About how much alcohol is held in the blood, people rarely thought about a hundred or two hundred years ago. They did not need to get up early in the morning and get behind the wheel. Most of them did not work in offices, where within 8-12 hours it is necessary to do work that requires absolute clarity of mind.
Studies regarding blood alcohol content were carried out only at the beginning of the XX century. The author of the formula for determining the concentration of alcohol is Eric Widmark. Before the Swedish chemist conducted his research, people were not really worried about the rate of alcohol in the blood.
The lifestyle of modern man is extremely fast-paced. After participating in the ceremony, sometimes you have to get up early in the morning, put your thoughts in order, take various drugs, which are in abundance in pharmacies today, so that the working day becomes as productive as possible. How much alcohol does blood hold? It is definitely impossible to answer this question. It all depends on the characteristics of the body, the amount of alcohol consumed, the quality of alcohol.
Stages of intoxication
After drinking alcohol in the blood, processes occur, primarily affecting the functioning of the brain. Doctors distinguish three degrees of intoxication: mild, moderate, severe. The latter can lead not only to coma, but also to death. The alcohol concentration in the brain is 75% higher than in the blood. This explains the symptoms of intoxication, expressed at an easy stage by talkativeness, a sense of comfort, impaired coordination of movements. True, they are characteristic of a person who does not abuse alcohol. Altered forms of intoxication are characteristic of people suffering from alcoholism.
In order to answer the question of how much alcohol is held in the blood, it is worth understanding the basics of ethanol toxicology. This is a branch of medicine that studies the effects of alcohol on the human body.
Ethanol Toxicology
Alcohol has a toxic effect on many human organs. According to the World Health Organization, mortality from excessive alcohol consumption is more than 6% in men and about 1% in women. But this is average, generalized data. In some countries, such as Russia, the rate of alcohol mortality is quite high.
So, most of the ethanol is concentrated in the brain. It is easy to notice that even a small dose of alcohol affects thought processes or, if you speak the medical language, leads to a sedative effect, which is accompanied by euphoria, muscle relaxation.
Until now, researchers disagree on what is the main cause of the hangover syndrome. Presumably - this is dehydration, glucose metabolism, a change in the immune system. Weakness, dizziness, nausea - all of these unpleasant symptoms can be avoided if you know about methods that accelerate the withdrawal of alcohol from the blood. Although, of course, after drinking a bottle of a strong drink, not a single miracle cure will help.
Blood test for alcohol
The technology for diagnosing the presence of alcohol in the blood is primarily of interest to drivers. By the way, ten years ago the laws were not so strict, many car owners allowed themselves to drive after two or three bottles of beer. The bolder ones did not use taxi services, even while in a strong state of intoxication. Today, few decide on such a “feat”. Even a law has been introduced to ban the sale of alcohol at gas stations. Apparently, in order not to tempt drivers who came to pay fuel to the store when refueling, with elegant labels on bottles of vodka, whiskey and rum.
Permissible alcohol in the blood - does such a concept exist? Yes, it does, and according to Russian law it is 0.35 ppm. However, for exhalation control, this figure is 0.16 ppm.
Traffic police officers, of course, do not check every driver for blood alcohol content. First of all, they pay attention to such signs as speech impairment, a specific smell, a delayed reaction, nervous excitement. Drunk drivers are punished very strictly by chance. When the blood alcohol content is above 0.35 ppm, it is difficult to control the speed of movement. And at a higher rate, the perception of red is weakened, the angle of view is reduced.
Blood alcohol calculator
There is a special calculation system with which you can find out how many days the alcohol in the blood will last. It is based on indicators such as weight, gender, and the amount of alcohol consumed. This system uses the aforementioned Widmark formula.
In order to know the concentration of alcohol in the blood, you need to know first of all the weight of the drink in grams, and in terms of pure ethanol. This indicator must be divided into the derivative of body weight and distribution coefficient, which, according to Widmark, is 0.70 for men and 0.60 for women. We give an example.
The lady drank three glasses of red wine. The strength of the drink is 10%. Woman's weight - 60 kg. Given that three glasses of wine contain 450 ml, she consumed 45 grams of alcohol. In order to know the concentration of alcohol in the blood of this woman, you need to make the following calculation: 45 divided by the derivative of the numbers 0.6 and 60. We get 1.25. This is the coefficient of alcohol content, which is measured in ppm.
But what does this settlement system give us? In everyday life, nothing, but it is worth remembering that 6 ppm is a lethal dose.
You can’t say with accuracy how long alcohol is removed from the blood. So, in a person suffering from liver disease, this process takes longer than in a healthy one. Nevertheless, we give general data on the time for the removal of alcohol from the blood. But without the coefficient, which can be obtained using the Widmark formula. Hardly anyone during the feast, thinking about the alcohol content in the blood, will begin to make complex calculations.
Usually the acceptable rate is set based on the strength and volume of the drink. The time of alcohol withdrawal can be found in more detail from the tables below.
