Also known as blood alcohol content, BAC is used for both legal and medical purposes.
Depending on your weight, it can take far longer.
On average, one standard American drink will produce a blood alcohol concentration of between 0.02 and 0.04.
Verywell / Daniel Fishel
Most light and moderate drinkers will feel subtle effects at this level.
What Counts as a Drink?
But how intoxicated you become depends on how quickly you consume alcohol over a period of hours.
After One Drink
Most people will tell you that one drink is “no big deal.”
While some men may respond to a single drink with a little tipsiness, others may appear entirely unaffected.
The effects of drinking, therefore, can vary as can speed by which the BAC returns to normal.
At this point, the negative effects of alcohol start to show.
Perception, memory, coordination, alertness, and self-control will also be impaired.
Six drinks will produce a BAC of about 0.12 unless the alcohol consumed over a long period of time.
It is the bodys first line of defense against alcohol poisoning.
Keep in Mind
In general, three drinks or more will produce negative effects.
These negative effects will increase the more you drink and the more quickly you drink.
These effects can be particularly pronounced in smaller men.
If you are driving, the evidence is clear that you are safer not drinking at all.
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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Core resource on alcohol.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Alcohol Poisoning Deaths.Atlanta, Georgia; updated January 6, 2015.
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