Blood Alcohol Content or Concentration (BAC) or sometimes called Blood Alcohol Level (BAL) refers to the ratio of alcohol to blood in the bloodstream. It is expressed as a percentage. A person with a BAC of 0.10% has 1 part of alcohol per 1,000 parts of blood.
BAC can be measured by doing a blood, urine or breath test. BAC can also be estimated by calculating the amount of alcohol, the body weight, the sex, and the time that a person has been drinking. Law enforcement checks the BAC of suspected drunk drivers by doing a breath test using a breathalyzer.
PLEASE DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE! GET A DESIGNATED DRIVER OR A TAXI.
Important!: One drink is a 12 oz beer, 5 oz wine or 1 ½ oz 80-proof liquor (distilled spirit).
BAC Calculator
Note: This is NOT an exact measurement (only an estimate). Every person's body is different.
Blood Alcohol Effects
| BAC | Physical and Emotional Effects |
|---|---|
| 0.02 % | You may feel relaxed and might experience slow reaction time. |
| 0.04 % | Your vision is affected. |
| 0.08 % | Your coordination decreases and your driving skills are impaired. This is the legal drinking limit. You are legally intoxicated and it's illegal to drive in the U.S. |
| 0.10 % | Your speech may become slurred. Lost of coordination and judgment. |
| 0.15 % | You may stumble when walking and may have trouble standing up. |
| 0.30 % | You might vomit and probably pass out. |
| 0.40 % | You may pass out (unconscious) and may go into a coma. |
| Over 0.40 % | Alcohol poisoning and death can occur. Your breathing might stop. This is the lethal blood alcohol level. |
| DRINK RESPONSIBLY! | |
BAC Charts
Download the Blood Alcohol Content/Concentration (BAC) Charts (49 Kb). It's a PDF file and you might need to download the Adobe Reader.
Men BAC Chart
| # of Drinks | Body Weight in Pounds (Lbs) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 lbs | 120 lbs | 140 lbs | 160 lbs | 180 lbs | 200 lbs | 220 lbs | 240 lbs | 260 lbs | 280 lbs | 300 lbs | |
| 1 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| 2 | 0.08 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 |
| 3 | 0.11 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 |
| 4 | 0.15 | 0.13 | 0.11 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| 5 | 0.19 | 0.16 | 0.13 | 0.12 | 0.10 | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.06 |
| 6 | 0.23 | 0.19 | 0.16 | 0.14 | 0.13 | 0.11 | 0.10 | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.08 |
| 7 | 0.26 | 0.22 | 0.19 | 0.17 | 0.15 | 0.13 | 0.12 | 0.11 | 0.10 | 0.09 | 0.09 |
| 8 | 0.30 | 0.25 | 0.22 | 0.19 | 0.17 | 0.15 | 0.14 | 0.13 | 0.12 | 0.11 | 0.10 |
| 9 | 0.34 | 0.28 | 0.24 | 0.21 | 0.19 | 0.17 | 0.15 | 0.14 | 0.13 | 0.12 | 0.11 |
| 10 | 0.38 | 0.31 | 0.27 | 0.24 | 0.21 | 0.19 | 0.17 | 0.16 | 0.15 | 0.13 | 0.13 |
| For every hour of drinking subtract 0.015 | |||||||||||
Women BAC Chart
| # of Drinks | Body Weight in Pounds (Lbs) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 lbs | 100 lbs | 120 lbs | 140 lbs | 160 lbs | 180 lbs | 200 lbs | 220 lbs | 240 lbs | 260 lbs | 280 lbs | |
| 1 | 0.06 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| 2 | 0.11 | 0.09 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.03 |
| 3 | 0.17 | 0.13 | 0.11 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| 4 | 0.22 | 0.18 | 0.15 | 0.13 | 0.11 | 0.10 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.06 |
| 5 | 0.28 | 0.22 | 0.18 | 0.16 | 0.14 | 0.12 | 0.11 | 0.10 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.08 |
| 6 | 0.33 | 0.26 | 0.22 | 0.19 | 0.17 | 0.15 | 0.13 | 0.12 | 0.11 | 0.10 | 0.09 |
| 7 | 0.39 | 0.31 | 0.26 | 0.22 | 0.19 | 0.17 | 0.15 | 0.14 | 0.13 | 0.12 | 0.11 |
| 8 | 0.44 | 0.35 | 0.29 | 0.25 | 0.22 | 0.20 | 0.18 | 0.16 | 0.15 | 0.14 | 0.13 |
| 9 | 0.50 | 0.40 | 0.33 | 0.28 | 0.25 | 0.22 | 0.20 | 0.18 | 0.17 | 0.15 | 0.14 |
| 10 | 0.55 | 0.44 | 0.37 | 0.31 | 0.28 | 0.24 | 0.22 | 0.20 | 0.18 | 0.17 | 0.16 |
| For every hour of drinking subtract 0.015 | |||||||||||