Blood alcohol concentration is the ratio of alcohol in your bloodstream to the amount of blood in your body. A small percentage of alcohol can have a significant effect on your body and your brain.
In Texas, as in most other states, the law presumes that you are too drunk to drive if your BAC is at least 0.08%. Higher BACs are possible if you have been drinking heavily and may affect you in ways you do not anticipate.
An exceptionally high BAC can induce a coma
If your BAC reaches 0.30%, you would almost certainly fall into a deep sleep and may lapse into a coma. According to AAA, a 150-pound person would likely reach a BAC this high by drinking 12 cans of beer within an hour.
Obviously, it would be dangerous if you fell asleep behind the wheel of your vehicle while you were driving. However, a BAC this high could be dangerous even if you were not driving. Your BAC could continue to rise if there was sufficient alcohol in your stomach when you passed out. You could die if it reached the level of 0.40%
A moderately high BAC can affect most behaviors
If you weigh 150 pounds, you would probably reach a moderately high BAC of 0.10% or 0.11% if you drank five beers in about an hour. This would have a measurable effect on most of your basic functions. It would be difficult to walk without stumbling or to perform any task requiring the use of your hands and feet. It would appear that the various parts of your body no longer worked together properly.
Because a higher BAC often means greater driving impairment, you may face harsher penalties if it is well over the legal limit.
