When you decide to go out and drink alcohol, you do so with the understanding that you may become impaired. Everyone reacts to alcoholic drinks and mixtures differently. It is impossible to predict how you will react to a drink every single time. Your weight, height, fat content and many other factors impact the way you will react to alcohol being in your system.
There are some estimates that discuss how people will react at different blood alcohol content (BAC) percentages. Here are some examples.
How does alcohol affect you?
If you drink and have a BAC of .02%, you may feel slightly warmer and relaxed. There is a measurable impact on your body at this stage, but most people still feel like themselves.
By the time you reach .05%, your behavior becomes less predictable. You may be louder than usual and lose control of some of your small muscle function. Vision becomes blurry at this stage, and your ability to track objects is reduced.
At .08%, the legal limit, you will notice a significant loss of coordination. Your speech may be highly slurred, and your hearing will get worse. Your reaction times will worsen, and your balance will be poor.
As you can see from this information, there really is no time that is safe to drive a car when you have been drinking. If you are stopped after you’ve been drinking, the police may ask you to perform a series of field tests and to take a Breathalyzer test. If you are arrested, remember that you can reach out to your attorney for support. You should not speak with the police other than to give them necessary information such as your name, address and identification.
