How To Calculate Your Blood Alcohol Level

How to calculate your blood alcohol level: Blood Alcohol Content, or BAC, is a measure of the ratio of alcohol in your blood. Follow these steps to learn how to calculate your BAC and know when it's legally safe to drive.

Step 1:
Pick Your Poison
The first step in determining your BAC is knowing the alcohol content of your drink of choice. You also need to know what determines a standard drink. Beer is usually 4% alcohol. But this varies, depending on the type of beer. Your best bet is to check the label. One drink of wine is measured as 5 ounces. This includes white, red, rose, and champagne. One drink of hard liquor is measured as 1.5 ounces, or one shot of liquor which contains 40% alcohol. Remember, some drinks are made with even stronger potency... like 151 proof rum or grain alcohol.
Step 2:
Weighing Your Options
Calculating your BAC depends on your gender and your weight. Alcohol is absorbed differently by men and women. But women be wise, when it comes to staying sober longer, men definitely have the advantage. Their bodies handle it better, and men typically weigh more than women. For instance, a 180 pound man who has had four drinks in one hour will have a BAC of .08. In the same hour, his 120 pound female friend needs only two drinks to reach the same BAC of .08.
Step 3:
Time Will Tell
As the night drags on and you consume drink after drink... the hours will have an affect on your BAC. As a general rule, subtract .015 from your total BAC for each hour that passes since your first drink. A 180-pound man who's had four drinks has a BAC of .08. If he waits stops drinking for one hour, his BAC may drop to .065, and he's legal to drive. But you should always keep in mind that there are many factors involved in a person's reaction to alcohol. Your BAC can be affected by hereditary factors, medication, metabolism, hormonal factors, and the amount of food in your stomach.