Posts Tagged ‘Alcohol Intoxication Levels’

Levels of Alcohol Intoxication

Posted on Feb 16, 2012

Every year thousands of people die due to drunk driving incidents in the US alone. In 2010, there were 10,228 fatalities in crashes involving a driver with a BAC of .08 or higher, which accounted for 31% of total traffic fatalities for the year. This is despite strict and stringent laws against drunk driving. What can be the reason? One obvious reason is recklessness, another reason accountable for this problem is that most people feel they can control themselves before they get legally intoxicated or reach higher levels, and even if they do, they feel they can control their reactions, which is a myth. For this reason, it can help to know the various stages of alcohol intoxication.

Different Levels of Intoxication

There are different stages of alcohol intoxication depending upon the number of drinks you have had and your BAC (Blood Alcohol Content). The various stages include:

Euphoria

A BAC of .08 in most states of the U.S is considered to be the limit at which a person is considered legally intoxicated. Euphoria is the stage when the BAC is .10. It results in a reduced capacity to control impulsive reactions, the intoxicated person starts to talk incessantly, becomes more daring and loses fine motor skills because of which driving becomes difficult.

Excitement

The next level is that of excitement in which the BAC reaches .20. Senses reduce in their normal capacity and become dull, short term memory loss may occur and the vision becomes blurry. It becomes increasingly difficult to perform functions that require gross motor skills.

Confusion

A BAC of .30 leads to confusion, the person has no idea what he is doing, emotions run high and he becomes extremely sleepy. Vision becomes blurry because of which it becomes difficult to walk.

Stupor

Higher BAC such as .40 leads to progressive lethargy. A person can barely move and it becomes impossible to stand or walk. Such a person can also not respond to external stimuli. Because this level is equal to stage 1 anesthesia, the person may become unconscious.

Coma

A BAC of .50 indicates the stage of coma. The intoxicated person becomes completely unconscious, his breathing becomes shallow and the body temperature goes down, pulse rate may also become slow, in some cases the person may also die due to such high levels of BAC.

Death

When the BAC goes over .50, breathing becomes increasingly difficult, respiratory centers start shutting down and such a high BAC can lead to death.

Being aware of the symptoms and effects of various levels of intoxication, one can not only protect oneself but to also be able to help others out when they reach such high levels.