Do you know how each drink affects your body? Source: ThinkStock
IT’S happened to many of us. Most of us, at one time or another, have said “never again”.
Somehow though, we never really remember that throbbing pain, that anxious waking reflection as we mentally audit the activities of the night before, the loss of a day we’ll never get back.
In most cases, the hangover subsides and the memories of a “good night” remain. But in some cases, there is a much greater price. Long after the headache subsides, there can be the pain of regret. It might be a friendship ruined, a reputation destroyed or in extreme cases, the loss of an innocent life.
Despite this portrayal, the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows we spend around $14 billion a year on alcohol. To put this in context, that’s 14 times what we spend on tea and coffee, 2.8 times what we spend on fashion, 1.3 times what we spend on personal care and 1.5 times what we spend on gadgets.
So how can we enjoy a drink without the regret?
Understanding your BAC
Blood alcohol concentration, or BAC, is how much alcohol you have in grams per 100ml of blood. It’s the standard measurement that is used to gauge the effects of alcohol.
We’re all familiar with .05, which is the legal limit for the majority of drivers. What we aren’t so familiar with is how BAC affects us in other areas.
Examining the table below can be somewhat enlightening and goes some way to explaining the conflicting societal perceptions on alcohol consumption.
How alcohol affects your body, the more you drink. Source: Supplied
In NSW for example, intoxication is defined as a blood-alcohol level of .15. This level reflects high range drink driving and is used in the new ‘one punch’ laws. Intoxication is the point where many people turn into the stereotypical ugly drunk.
A BAC of .10 is where things start to get rather embarrassing and is usually the point where you are going to lose the next day to the misery of a hangover.
It’s important to note that alcohol affects everyone differently and due to their physiological differences women are more affected by alcohol than men advises Michael Thorn, Chief Executive of Foundation for Alcohol and Education (FARE).
“We know that alcohol affects people’s judgment increases the likelihood that they will engage in risk-taking behaviour, it can also poison you.”
It’s hard to stop at just one. Source: Supplied
Awareness is key
From the table above, we can see various behavioural delineations. We can see there’s some type of logic and maybe an answer to how we can banish hangovers and anti-social behaviour for good.
So what to do? How do we get awareness and understanding of the effects of alcohol ingrained? It is extremely hard to monitor and calculate what you have been drinking when in a social situation. Add to this, the typical “if this is good, then more is better” approach that people just naturally have, then you can see how problems can happen. One more very often leads to one more.
How technology can help
Enter Boozed? a free, new iPhone app widget which aims to raise awareness and encourage safe, enjoyable drinking. Without needing to unlock your phone, you can record a drink and instantly see how it is going to affect you.
The process takes about two seconds and a single swipe at any time will also show you your current estimated BAC over the next three hours.
“This allows an informed decision whether to have another drink or sit this one out with a water. Not for the purpose of driving, but to ensure safe drinking and an enjoyable night for you and those around you,” says its Aussie developer David Walsh.
Boozed? helps you work our your blood alcohol reading. Source: Supplied
So how does it work?
Alcohol distributes itself in the total water of your body. It then gets eliminated mainly by metabolism in your liver.
1. Alcohol is absorbed into the body via the stomach and small intestine. Time varies somewhat depending on a full or empty stomach. The app calculates absorption via a formula based on the time recorded and assumes an absorption rate based on an empty stomach. Full stomach calculations imply the stomach was filled before drinking therefore we err on the side of caution.
2. After being absorbed, alcohol is distributed in the total water of the body. On average males have 58% of their body weight as water and females 49%. This percentage varies, younger people have a higher proportion of body water, though this is more significant for males. Leaner people have more body weight as water and overweight people less. On average, blood itself is composed of 80.6% water. By use of a formula, the BAC can then be calculated.
Could the key to safe enjoyment of alcohol be greater awareness and understanding of the effects of it on our bodies? Source: ThinkStock
3. Alcohol is primarily disposed of by your liver. This takes place at a constant rate per hour, a common average being around a .015 decline in blood alcohol concentration per hour. The prime factor in metabolism rate is recent drinking history, as a healthy liver will generate more enzymes to aid in the process when you drink more frequently over a period of time (usually several months). By calculating the rate and time of metabolism a net BAC can then be calculated at given points in time.
Will it work for you?
“First up, let’s be clear that if you are going to drive, then you shouldn’t drink,” admits Mr Walsh. “This is not about enticing people to use alcohol. It’s to ensure that people that have made the adult choice that they want to enjoy alcohol but want to avoid the more negative aspects of drinking.”
But what about people who will use the app as a boasting tool for intoxication? They’ve thought of that, too.
“As soon as you hit .1 users will see a big red BAD reading until you return below this level.”
“Around weekends like Australia Day we have to be realistic that people are going to have a few drinks. But people should try to manage their alcohol consumption,” says Michael Thorn, Chief Executive of FARE.
“Have some non alcoholic liquids, make sure you space out your drinks, eat some food and look out for friends. Don’t do the things that are risky and get you into trouble like driving or swimming while intoxicated. If things like these apps work for the individual then great, but common sense should prevail.”
So if you want to avoid a huge hangover this Australia Day long weekend, check out the Boozed? app or just stick to the waters. After all, it was good enough for Don Bradman.
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