Absorbtion Rate Factors
Various factors will affect how quickly alcohol is absorbed into an individual's blood stream (thereby affecting the various organs and central nervous system).
Size/Weight: Smaller people are generally affected more quickly by alcohol than larger people. People who have more body fat (and a smaller muscle ratio) are generally more affected than people who have more muscle mass (and less body fat).
Gender: Women are generally smaller than men, have more body fat, and tend to reach higher BACs more quickly. Women also are less able to metabolize alcohol, particularly due to hormone fluctuations.
Food: A full stomach slows the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. Protein or dairy foods are best to slow absorption rate. Salty foods are poor choices, because they make us thirstier.
Strength of Drink: Drinks can have different effects based on their composition. Straight liquor is very concentrated; it is absorbed more rapidly than dilute drinks (and is less filling). Carbonated drinks are absorbed more quickly than non-carbonated.
Rate of Consumption: Rate of drinking impacts how the alcohol will impair judgment, reactions, and coordination. Drinking quickly will cause the alcohol to hit someone suddenly with a very great and unpredictable impact.
Mood: A person who is obviously upset, exhausted, or under stress feels the effects of alcohol more quickly than others.
Drug Use or Health Problems: Most drugs (illegal, over-the-counter, and prescription) interact with alcohol. They can speed up the effects of alcohol and have unpredictable outcomes. Health problems exacerbate the effects of alcohol (e.g., person with eating disorder is likely to get impaired at lower BAC).
Behavioral Cues:
The following behaviors will clue us in to level of impairment the individual is experiencing from the alcohol present in their system.
Inhibitions:People with lowered inhibitions become talkative, relaxed, over-friendly, lose their self-control, and may display mood swings."
Judgment: Behaving inappropriately, such as drinking competitively, using foul language, telling off-color jokes or annoying others exhibits poor judgment.
Reactions: Glassy, unfocused eyes, slurred speech and talking and moving slowly all indicate slowed reactions. You may also notice people forgetting things, lighting more than one cigarette at a time, or losing their train of thought. They cannot listen well, follow conversations well, or understand what others are saying.
Coordination: Stumbling or swaying, dropping belongings, having trouble holding a drink or passing out can indicate a loss of coordination.