 hours a day for immediate service and legal help.


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