Blood alcohol concentration - question

[Kaeroll]

Seems that alcohol's a bit of a theme in here, but here goes...

 

If one were to consume, say, 21 shots of vodka (or an equivalent spirit) over an hour, roughly what would one's b.a.c. be? I have absolutely no idea how to work this out, even to a ballpark estimate.

 

I'm aware it depends on a lot of variables but hey, run with it.

 

Kaeroll

[iNow]

Depends on how much you weigh, but it would probably be close to 25 or 30%.

 

http://www.ou.edu/oupd/bac.htm

 

 

Here's a slightly better explanation of how to calculate it yourself:

 

http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Blood-Alcohol-Level

[Kyrisch]

Depends on how much you weigh, but it would probably be close to 25 or 30%.

 

http://www.ou.edu/oupd/bac.htm

 

 

Here's a slightly better explanation of how to calculate it yourself:

 

http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Blood-Alcohol-Level

 

I would hope you mean .25 or .30%. If your blood were one-quarter pure alcohol, you'd be more alcoholic than most drinks. That, and dead, of course.

[iNow]

Oopss... That's what I get for posting so early in the morning.

[Kaeroll]

Well... regardless of the numbers, this very post is proof that one can have 21 shots of vodka over four hours (not one, ah well) and still be able to type coherently.

 

Experiments: why science is fun.

[CharonY]

And conversely you can have innumerable cups of coffee and still write like a drunken monkey (just re-reading something I wrote up)...

[GDG]

Well... regardless of the numbers, this very post is proof that one can have 21 shots of vodka over four hours (not one, ah well) and still be able to type coherently.

 

Experiments: why science is fun.

 

Hmm, but not a very good idea. If you get your blood alcohol level up to 0.40%, you have a 50% chance of dying from it. The typical frat party scenario is: (a) drink to huge excess; (b) pass out when the BAC climbs above 0.25% or so; © alcohol continues to be absorbed from your digestive tract, after you've passed out; (d1) BAC climbs above 0.40% or so, and you stop breathing; or (d2) you vomit, and choke to death on it. Not terribly pleasant either way...

[iNow]

So, if I understand you correctly, the lesson is to stop at .39% BAC?

[Kaeroll]

Hmm, but not a very good idea. If you get your blood alcohol level up to 0.40%, you have a 50% chance of dying from it. The typical frat party scenario is: (a) drink to huge excess; (b) pass out when the BAC climbs above 0.25% or so; © alcohol continues to be absorbed from your digestive tract, after you've passed out; (d1) BAC climbs above 0.40% or so, and you stop breathing; or (d2) you vomit, and choke to death on it. Not terribly pleasant either way...

I discovered this is not a good idea about eight hours after that post. I still feel a little rough... though I wasn't actually sick.

 

Never, ever again. (You only turn 21 once though...)

[GDG]

So, if I understand you correctly, the lesson is to stop at .39% BAC?

 

Yep. Then you probably only have a 48% chance of dying

[iNow]

Yes, but also a 52% chance of living.

 

 

Okay... I'm not in college anymore. I need to stop this silliness.

 

Thanks for the cool numbers, GDG.

[Psycho]

Hmm, but not a very good idea. If you get your blood alcohol level up to 0.40%, you have a 50% chance of dying from it. The typical frat party scenario is: (a) drink to huge excess; (b) pass out when the BAC climbs above 0.25% or so; © alcohol continues to be absorbed from your digestive tract, after you've passed out; (d1) BAC climbs above 0.40% or so, and you stop breathing; or (d2) you vomit, and choke to death on it. Not terribly pleasant either way...

True apart from I have never heard of anyone directly dying from drink too much alcohol personally.

 

You could easily drink 21 shots in an hour, I have done 18 in an hour an a half in the form of double vodka and coke and plenty of people can drink more than me.

[GDG]

True, acute frat party-type alcohol poisoning is not common, but does get routinely reported in the news. I suspect that most people don't approach toxic levels because you are waaay drunk long before then. It takes something like a drinking game, contest, or ritual (e.g., 21 shots, or a frat initiation) to get someone to drink lethal amounts quickly enough. IIRC, you usually have to drink fairly high-proof alcohol pretty quickly, so that your system is still absorbing it when you pass out.

[Psycho]

See that's the problem the drinking age is too high, if they had been drinking from younger their bodies would be more used to drinking, or knowing when to throw up.

[MM6]

There was a man in Bulgaria who had a BAC of 0.914%. He lived! That's the record.

 

Reference:

 

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2005/01/04/drunk-bulgarian-050104.html