(720) 863-7755 Understanding how you process alcohol – and the factors that can impact this – is important, a Boulder DUI attorney explains. Here’s why.
Consuming alcohol can affect people in different ways, even when people drink the same amounts of booze. This is because a number of factors can impact how the body processes alcohol and, consequently, how long alcohol remains in the bloodstream.
This is important to realize because knowing how alcohol affects you can help you determine how many drinks is enough to put you over the legal limit. Knowing this can, in turn, be critical to knowing when you need to look for a ride and not get behind the wheel after drinking.
To this end, below, we’ve pointed out some of the main factors that affect how sensitive people are to alcohol. While the information below is important, however, don’t hesitate to contact a seasoned Adams County & Boulder DUI attorney at Peter Loyd Weber & Associates when you need the strongest defense against Colorado DUI charges.
Factors that Affect How You Process Alcohol
- Your gender – Females typically experience faster rising BAC levels due to having more fatty tissues than males. This means that it will generally take fewer drinks for females to achieve the same BACs as males.
- Your weight – Higher weights can mean that there is more blood to dilute the booze and, in turn, that more drinks may not lead to higher BACs as quickly as it would for people who weigh less. Here, it’s important to note that whether the weight is due to muscle or fatty tissues will matter, as more fat can mean greater sensitivity to alcohol (because fat tissues won’t absorb alcohol, meaning that there will be more booze left in the bloodstream).
- Whether you take any medications – This is important because certain medications, including both over-the-counter and prescription drugs, can accelerate the impacts of booze and affect how quickly the body metabolizes alcohol. Some examples of the types of medications that can have negative interactions with alcohol include anti-depressants, aspirin and cough medicines.
- Whether you drink alcohol regularly – People who drink alcohol more regularly will have higher tolerance levels, as their bodies are more used to metabolizing booze.
- The altitude – Generally, those living at higher altitudes will have more blood within their bodies (to provide them with more oxygen). This can end up meaning that higher altitudes decrease susceptibility to booze because there is more blood to dilute the consumed alcohol.
Additional factors that may contribute to the way your body processes alcohol include (but are not necessarily limited to):
- Your mood and stress levels
- How fast you are consuming drinks
- The type of beverage you are drinking and its strength/alcohol content
- The type of mixers used.
Contact an Adams County & Boulder DUI Attorney at Peter Loyd Weber & Associates
Have you or a loved one been charged with a DUI? If so, the Adams County & Boulder DUI attorney at Peter Loyd Weber & Associates are ready to immediately start defending you.
To talk about your defense and how we can help you, call us today at (720) 863-7755 or email us using the contact form on this page. We offer complimentary consultations, and we take pride in always being available to our clients – 24 hours per day, 7 days per week – so that they have the personal attention their case deserves.
From our offices based in Northglenn, Broomfield and Boulder, we provide the strongest defense and highest quality legal services to our clients throughout Weld County, Adams County and the state of Colorado.
