How long does it take to drink alcohol after driving?

A man weighs 65kg, drank 200ml of white wine 42 degrees of alcohol, finished drinking at 10 pm, then the blood in the next morning at 8 am out of alcohol.

Dr. Tran Van Phuc, Green Po Hospital, Hanoi, said that bottled alcohol or beer on the market all had alcohol content in specific percentages. However, to accurately measure the concentration of alcohol in the blood , you must perform in laboratory facilities such as in hospitals, by taking venous blood, and then quantifying Ethanol by chromatography, or photometric method. Spectrum of Decomposition of Alcohol Alcohol Dehydrogenase.

However, a person who drinks alcohol can reasonably estimate blood alcohol content to self-regulate the amount of alcohol consumed.

"This calculation has been proposed by Swedish scientist Eric P. Widmark since 1932 but for reference only, the formula does not give an exact number of blood alcohol content , " said Dr. Phuc.

The formula: A = W (C.10: 1,056) r.

Inside:

• A is the mass of pure wine consumed (g).
• C is the concentration of alcohol in the blood (g / 100ml).
• W is the body weight (kg).
• r is the alcohol absorption constant by gender (0.7 for men and 0.6 for women).

The rate of metabolism of alcohol in the blood varies from person to person, depending on age, weight, pathology . (Photo: Medical News Today).

On average, the body eliminates 15 milligrams of alcohol per hour in 100 ml of blood, however, age, weight, current medications, liver disease . makes the time of alcohol metabolism in everyone else together. The more alcohol a drink has, the longer it takes for its body to metabolize.

Therefore, to know the rate of decline in blood alcohol concentration, drinkers can apply the formula Ci = C - 0.015t . In which, C is the concentration of alcohol in the blood after drinking, Ci is the concentration of alcohol in the blood at the specified time, t is the time.

For example, a man who weighs 65 kg, drank 200 ml of white wine 42 degrees alcohol, finished drinking at the clock only 10 pm, then went to bed. At 7am the next morning when you wake up, your blood alcohol level will be 15 milligrams per 100 ml of blood. To run out of alcohol in the blood, which is Ci = 0, it takes only after 8am to stop drinking alcohol.

However, the above calculations do not give exact figures.

"The calculation formula is for reference only so that a person can adjust the amount of alcohol when he drinks, to avoid affecting health and work, especially driving vehicles after drinking should be more cautious." Dr. Phuc emphasized.

In addition, each person's blood alcohol levels have different alcohol concentrations, so the metabolic time and emotional state are also different.

For example, an alcohol content of 10-40 milligrams in 100 milliliters of blood leaves the body in a state of gentle euphoria, relaxing, interacting well with society. Between 50 and 70 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood can cause manic, talkative, friendly feelings around people, or begin to decline skills. Therefore, most countries use the number of 50 milligrams of alcohol in 100 ml of blood as a legal limit when driving.

An alcohol content of 500 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood can be life-threatening. This is especially the case when the soft tongue falls deeply into the airway causing respiratory failure and apnea, vascular collapse, hypotension, hypothermia and the risk of death at any time.

From 1 January 2020, the Law on Prevention and Control of Alcohol Harm is in effect, prohibiting drinkers and beers from driving vehicles in traffic. Drivers of any road vehicle, such as cars, tractors, motorcycles, electric scooters, bicycles, cyclos, etc., are not allowed to drink alcohol when traveling.

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