You’re driving home from the restaurant when you notice the flashing lights in your rear-view mirror. Moments later, you have pulled over to the side of the road and you’re doing your best to charm the Georgia State Trooper standing at the window. As you pass over your license and registration, you explain that you had just over a glass of wine with dinner, honestly.
Fifteen minutes—and one failed field sobriety test—later, you find yourself arrested for DUI in Georgia.
Not everyone has the same tolerance for alcohol
What can some people drink more than others yet never seem to show the effects of drinking? Why can some people get intoxicated by just a small amount of beer or wine?
It’s all a function of metabolism, digestive processes, and body size, science tells us.
When you drink any fluid, it passes down your esophagus, into your stomach, and then into your small intestine. When you consume alcohol, the lining of your esophagus and stomach will begin the absorption process; about 5 percent to 10 percent of all the alcohol you drink is sent into the bloodstream at this point.
While the alcohol is in your stomach, you will absorb an additional 2 percent to 15 percent more of your total alcohol consumption. This is a wide percentage range because it depends on how long the alcohol is in your stomach, which is related to how much (and what) food you have eaten. The alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream through the stomach lining.
There are two important factors that can make a big difference on how quickly the alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream:
- What you “mix” your alcohol with. If you mix alcohol with a carbonated beverage—like a rum and cola—the carbonated drink causes amplified pressure in your stomach. This will literally push more alcohol into your bloodstream at a faster rate. This can cause you to fail a blood alcohol test even if you haven’t had as much to drink as you usually may consume.
- If you eat food, especially high-protein foods like chicken, pork, or beef, it will show down how fast your body absorbs alcohol into the bloodstream. On the flip side, if you eat nothing, there will be nothing to slow down the speed that alcohol flows and you will rapidly absorb alcohol into your system.
As a general rule, a 110-pound female can burn off one drink per hour. A 180-pound male can burn off two drinks per hour. So if depending on how much you weigh and your gender, you absorb alcohol more quickly and should drink less per hour to stay under the legal limit if you are planning to drive.
If you or somebody you know has been arrested for DUI in Fulton County, you should hire and experienced Alpharetta DUI attorney who can help you with your defense. A good attorney can be the difference between a guilty and not guilty verdict. If you are in the Alpharetta area you should call the Law Offices of Scott Miller at 770-408-1001 today so we can start working on your DUI defense.
