Session 2 – Detection and General Deterrence
Standardized Field Sobriety Test Course
• The
liver burns the ethanol (i.e., causes
a chemical reaction of ethanol with
oxygen)
• The
process is aided by an enzyme
called alcohol dehydrogenase
• The
ultimate products of the chemical
reaction are carbon dioxide and water
• Due
to metabolism, the average
person’s BAC drops by about 0.015/hr
Metabolism in the Liver
2-51
Most
of the metabolism of alcohol in the body takes place in the liver. An enzyme
known
as alcohol dehydrogenase acts to speed up the reaction of alcohol with oxygen.
The
speed of the reaction varies somewhat from person to person, and even from time
to
time for any given person. On the average, however, a person's blood alcohol
concentration
-- after reaching peak value -- will drop by about 0.015 per hour. For
example,
if the person reaches a maximum BAC of 0.15, it will take about ten hours for
the
person to eliminate all of the alcohol.
For
the average sized male, a BAC of 0.015 is equivalent to about two thirds of the
alcohol
content of a standard drink (i.e., about two thirds of a can of beer, or glass
of
wine
or shot of whiskey). For the average sized female, that same BAC would be
reached
on just one half of a standard drink. So the typical male will eliminate about
two
thirds of a drink per hour, while the typical female will burn up about one
half of a
drink
in that hour.
Session 2 – Detection and General Deterrence
Standardized Field Sobriety Test Course
How can we speed up the metabolism of
alcohol?
• We
can't speed it up
• Drinking
coffee won’t help
• A
cold shower won’t help
• Exercise
won’t help
The liver takes its time burning up the
alcohol
Metabolism
2-52
We
can control the rate at which alcohol enters our bloodstream. For example, we
can
gulp
down our drinks, or slowly sip them. We can drink on an empty stomach, or we
can
take the precaution of eating before drinking. We can choose to drink a lot, or
a
little.
But once the alcohol gets into the blood, there is nothing we can do to affect
how
quickly
it leaves. Coffee won't accelerate the rate at which our livers burn alcohol.
Neither
will exercise, or deep breathing, or a cold shower. We simply have to wait for
the
process of metabolism to move along at its own speed.
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HS
178 R5/13 35 of 39
Standardized Field
Sobriety Testing
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