How do I Calculate Blood Alcohol Concentration for Non-Human Beverages and Species?

Intragalactic Lawyer's Calculation of BAC

Link to rough BAC Calculator for Canadian Lawyers

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is not the same as concentration of alcohol in the whole body. Not all of the body holds alcohol. Alcohol is not distributed uniformly throughout the body. The parts of the body that aren't blood, organs, and muscles don't hold much alcohol. Fat and bone don't absorb much. Terran (and human) females have less body water. Obese terrans (and humans) have less. Some species such as Klingons and Cardassians have more bone, but they also have more muscle. Klingon females have more fat and bone. You have to apply the Widmark r factor to adjust. For Terran (and human) males the Widmark r factor is between 0.50 and 0.90 with an average of 0.70. For Terran (and human) females the Widmark r factor is 0.45 to 0.63 with an average of 0.60. The form below assumes the following average Widmark r factors. If you have scientific data or theory tending to show any inaccuracy in these body water averages your input is welcome:

".75">Andorian male/male

".74">Andorian male/female

".68">Andorian female/male

".62">Andorian female/female

".79">Cardassian male (results in lower BAC)

".77">Cardassian female

".50">Ferengi male

".47">Ferengi females (results in higher BAC)

".65">Klingon male

".60">Klingon female

".71">Romulan male

".61">Romulan female

".70">Terran (and human) male

".60">Terran (and human) female

".71">Vulcan male

".61">Vulcan female

Different species and individuals eliminate or metabolize alcohol at different rates. Inexperienced drinkers metabolize their alcohol at a lower rate. Species such as Romulans and Vulcans are fast eliminators. The only way you can tell how fast a person metabolizes alcohol is to have a toxicologist perform experiments using controlled consumption of alcohol and frequent breath tests.  If you don't know the actual elimination rate use the Human/Terran Widmark ß factor of between 0.010 and 0.024 g/dL per hour with an average of 0.015. Try entering different values to obtain a range of possible results.

You'll get different results if drinking isn't spread out evenly over the whole time. The alcohol has to be dissolved and absorbed into the body and that takes time, faster if a person has no food in the stomachs or a live slithery meal and slower if they've had a big dead meal. These numbers assume that the alcohol consumption is spread out. If a person drank a lot more or had a shot of high alcohol percentage liquor towards the end of the evening these numbers won't work. If they gulped down a drink just before they left, the blood alcohol concentration may rise after they leave the bar and get caught flying or transporting, and rise even more while they wait to blow into the breath machine. For these kinds of calculations you need the help of a toxicologist. 

If a person drank different kinds of beverages during different time periods, the toxicologist will have to perform separate calculations for each drinking period, add them together (thinking about absorption rates), consider elimination, and then work out the totals at different times, maybe every 5 minutes. The lawyer may be able to do rough calculations, but ultimately you'll need to retain a toxicologist. Courts won't accept these simple mathematical calculations. The lawyer will have to obtain the prosecutor's consent to using the toxicologist's written report or affidavit in Court or if that doesn't work the toxicologist needs to be retained to come to Court for the day.

This Calculator is designed to experiment with different possibilities. Don't use it to decide whether or not to drink and fly your space vehicle or operate a transporter. It is dangerous to use these calculations to determine the ability to drive a space vehicle or operate machinery after consuming alcohol. If you do so you assume full risk of legal prosecution, injury, illness, or death to yourself and others.

The alcohol concentration of beverages varies by brand and origin. Please check the label on your beverage to determine its alcohol concentration. Your toxicologist may have to confirm the actual concentration. The following concentrations have been assumed for purposes of the form. If you have scientific data or theory tending to show any inaccuracy in these average concentrations your input is welcome:

".41">Aldebaran whiskey

".06">Aldorian ale

".25">Andolian brandy

".05">Andorian ale

".25">Antarean brandy

".05">Brestanti ale

".30">Cardassian Kanar

".05">Cardassian ale

".18">Ferengi Gamzain wine

".25">Klingon Blood Wine

".30">Klingon Chech'tluth

".07">Klingon Warnog

".05">Maraltian Seev-ale

".55">Romulan Califo

".60">Romulan Ale

".005">Synthehol

".005">Telluridian Synth-ale

".05">Trakian ale

".12">Tulaberry wine

Warning: The alcohol concentrations used for each of the beverages in the form below is the average alcohol concentration found in beverages prepared on the originating planet. Simulations of these beverages prepared or manufactured on Earth have different alcohol concentrations. This calculator should not be used for beverages prepared or manufactured on Earth or according to Terran recipes.

Warning: The Time Dilation Factor hypothesis contemplated below, whereby alcohol is metabolized at a higher rate, as your vehicle approaches the speed of light, requires empirical testing under controlled testing conditions. Do not attempt this on Earth.

