Ohio's Blood Alcohol Content, or BAC, has long been .08 percent. But, as many of you head out to celebrate the New Year tonight, you might be wondering how many drinks you should have before deciding you've had too much.
According to the Amercian Addiction Centers (AAC), there are a lot of factors that influence alcohol detection in our blood. Things like, age, ethnicity, how fast you drank, or how much food you ate before or during alcohol consumption, matter.
So, how quickly does your body break down a drink? The AAC says the average person metabolizes one ounce of alcohol each hour. And, once you've reached that .08 limit, it could take several hours to clear from your system.
"Factors such as size, such as genetics, such as whether you're dehydrated, whether you have enough fluid or not, will play a role in how fast the body can detoxify the alcohol," Cleveland Clinic Emergency Medicine Dr. Baruch, Fertel said.
Fertel also noted that the main difference between how men and women break down booze, is how big you are.
"The gender differences that have been sited often have to do with size and body surface area," Fertel said.
If you're still unsure about the specifics, there are plenty of BAC calculators online, like THIS ONE at the Cleveland Clinic.
We tried on the calculator a few different scenarios. For example: If you weigh 110 pounds and drink three, five ounce glasses of wine with 11 percent alcohol within two hours, you're likely impaired to drive. And, a 200-pound person might be pushing the limits by having three, 12 oz. beers with eight percent alcohol, in a couple hours.
While he doesn't encourage getting drunk tonight, Dr. Fertel says you can still have a good time without overdoing it.
"Alcohol has been around for a long time. It's a recreation. People enjoy it. People enjoy the way it feels. As with everything, moderation is key," Fertel said.
Don't forget, if you need a ride home tonight, Cleveland police and Lyft are teaming up to offer 10,000 dollars in free ride credits. Officers will be handing out the vouchers in the city's most popular spots, like East 4th, West 6th and West 25th Street in Ohio City.
For more information those rides, click HERE.