According to the American Medical Association, a 180 lb(82 kg) person who drinks three 12 ounce (355 ml)bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a BACof about 0.06 percent. The person would reach thesame BAC by drinking three 4 ounce (120 ml) glassesof wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces(45 ml) of liquors like whiskey, gin, or vodka.It is the amount of alcohol that counts. For example,if the same person drank three double martinis(3 ounces or 90 ml of liquor each) within an hour,the person’s BAC would be close to 0.12 percent.A person who consumes food just before orduring drinking will have a somewhat lower BAC level.There is a gender difference, too. Women generallyhave a lower relative percentage of body waterthan men. Since alcohol is carried in body water,this means that a woman generally will reach a higherBAC level than a man of her same body weight willwhen each has the same number of drinks.The law in most U.S. states, and throughout Canada,sets the legal limit at 0.08 percent. In some othercountries, the limit is even lower. For example, it is0.05 percent in both France and Germany. The BAClimit for all commercial drivers in the United Statesis 0.04 percent.The BAC will be over 0.10 percent after three tosix drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we have seen,it depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks,and how quickly the person drinks them.4-4
