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Understanding
BAC Levels & Effects Common symptoms, levels of impairment,
and risks for various blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels
include:1,6 0.02%: This is the lowest level of intoxication with
some measurable impact on the brain and body. You will feel
relaxed, experience altered mood, feel a little warmer, and may
make poor judgments. 0.05%: At this level of BAC, your behavior
will become exaggerated.
You may speak louder and gesture more. You may also begin to lose
control of small muscles, like the ability to focus your eyes, so
vision will become blurry. Your judgment is impaired, and
coordination is reduced. Tracking objects visually becomes more
difficult, and your ability to respond to emergencies, like an
object in your path, will be reduced. Your inhibitions will be
lowered causing you to potentially engage in risky behaviors like
drunk driving. 0.08%: This is the current legal limit in the U.S.,
other than Utah, and at this level it is considered illegal and
unsafe to drive.
You will lose more coordination, so your balance, speech, reaction
times, and even hearing will get worse. Standing still, focusing
on objects, and evading obstacles are all much harder. Reasoning,
judgment, self-control, concentration, and memory will be
impaired. Short-term memory loss may start. 0.10%: At this BAC,
reaction time and control will be reduced, speech will be slurred,
thinking and reasoning are slower, and the ability to coordinate
your arms and legs is poor. 0.15%: This BAC is very high.
You will have much less control over your balance and voluntary
muscles, so walking and talking are difficult. You may fall and
hurt yourself. Vomiting may begin. 0.20-0.29%: Stupor, confusion,
feeling dazed, and disorientation are common. Standing and walking
may require help, as balance and muscle control will have
deteriorated significantly.
Sensations of pain will change, so if you fall and seriously hurt
yourself, you may not notice, and you are less likely to do
anything about it. Nausea and vomiting are likely to occur, and
the gag reflex will be impaired, which could cause choking or
aspirating on vomit. Blackouts begin at this BAC, so you may
participate in events that you don’t remember. 0.30-0.39%: At
this point, you may be unconscious and your potential for death
increases.
Along with a loss of understanding, at this BAC you’ll also
experience severe increases in your heart rate, irregular
breathing and may have a loss of bladder control. 0.40% and over:
This level may put you in a coma or cause sudden death because
your heart or breathing will suddenly stop. |
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