Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Calculator
The blood alcohol content (BAC) calculator helps to estimate the amount of alcohol in an individual's bloodstream. Our calculator calculates the approximate concentration of alcohol in the blood and estimates how long it will take for the BAC to drop to zero. In other words, a BAC of 0.1% would translate to 0.1 grams of alcohol per 100 mL of blood.
The concentration of alcohol in the blood is affected by various factors, including weight, gender, amount of alcohol consumed, and time elapsed since you started drinking. For example, women generally have a lower alcohol tolerance than men because they have less water in their bodies.
Effects of Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)
Behavior and impaired abilities vary depending on the amount of alcohol in the blood. The effect of alcohol starts at a very low level, at which concentration, the ability to think, or peripheral vision immediately deteriorate. The table below provides an overview of the effects of alcohol in the blood on behavior and the effect on the organism.
In addition, a larger amount of alcohol in the blood impairs motor skills and reaction time and can seriously negatively affect the body. If there is too much alcohol in the blood, loss of consciousness, coma, or death can occur.
BAC (%) | Behavior | Effect on body |
|---|---|---|
0.001 – 0.03% | Normal | Negligible changes |
0.03 – 0.06% | Mild euphoria, joy, talkativeness | Worse concentration |
0.06 - 0.10% | Euphoria, numb feelings, extraversion | Decreased ability to think, reduced sensitivity to pain, worse peripheral vision |
0.10 – 0.20% | Excessive talkativeness, stormy emotions, nausea/vomiting | Worse reaction time, worse motor skills, inability to express oneself |
0.20 – 0.30% | Nausea/vomiting, emotional swings (anger, sadness), decreased libido, stiffness | Imbalance, poor motor skills, possible loss of consciousness, memory loss |
0.30 – 0.40% | Heavy/rapid breathing, blackouts, inability to walk | Depression of the central nervous system, increased heart rate, low probability of death |
0.40 – 0.50% | Heavy/rapid breathing, inability to walk, unconsciousness, depression, coma | Severe depression of the central nervous system, high heart rate, alcohol intoxication, probability of death |
>0.50% | Risk of death |
Effect of Alcohol on Driving
Increased alcohol consumption has adverse long-term impacts in addition to short-term effects. In this case, however, we are interested in short-term results, especially when drunk driving.
The drunk driving tolerance varies between countries, but if we omit those with zero tolerance for drunk driving, the limit for blood alcohol content is usually 0.05% (BAC). The effect of alcohol is negligible on motor skills up to this limit, although it already affects concentration. However, if we go just slightly above this limit, impaired peripheral vision and decreased ability to reason occur, which is dangerous when driving a vehicle.
Bear in mind that even with a lower blood alcohol content, a person may have a worse ability to drive a vehicle, especially if he is taking a specific type of medication, has a metabolic disorder or a medical condition that, in combination with any amount of alcohol, impairs his ability.