Estimate your blood alcohol content based on what you've had to drink, your body weight, sex, and how long you've been drinking.
The Widmark formula is the internationally accepted method for estimating blood alcohol concentration: BAC = (alcohol consumed in grams) ÷ (body weight in grams × distribution ratio r) − (elimination rate × hours). The distribution ratio r accounts for body water content — approximately 0.68 for males and 0.55 for females, reflecting differences in body composition.
At 0.02–0.03% you may feel mild relaxation and slight mood lift. At 0.05–0.08%, coordination begins to deteriorate and reaction time slows — this is the range where most countries set the legal driving limit. At 0.08–0.15%, impairment becomes significant: slurred speech, poor balance, impaired judgement. Above 0.15%, nausea and disorientation are common. Above 0.30%, loss of consciousness is possible. Above 0.40% can be fatal.
The liver metabolises alcohol at a roughly fixed rate of 0.015% BAC per hour — about one standard drink per hour for an average adult. No method — coffee, food, cold showers, exercise — speeds this up. Only time sobers you up.
In the United States, one standard drink contains 14 grams of pure alcohol — equivalent to a 12 oz regular beer (5%), a 5 oz glass of wine (12%), or a 1.5 oz shot of spirits (40%). In Australia and New Zealand, a standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol, so the same beer equals about 1.4 standard drinks.
Food — particularly fats and proteins — slows gastric emptying, which delays alcohol entering the small intestine where it's absorbed into the bloodstream. Food doesn't reduce the total amount of alcohol absorbed, but it spreads absorption over a longer period, resulting in a lower peak BAC.
No. The US, UK, Canada, and Australia use 0.05% or 0.08% limits for standard drivers, but many European countries use 0.05%, and some countries (Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary) use 0.02% or zero tolerance. Professional drivers and those under 21 often face stricter limits. Always check local laws.