Widmark r factor table above	Human Males (0.60 obese)(0.70 avg.) Human Females(0.50 obese)(0.60 avg.)			Andorian female/female Andorian female/male Andorian male/female Andorian male/male Bajoran female Bajoran male Betazoid female Betazoid male Cardassian female Cardassian male Ferengi females Ferengi male Klingon female Klingon male Machine People female Machine People male Martian male-female Romulan female Romulan male Terran female Terran male Vulcan female Vulcan male
Volume Consumed		Imp. Ounces Millilitres US Ounces	Alcohol Content:  Aldebaran whiskey Aldorian ale Andolian brandy Andorian ale Antarean brandy Brestanti ale Cardassian Kanar Cardassian ale Ferengi Gamzain wine Klingon Blood Wine Klingon Chech'tluth Klingon Warnog Maraltian Seev-ale Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster Romulan Ale Romulan Califo Synthehol Telluridian Synth-ale Trakian ale Tulaberry wine
Weight (Lbs)			Hours Consuming Drink   before Operating:
			Time Dilation Factor if Traveling at a  Substantial Fraction  of the Speed of light:  Earth sea level 0 kph Earth sea level 10 kph Earth sea level 100 kph Earth sea level 1000 kph Earth escape velocity Sol system escape velocity .1 x Light Speed .2 x Light Speed .3 x Light Speed .4 x Light Speed .5 x Light Speed .6 x Light Speed .7 x Light Speed .8 x Light Speed .9 x Light Speed Warp 1.0
Widmark ß factor	10 to 20 (avg. 15) mg/100mL per hour
	Total		Metabolized		Final
Min. Elim.10
Widmark ß
Max. Elim.20
BAC Analysis

 

If you are a criminal law barrister, attorney, or counsel practising in any of the Klingon, Cardassian, Andorian, Vulcan, Romulan or Ferengi justice system you are welcome to join the Intragalactic DUI: International Referral Database of DUI, DWI, Impaired and Drunk Driving, Drinking and Driving, Lawyers & Attorneys. We will attempt to build an exojudicial database of non-human DUI legislation, courthouses, space vehicle licensing offices,  and breath instruments.

 

 

 

 

This site was created by Stephen Biss for fun, education,  and to illustrate the importance of carefully measuring and noting the time of every alcoholic beverage consumed in the context of an individual's gender, body weight, and alcohol elimination rate. If Canadians and other humans carefully measured  every drink they pour and carefully considered whether or not all or most of their alcoholic drinks had been eliminated from their systems before they drove, we would all live in a safer society.  Drinking to excess and driving kills people. Drinking and driving is normal and necessary in Canada. The real issue is whether or not the drinking driver has taken adequate precautions to make sure that most of the alcohol has been eliminated from the body before he or she drives. That elimination occurs at a rate of about 15 mg/100 mL per hour in adult experienced drinkers. Novice drinkers eliminate more slowly and need to be more cautious. Because females have less body water in which the alcohol can be distributed they have a higher BAC to be eliminated and the elimination process takes longer. People who drink unmeasured beverages (like wine poured in a restaurant among friends from a bottle)  are living more dangerously than those who drink beer from manufactured bottles of a known size. Seniors and others who don't measure the exact quantity of liquor poured into a tumbler with ice are placing their lives and their extremely valuable drivers' licences in jeopardy. Maybe sometime in this century , long before we invent warp drive, we'll learn to regulate our alcohol consumption in such a way that drinking and driving is no longer a problem.

Always measure and mix each drink carefully using a shot glass of known volume. Mix the drink yourself. Note the time you start and finish. Carefully count and remember each drink. Keep your bar bills. Pay by credit card, not cash. Note the glass size. Ask your buddy to note how many drinks you had. Be careful to only allow your wine glass to be refilled when you are watching. Note the brand and alcohol percent of beer or wine. Insist that bars and restaurants only serve drinks in wine glasses or draught beer mugs or glasses with an exact measurement stamped on the glass. Insist that bar bill and credit card times and numbers of patrons shown on bills and receipts are accurate.

Allbiss Lawdata Ltd. is not a law office and does not provide legal advice. Please consult a lawyer, solicitor, or attorney in your own jurisdiction. WARNING: All information contained herein is provided for the purpose of providing basic information only and should not be construed as legal advice. The author disclaims any and all liability resulting from reliance upon such information. You are strongly encouraged to seek and retain professional legal advice before relying upon any of the information contained herein.

This site is not associated with the Law Society of Upper Canada or the Canadian Bar Association or any law society or lawyers' association.

The species names Klingon, Vulcan, Ferengi, Cardassian, Andorian, and Romulan are the property of Paramount.

The virtual domain www.lawyers.ca is maintained by Allbiss Lawdata Ltd. in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Earth for its lawyer clients. Lawyers.ca Cites Ltd. and Allbiss Lawdata Ltd. are not law firms. For more information or to correct an error contact 905-273-3322