Blood Alcohol
Concentration (BAC)
What is BAC?
BAC refers to the percent of alcohol in a person's blood stream. A BAC of .10% means that an individual's blood supply contains one part alcohol for every 1000 parts blood.
In Texas, a person is legally intoxicated if he/she has a BAC of .08% or higher.
Factors that determine BAC
- Number of standard drinks (see below)
- Amount of time in which drinks are consumed
- Body weight
- Gender
- Race/Ethnicity
- Medications
- Food (to lesser extent)
One standard drink:
- One 12 oz. regular beer (4.5% alcohol)
- One 7 oz. malt liquor (7% alcohol)
- One 4.5 oz. glass of wine (12% alcohol)
- One-third jigger (.5 oz.) of Everclear (95% alcohol)
More than one standard drink:
- One 16 oz. cup of beer = 1.4 drinks
- One 40 oz. beer = 3.6 drinks
- One 22 oz. malt liquor = 3 drinks
- One 12 oz. glass of wine = 2.9 drinks
- One 12 oz. margarita = 2-4 drinks, depending on ingredients
- One 12 oz. cup of trashcan punch = 4-10 drinks, depending on ingredients
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