As Your Blood Alcohol Concentration Rises, So Do the Risks
Understanding what happens as your blood alcohol concentration increases is important for anyone who drinks. You may think that just a drink or two is not going to do much, but it can. It all depends on how well you tolerate alcohol, what type of alcohol you are having, and the condition of your health going into the drinking spree. Even if you only have a few drinks now and again, the risks associated with having alcohol in your blood are still there.
Phoenix DUI arrests are very serious. We here at Alcohol Screening Phoenix are fully equipped to help navigate you through your DUI from start to finish and we’re always on your side.
The Different Levels of Blood Alcohol Concentration
For most people, having a drink or two is not hugely significant. They wind up at the bar after work, or popping open a drink when they get home. Their speech is often one of the first changes that others notice, as it gets slightly slurred, and most people also get a bit louder. People perceive a low blood alcohol concentration as offering them a way to relax. What is actually happening is that the body is getting sedated. With even a low blood alcohol concentration, the body is getting tired. You may not notice it as the drinker, because you are paying attention to the things going on around you. However, your body is feeling the effects.
Your ability to pay attention declines the more you drink. So do your reaction times. That is part of what makes driving, even with a low blood alcohol concentration, so dangerous. Your balance declines as your levels rise, along with your coordination. While you may not be above the legal Arizona DUI limit of 0.08% blood alcohol concentration (0.04% if you drive any type of commercial vehicle), your driving will be impaired.
What a Low Blood Alcohol Concentration Does to Your Body
Once your blood alcohol concentration approaches the legal DUI limit, your intoxication becomes more noticeable. Many people go from feeling relaxed to showing signs of aggression. Speech and memory are noticeably impaired at this point in time, and others are likely to notice the effects of alcohol in you. You may still feel as though you would be fine to get behind the wheel, but your body is not going to react properly if you do.
Your balance and your coordination will become increasingly erratic, and you may stumble or fall at this point in time. All of the skills necessary for driving are quickly becoming skills beyond your ability to perform. You will quickly forget what is going on around you, and things you would normally be able to remember.
What Happens When Your Blood Alcohol Concentration Exceeds DUI Levels?
Once you surpass 0.08%, you quickly begin to have additional problems functioning. Your memory is all but gone. Remembering things like to stop at red lights, how to merge into traffic, and looking both ways is a strain at best. Your reaction times are going to be so delayed, you are a danger both to yourself while behind the wheel, and to everyone else around you. You may hurt someone in another vehicle, or you may even hurt pedestrians walking around the road, or people around their homes.
This is the time when blackouts are common, and you often have amnesia about what you were doing or where you were going. This is also the time where most people start to vomit back up whatever alcohol was in their stomachs. Throwing up is the body’s way of trying to rid itself of the toxins associated with alcohol. People often get behind the wheel and think they would be perfectly fine to drive at this point. That is because your ability to make a sound decision is gone. You are not able to understand the ramifications of your actions at that point, and that is another thing that makes you dangerous to those around you.
The Effects of High Blood Alcohol Concentration Can Kill You
When you exceed the levels of an extreme DUI, which is 0.15% blood alcohol concentration, your life is increasingly more at risk. It is very common to lose consciousness during this phase of drunkenness. Your breathing and your heart rate both become erratic and sometimes stop. Due to a slow reaction time, you may not be able to react if you vomit, causing you to choke. The important functions of your body begin to shut down as the blood alcohol concentrations rise to dangerous levels. If you do not get help, you could struggle and die from too much alcohol.
It is common for people who hit these dangerous levels to struggle with multiple problems. These problems can include:
• A heart rate that will not remain stable enough to sustain healthy living.
• Breathing that slows down to where brain damage can occur from a lack of oxygen.
• Blood sugar levels that bottom out, causing seizures in many people.
• A body temperature that drops to dangerously low levels.
• Unconsciousness and death.
When a person hits these high levels, not only is getting a DUI very likely, but death is very possible. They surpass being drunk and fall into the category of alcohol poisoning. This is when your life is most at risk.
You’re In Good Hands
If you were recently charged with a DUI in Phoenix, please reach out to us. The professional staff here at Alcohol Screening Phoenix is ready to help. From understanding your struggles, getting a DUI Screening, and getting into an alcohol treatment program can help you when you go to court.
Call us at (602) 535-6468 today. We can help you to get past the control alcohol has, and we can also help you show that you are serious about not making the same mistakes again if you face DUI charges.
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