Beer
Many drink a popular low-alcohol drink not only on weekends, but also on weekdays. Recently, the term “beer alcoholism” has been increasingly found in the media. In fact, there is no such thing in medicine. The symptoms in addicted people are the same. Regardless of what kind of drink led to the ailment. However, the insidiousness of beer lies in the fact that intoxication from it occurs imperceptibly, gently. You should carefully consider the amount of alcohol consumed and know how quickly this low-alcohol drink ceases to function. What the table will help with.
The volume of drink in milliliters | 60 kg | 70 kg | 90 kg |
100 | 50 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
300 | 2 hours 30 minutes | 2 hours 15 minutes | 2 hours |
500 | 4 hours 20 minutes | 3 hours 45 minutes | 3 hours |
Wine
This drink erodes quickly. By the way, doctors often recommend red wine as a prophylactic for certain diseases. But a maximum of one glass per day.
The volume of drink in milliliters | 60 kg | 70 kg | 90 kg |
100 | 1 hour 30 minutes | 1 hour 15 minutes | 1 hour |
300 | 4 hours | 3 hours 30 minutes | 3 hours |
500 | 7 o'clock | 6 hours 30 minutes | 5:00 |
Cognac
This is one of the heaviest alcoholic drinks. Due to its high strength, the body disappears for a long time. Cognac is obtained using special technology. Substances that break down by the liver for a long time form in the drink.
The volume of drink in milliliters | 60 kg | 70 kg | 90 kg |
100 | 6 o'clock | 5 hours | 4 hours |
300 | 18 hours | 15 hours | 10 hours |
500 | 30 hours | 26 hours | 18 hours |
Champagne
The most noble alcoholic drink is as harmful as its counterparts. There is a little ethyl in champagne, but only 20% gets into the liver. The rest goes to the bloodstream. Frequent drinking leads to gastritis and even an ulcer.
Champagne erodes about as fast as wine. However, it is worth considering the variety, because there are many types of drink: from dry to sweet table. It is believed that brut champagne is less harmful.
Alcohol binge
Is it worth saying that alcoholism is a serious disease, which is very difficult to get rid of? Everyone knows about it. And only one who has an irreversible process in the body denies the harmful effects of alcohol (in medicine, reluctance to recognize dependence is called anosognosia).
It is difficult to get out of alcohol binge. Reducing the alcohol content in the blood has a strong effect on the well-being of the patient. In order to relieve trembling in his hands, he drinks again - and the symptoms of alcohol poisoning return. A person who for several days does not find the strength to give up alcohol is given a dropper. In most cases, of course, with his consent.
With the help of a dropper, detoxification of the body is carried out by intravenous administration of drugs. The procedure continues for several hours. After the patient falls asleep, and awakening, for some time does not feel an irresistible craving for alcohol.
What affects the rate of alcohol withdrawal from the blood
The time during which the body will free itself from alcohol cannot be precisely determined. It is believed that a full person does not get drunk as fast as a thin man. This rule has so many exceptions that, perhaps, it can be attributed to misconceptions. Alcohol is removed from the blood quickly if the liver works well. And this process proceeds quite rapidly in a person who does not suffer from nicotine addiction.
It is proved that in women alcohol is removed from the blood longer than in men. It is necessary to take into account individual characteristics, as well as lifestyle. So, if a person leads an active lifestyle, plays sports, he will quickly come to his senses after a noisy feast. A smoker with many years of experience, accustomed to spending leisure time in four walls, will experience malaise even after three glasses of champagne. And of course, do not follow the popular wisdom "a degree steals appetizer." The regular use of an alcoholic drink leads not only to poisoning the body, but also to the development of diseases, the most harmless of which is gastritis.
Useful Tips
Many people remember the fate of the hero of the Bulgakov novel, who was so indisposed that he was ready for execution. The alcohol content in his blood after the alcohol consumed the day before turned out to be so high that it affected memory and the ability to reason sensibly. An unexpected guest gave Likhodeev advice: treat the like with the like. Do not listen to such recommendations. And you should not mix vodka with port as well as other alcoholic drinks. Otherwise, you may suddenly find yourself in another city, for example, in Yalta. And without the intervention of dark forces.
Use only quality drinks in limited quantities in combination with snacks. If for some reason you had to break the rules, you should not continue the evening banquet in the morning. The best way to restore vitality is to stay in the fresh air. Many have noticed that alcohol drunk during a vacation by the sea or near a forest mass is more likely to erode from the body than alcohol drunk in a stuffy restaurant.
In the morning it is worth taking a walk, breathing fresh air. A contrast shower and a large amount of liquid (non-alcoholic) will help. In pharmacies today there is a large selection of drugs that relieve a hangover and contribute to the rapid withdrawal of alcohol from the blood. Unfortunately, not all of them are effective.
Sweet tea will help to improve well-being, but people with heart diseases should replace this drink with mineral water and freshly squeezed juices. In order to speed up the process of removing alcohol from the blood, you can visit the bathhouse. But then again, if there are no contraindications. Activated carbon is an inexpensive affordable tool that will positively affect the cleaning of the body from ethyl alcohol. By the way, drinking a few tablets is better before drinking alcohol.