Calculate Your Estimated Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)

It's easy to get an estimate of what your blood alcohol content would be after a certain number of drinks over a period of time. Using the chart below, find your approximate weight on the left hand side. Follow that row across until you are in the column with the number of drinks you have consumed. If you've consumed all of the drinks within one hour, the number you see is your estimated blood alcohol content or BAC. If you've consumed those beverages over more than one hour, multiply the number of hours since your first drink times .015. Then, subtract that number from the number you got in the chart.

For example, if a person weighing 150 lbs. had 4 drinks in an hour, their estimated BAC would be .100. If the same person had 4 drinks in 2 hours, just multiply the number of hours (2) times .015 which equals .030. Subtract .030 from .100 which equals .070. The 150 lb person's BAC after 4 drinks in 2 hours would be approximately .070.

1. Find your weight and cross reference it with the total number of drinks you've consumed using the chart below.

2. Multiply the number of hours since your first drink times .015.

3. Subtract the number you calculated in step 2 above from the number you got from the chart in step 1 above. This is your estimated blood alcohol content.

If your final estimated BAC falls in the pink area, you definitely should not drive. In all states, you are over or dangerously close to the legal BAC limit of .08. If your final estimated BAC falls in the yellow area, you should be cautious about driving. Some states have penalties for driving with BAC below .08. Remember, this BAC calculation is only an estimate. True blood alcohol content can vary based on metabolism and the last time a person has eaten.

In any case, if you feel impaired, you should not drive. It is possible to be below the legal limit and be impaired by alcohol. Not only do most states have a provision for legal action against drivers who are "visibly impaired," meaning they are having difficulty controlling their vehicles regardless of blood alcohol content, it is also very dangerous for you, your passengers and others on the road.

Drunk driving is a serious offense often carrying with it fines, jail time, community service, suspension of one's driver's license, vehicle immobilization, and social stigma. If you may be drunk or over the legal BAC, don't get behind the wheel. You may save a life; perhaps your own.