Why You May Appear More Intoxicated Than Your Buddy Even If You Had The Same Volume Of Drinks
Two people can consume the same number of alcohol but display different intoxication levels. It's also possible for the same person to take same amounts of alcohol on different days and appear more intoxicated on one day than the other. Here are some of the reasons the same alcohol volume may have a more severe effect on you on some days:
You Were Drinking Fast
Your drinking rate determines how much alcohol is in your bloodstream at any particular time; this is because your body metabolizes the alcohol you drink, and if you drink too fast, your body will not be able to keep up. Therefore, you will be more impaired if you took two bottles of beer within the last thirty minutes than if you had spaced them within four hours.
You Are a Woman
Gender plays a role in BAC because of several reasons. First, the alcohol will be more concentrated in your body as a woman because women have lower water content than men. Also, women don't have as much dehydrogenase, the enzyme responsible for metabolizing alcohol, as men.
You Don't Weigh That Much
Your weight, which in this case refers to your percentage of body weight, also influences your level of intoxication; this is because those who have less fat in their body have a higher metabolism and are able to get alcohol out of theirs systems fat. The reverse will be true for you if you have considerable fat in your body.
You Were Drinking On an Empty Stomach
There is a prevailing myth that drinking on a full stomach helps reduce intoxication because the food absorbs alcohol in the stomach; this isn't exactly true, but you will still be more intoxicated if you drink on an empty stomach than if you eat first. The reason for this is that having food in the stomach reduces the rate of absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream.
You Were Tired or On Medication
Both exhaustion and medication (some) have the same effect as intoxication. For example, you are likely to feel drowsy if you have taken medication with that side effect or if you are tired. Exhaustion or medication may also impair your reflexes. Therefore, your intoxication will appear more intensive than usual if you were drinking while on medication or when already exhausted.
Therefore, don't be surprised if you are arrested and charged with DUI after sipping only a "small" volume of alcohol. In fact, don't rely on volume of alcohol as a DUI defense. Your best course of action is to consult aDWI attorney to help craft a good defense.