Blood Alcohol Content or BAC… its that little number that tells you when is enough is enough or even when enough trickles over to too much! BAC, by definition, is the amount of alcohol in the blood system. To be considered “intoxicated”, regardless if a person “feels fine” and is fully functional, this number must be 0.08 grams per deciliter or higher. At this point, a person can be subjected to legal consequences especially when driving or disturbing the peace in some manner. As mentioned, some people can be completely functional with a BAC of 0.08 g/dL or higher because people handle alcohol differently; however, the law still stands.
For men and women of legal drinking age, its does not take much to raise one’s BAC to 0.08 g/dL–4-5 standard drinks on average. For children and adolescents, the number of drinks is even fewer, which why it is critical for teens not to engage in underage drinking due to the potential legal consequences in addition to the known health consequences. Take the time to talk to the adolescents in your circle about the dangers of underage drinking, excessive alcohol use, and what that can look like from a legal standpoint as well as the effects on their health!
Additional Resources and Info
“Talk. They Hear You.”®: SAMHSA Campaign
Download the “Talk. They Hear You.”® App or text “TALK” to 85775 for conversation starter ideas and tips!