Hours to Zero Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
You'll probably be surprised to learn how much time it takes for your body to eliminate alcohol from the blood stream. Although you can get your BAC up high in a hurry by drinking quickly, BAC goes down at a slow and predictable rate. This is because your liver can only metabolize a predictable blood alcohol concentration per hour.
The normal body will metabolize between 15mg% and 20mg% BAC per hour - we use a conservative 16mg% BAC per hour in the following charts. Some heavy drinkers may eliminate alcohol at a slightly higher rate and certain physical conditions may cause some people to metabolize alcohol at a slower rate.
The following charts will give you an idea of the number of hours it takes for women and men to reach zero BAC (no alcohol remaining in the blood stream) for a variety of body weights and different numbers of drinks.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Find the correct chart for women or men.
- Find your body weight along the bottom of the chart.
- Look down the left hand column for number of drinks consumed during the entire drinking episode.
- Note where the number of drinks row and the body weight column intersect - this is the number of hours to zero BAC from the time you started drinking.
| Hours to Zero BAC for MEN |
||||||||
| 15 drinks |
35 |
29 |
24 |
22 |
19 |
17 |
16 |
14 |
| 14 drinks | 32 |
27 |
23 |
20 |
17.5 |
16 |
15 |
13 |
| 13 drinks | 30 |
25 |
21 |
19 |
16 |
15 |
14 |
12 |
| 12 drinks | 28 |
23 |
20 |
17 |
15 |
13.5 |
13 |
11 |
| 11 drinks | 25 |
21 |
18 |
16 |
14 |
12 |
12 |
10 |
| 10 drinks | 23 |
19 |
16 |
14 |
12.5 |
11 |
11 |
9.5 |
| 9 drinks | 21.5 |
18 |
15 |
13.5 |
11.5 |
10.5 |
10 |
9 |
| 8 drinks | 19 |
16 |
13.5 |
12 |
10 |
9 |
9 |
8 |
| 7 drinks | 17 |
14 |
12 |
10.5 |
9 |
8 |
8 |
7 |
| 6 drinks | 14 |
12 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6.5 |
6 |
| 5 drinks | 12 |
10 |
8.5 |
7.5 |
6.5 |
6 |
5.5 |
5 |
| 4 drinks | 9.5 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5.5 |
5 |
4.5 |
4 |
| 3 drinks | 7 |
6 |
5 |
4.4 |
4 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
3 |
| 2 drinks | 5 |
4 |
3.5 |
3 |
3 |
2.5 |
2 |
2 |
| 1 drink | 2.5 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1.5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| 100 |
120 |
140 |
160 |
180 |
200 |
220 |
240 |
|
Your weight in pounds |
||||||||
| Hours to Zero BAC for WOMEN |
||||||||
| 15 drinks |
42 |
35 |
30 |
26 |
23 |
21 |
19 |
17 |
| 14 drinks | 39 |
32 |
28 |
24.5 |
22 |
19 |
17.5 |
16 |
| 13 drinks | 37 |
30 |
26 |
23 |
20 |
18 |
16 |
15 |
| 12 drinks | 34 |
28 |
24 |
21 |
19 |
16.5 |
15 |
13.5 |
| 11 drinks | 31
|
25 |
22 |
19 |
17 |
15 |
14 |
12 |
| 10 drinks | 28 |
26 |
20 |
17.5 |
16 |
14 |
12.5 |
11 |
| 9 drinks | 26 |
21.5 |
18.5 |
16 |
14.5 |
13 |
11.5 |
10.5 |
| 8 drinks | 23 |
19 |
16.5 |
14.5 |
13 |
11.5 |
10.5 |
9.5 |
| 7 drinks | 20 |
17 |
14.5 |
12.5 |
11.5 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
| 6 drinks | 17.5 |
14 |
12.5 |
11 |
9.5 |
8.5 |
7.5 |
7 |
| 5 drinks | 14.2 |
12 |
10.5 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6.5 |
6 |
| 4 drinks | 12 |
9.5 |
8.5 |
7 |
7 |
5.5 |
5 |
4.5 |
| 3 drinks | 9 |
7 |
6.5 |
5.5 |
5 |
4.5 |
5 |
3.5 |
| 2 drinks | 6 |
5 |
4 |
3.5 |
3 |
3 |
2.5 |
1.5 |
| 1 drink | 3 |
2.5 |
2 |
2 |
1.5 |
1.5 |
1.5 |
1 |
| 100 |
120 |
140 |
160 |
180 |
200 |
220 |
240 |
|
Your weight in pounds |
||||||||
Example: If a 120 pound woman has 4 drinks, it will take almost 10 hours for her blood alcohol level to return to zero (no alcohol in her bloodstream).
Adapted from American Education Systems of Eau Claire
