Because We Care

I was listening to the radio while working today and in addition to great Christmas music there were regular public service announcements…

Drink Responsibly, Don’t Drink and Drive, Alcohol – Know your Limit

The last slogan, Alcohol – Know Your Limit, had me Googling…

So some basic facts...

• Your body processes alcohol at a constant rate of .5 oz. per hour, regardless of how many ounces you consume.
• Blood Alcohol Level (BAL) is the amount of alcohol present in your blood as you drink
• In all 50 states, the legal limit for drunk driving is a BAL level of .08.
• Eating protein and fatty foods supposedly can slow down alcohol absorption but I couldn’t find any detailed, statistical supporting facts
• A 120-pound woman can reach a .08 BAC level after only two drinks and a 180-pound man can be at .08 after only four drinks
  

What got my attention!

One drink is defined as having one-half ounce of pure ethyl alcohol; each of the following is considered "one drink."

• 10 oz to 12 oz of beer at 4% to 5% alcohol, or
• 8 oz to 12 oz of wine cooler at 4% to 6% alcohol, or
• 4 oz to 5 oz of table wine at 9% to 12% alcohol, or
• 2.5 oz of fortified wine at 20% alcohol, or
• 1.25 oz of 80 proof distilled spirits at 40%alcohol, or
• 1 oz of 100 proof distilled spirits at 50% alcohol.
  

As I type this blog, I’m drinking one of my favorite beers… One 12 oz Stout at 9% alcohol. (This would be 2 drinks)

Wines today, especially reds, weigh in on the average of 13-14+% alcohol, and the average glass pour is not 4-5 ounces.

One martini is equal to two drinks, one margarita equal to 1.5 drinks

The messages are still Drink Responsibly, Don’t Drink & Drive and Alcohol – Know your Limit

Know Your Limit, though, has a much broader message. It’s as important but in a different way than “don’t drink and drive”. We all know that when we drink, we’re a bit freer in mind and good decision making is diluted with alcohol.

So, my friends…

Because we care,

The Working Girls of Olympic Cellars

PS…. The tables below will help you estimate your Blood Alcohol Level

If you're a WOMAN, your Blood Alcohol Level is:

Weight
# of drinks in 1 hour	100 lbs.	120 lbs.	140 lbs.	160 lbs.	180 lbs.	200 lbs.	220 lbs.	240 lbs.
1	.05	.04	.04	.03	.03	.03	.02	.02
2	.10	.08	.07	.06	.06	.05	.05	.04
3	.15	.13	.11	.10	.08	.08	.07	.06
4	.20	.17	.15	.13	.11	.10	.09	.09
5	.25	.21	.18	.16	.14	.13	.12	.11
6	.30	.26	.22	.19	.17	.15	.14	.13
7	.36	.30	.26	.22	.20	.18	.16	.15
8	.41	.33	.29	.26	.23	.20	.19	.17
9	.46	.38	.33	.29	.26	.23	.21	.19
10	.51	.42	.36	.32	.28	.25	.23	.21
11	.56	.46	.40	.35	.31	.27	.25	.23
12	.61	.50	.43	.37	.33	.30	.28	.25
13	.66	.55	47	.40	.36	.32	.30	.27
14	.71	.59	.51	.43	.39	.35	.32	.29

If you're a MAN, your Blood Alcohol Level is:

Weight
# of drinks in 1 hour	100 lbs.	120 lbs.	140 lbs.	160 lbs.	180 lbs.	200 lbs.	220 lbs.	240 lbs.
1	.04	.04	.03	.03	.02	.02	.02	.02
2	.09	.07	.06	.05	.05	.04	.04	.04
4	.17	.15	.13	.11	.10	.09	.08	.07
5	.22	.18	.16	.14	.12	.11	.10	.09
6	.26	.22	.19	.16	.15	.13	.12	.11
7	.30	.25	.22	.19	.17	.15	.14	.13
8	.35	.29	.25	.22	.19	.17	.16	.14
9	.37	.32	.26	.24	.20	.19	.17	.15
10	.39	.35	.28	.25	.22	.20	.18	.16
11	.48	.40	.34	.30	.26	.24	.22	.20
12	.53	.43	.37	.32	.29	.26	.24	.21
13	.57	.47	.40	.35	.31	.29	.26	.23
14	.62	.50	.43	.37	.34	.31	.28	.25