Alcohol

What is a drink?

1 drink =

12 oz of beer
4.5 oz of wine
1.5 oz of 80 proof distilled liquor

What does alcohol do?

Low Doses:	Medium Doses:	High Doses:
Reduced Tension	Slurred Speech	Vomiting
Lower Inhibitions	Impaired Judgment	Breathing Difficulties
Impairs Concentration	Poor Decisions	Unconscious
Slows Reflexes	Drowsiness	Coma
Impairs Reaction Time	Altered Emotions	Death
Reduces Coordination

What does BAC mean?

Blood Alcohol Concentration is the percentage of alcohol in your blood. For example, a .08 alcohol level means that .08 percent of your bloodstream is alcohol -- the higher the alcohol content, the more the alcohol affects your system and the more dangerous it gets. General effects of BAC levels on the body:

BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT	POSSIBLE EFFECTS
.02% to .04%	Lightheaded - Mildly relaxed, mood may be mildly intensified. .02% legal definition of intoxication in Colorado for people under 21 years of age.
.05% to .07%	Buzzed - Feel warm and relaxed, good moods are better and bad moods are worse, euphoria, may talk louder/act bolder than usual
.08%	Legal definition of intoxication in Colorado for people 21 years and older.
.08% to .10%	Legally Impaired - May slur speech, balance/motor skills become impaired, sight/hearing ability clearly diminished, judgment/self-control impaired, may take poor/risky sexual choices.
.11% to .15%	Drunk - "High," balance very impaired, judgment, memory and motor skills impaired, may forget how many drinks you have had past this point, men may have trouble functioning sexually.
.16% to .19%	Very Drunk - Euphoria may give way to unpleasant feelings (depression), difficulty talking/walking/standing, sharp increase in chances of physically injuring yourself or others, may experience a blackout at this level or higher, nausea, dizzy, blurred vision.
.20%	Confusion and Disorientation - May need help to stand or walk; if you hurt yourself, you probably won't realize it because the alcohol has numbed your pain and your judgment is so impaired you might not do anything about it; nausea and vomiting common, getting very dangerous because gag reflex is impaired, so you could choke if you do throw up (especially if you black out).
.30%	Stupor - Likely to pass out involuntarily (as opposed to lower BAC's where you may decide to stop drinking and go to sleep); if pass out, may be difficult for others to wake you; possible to die from alcohol poisoning or choking on vomit at this level and higher
.35%	Equivalent to general anesthesia, breathing may stop.
.40%	Coma likely, breathing and heartbeat slowed to dangerous levels due to slowdown in nerve activity. Death possible at this level.