Your BAC level after having the same number of beers as your friend, will surprisingly not be quite the same. In fact, almost every person and their body will react to alcohol in a different way, and at a different pace. Therefore, predicting your own BAC levels can be quite difficult when you take tolerance, reactivity, and a few other factors into consideration. In fact, there are so many different things that play a role in how your BAC levels will vary…
BAC Levels: Every Body Reacts Differently
Gender
…actually plays a larger role than you might think in blood alcohol content. Generally speaking, men have a higher water content in their body than most women do. Because alcohol is water soluble, men tend to process alcohol a bit quicker, and feel those effects a little slower. In turn, women usually will have higher BAC levels than men, even when consuming the same amount of alcohol.
Body Type
…also plays a roll in BAC levels. The more a person weighs, the more water that have in their body— and, typically, fat as well. Water, even in the body, dilutes alcohol. Therefore, less of it will find it’s way into the bloodstream. And when it comes to fat? Fat is low in water content, and cannot absorb alcohol, but muscle can. Therefore, the higher fat content you have, the more alcohol swill find it’s way into the blood stream, as it has nowhere else to go.
Food
…serves as a factor for BAC as well. If you have food in your stomach, it takes a longer period of time to reach the blood stream. For this reason alone, it’s highly suggested that you eat something hearty before you plan on drinking a good bit. By doing so, you’ll make sure that all of the alcohol you drink, doesn’t go straight into the bloodstream. Believe me, that’s an easy way to end up very drunk, with your day cut short, and a nasty hangover to pair it with.
Drinking rate
…mostly goes hand-in-hand with eating something and taking your time with your drinks. Eat something hearty, drink slow, and your day will be just fine. Do the opposite of those things? Your day will likely end the way we mentioned right above: very drunk, cut short, and very hungover…
Keeping these factors in mind
It’s important to understand how alcohol works in your body, that way you know how to manage it. So, follow our advice and see where it takes you. Even if you aren’t completely sold— give it one solid try at this first Panthers home game. You’ll never know until you give it a go, and believe me… you’ll thank us later.
