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What Factors Affect BAC in Women?
March 7, 2012
Author:
Chris M. Alexander
According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, a man and a woman consuming similar quantities of alcohol can have different BAC levels. This is because women have less water and more fat tissues which leads to lower absorption of alcohol and a higher BAC. Moreover, women’s bodies are smaller; so while one drink for a 120 pound woman can lead to higher BAC, the same drink for a man who weighs more could lead to a normal BAC.
Factors Affecting Women’s BAC
There are many factors which affect a person’s BAC. This includes:
- The body weight and size of the person,
- Gender,
- Physical condition,
- The amount and type of food eaten,
- Amount of sleep,
- Types of medication taken
- The alcohol content of the drink.
The most important factor affecting the blood alcohol content is the size and gender of the person. With the increase in body weight, the BAC also varies. If the body weight is about 90 pounds, then the BAC would be about .05; however, if the body weight is 220 pounds, then the BAC will be about .04.
Women, on average, have a smaller built than men, hence equal doses of alcohol lead to higher BAC in women. Moreover, as women have more body fat which contains lesser water, alcohol does not get easily diluted which leads to higher blood concentration levels in women. Alcohol dehydrogenase, which helps the body expel alcohol from the system, is found less in women which leads to more pure alcohol entering their bloodstream. The hormone levels of women also fluctuate, and alcohol sets in faster when estrogen levels are higher, such as during the premenstrual period.
Irrespective of the offender’s gender, DWI laws are quite strict and the consequences are similar in various states of the US. It is necessary that offenders undergo a series of tests to analyze the amount of alcohol consumed. The testing procedures are same for both men and women.
Reasons for Drunk Driving Among Women
The major reason for higher DWI cases among women is the change in lifestyle and increase in stress which has lead to alcohol abuse. Various drunk driving cases have resulted in fatal accidents as well as severe injuries. Heavy drinking among women can also lead to health problems and health conditions like miscarriages and complications during pregnancy.
Though there are different DWI laws for women, those are as strict as the laws for men and the consequences are just as severe ranging from penalties to license suspension.
Tags: BAC Effects, BAC Level, BAC Women, Blood Alcohol Content, Drunk Driving, DWI Law
Very informative post
Useful post need to consider.
You mention a man’s “normal BAC”. What is a normal BAC?
Affecting a woman’s BAC- sleep cannot change a BAC, time will, but not sleep. Medication cannot affect a BAC- Medication can affect ones impairment, but not the BAC.
Higher BAC will be affected by weight and size in men and women, not just women.
You state that DWI laws are different for women and men. Name one place in the U.S. where sex makes a difference in DWI charges.
To be correct the name is “Driving While Impaired”. It used to be “Driving Under the Influence”, but we found many other ways to be impaired,
and therefore the name was changed to impaired to include legal and illegal drugs. There can be a large difference between impaired and intoxicated. You do not have to be drunk to get a DWI,
you just have to blow a .08 in ALL states not just some.
Being public information, an employer can check on ones driving record, but I know of no case in which an employer is notified of an employee’s DWI. DOT reports if there is a CDL involved.
The court system does not order anyone to treatment or education. That is the responsibility of the DMV. If you want to get your license back, then you have to have an assessment and some type of education or treatment.
If one does not get this done, he or she cannot get their license back and never, legally drive. This treatment is offered by state certified facilities.
Under your list of Levels of Intoxication, most of this has to do with ones level of tolerance. A nondrinker can end up in confusion after 2-3 drinks, as an alcoholic may take much, much more.
An alcoholic may be able to function well at a very high BAC and Granny, who does not drink at all, but has a toddy or two at her birthday party may be legally impaired even though she may not register an .08.
I welcome a response,
C.W. Casey CSAC
Dear C.W. Casey,
We appreciate the interest and enthusiasm with which you read our blog.
Thank you so much for pointing out that there is no “normal BAC”, sleep has no affect on BAC, DWI laws are NOT different for men and women and that the effects of intoxication depend on one’s tolerance level. These errors will soon be rectified.
However we disagree that medications do not affect your BAC; some medications can interact with alcohol and actually increase the BAC, please refer to this link: http://alcoholism.about.com/od/reaction/a/med_reactions.htm.
Nowhere in the blog post do we state that BAC will be affected by increase in height and size only in women, in both the places in the blog posts we mention “The body weight and size of the person”. With regards to automatic reports being sent to the employers, California’s DMV site states that http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dui/reportability.htm “The department’s EPN program automatically generates and mails a driver record to the employer for newly enrolled drivers, or upon any action or activity updated to the record, or annually for currently enrolled drivers.” You claim that the court system does not order anyone to treatment or education, this is not true, in some cases the court does order Alcohol Awareness Education, DADAP Drug and Alcohol Driving Awareness Program at Texas and http://www.safenebraska.org/safe-driving/court-probation.php are two examples.
Once again, we would like to thank you for taking out the time to point out the errors for us and your fellow reader’s benefit.
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