Friday, January 2, 2009

Self-Test for Breath Alcohol

By Ed Philips

An estimate of your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is determined with a breath alcohol test. This test measures the amount of alcohol in the air stream that you breathe out (exhale). A simple hand held device is available enabling you to measure breath alcohol level on yourself. The device can provide a correct estimate of your blood alcohol level if calibrated and used in accordance to the manufacturer's instructions. This home machine is similar to, though not as exact as, the type of test used by police for suspected drunk drivers.

Your blood alcohol concentration begins to rise within minutes of alcohol consumption. Alcohol is absorbed directly through the walls of the stomach, going into the bloodstream, traveling throughout your body and to your brain. This direct line allows blood alcohol levels to increase quickly.

Food in your stomach may increase the amount of time it takes for the blood alcohol to reach its highest level however typically the amount of alcohol in your blood reaches its highest level about 60 minutes after drinking. Most of the alcohol is broken down in the liver while the rest is passed out of your body through urine and exhaled breath. You can purchase breath alcohol devices to measure your breath alcohol concentration at many pharmacies or through the Internet.

The manual appliance is a glass tube (or a balloon and a glass tube) that contains color changing crystals activated when exposed to alcohol from your breath. This device is easier and less expensive than electronic meters.

The electronic meter is a glass mouthpiece attached to a meter that shows your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) percentage in a digital display window. This type of meter is more expensive than the manual type.

More and more restaurants and bars are offering the use of one of these two breath test methods at no charge for customers. These devices are also instrumental in alcohol rehabilitation facilities and hospitals.

The breath alcohol self-test is used to estimate your blood alcohol concentration (BAC). The results can help you decide whether it is safe to drive. This estimate of blood alcohol is not intended to represent your actual driving abilities. Your driving may be impaired even with a low BAC level, such as below 0.05.

The breath alcohol test offers only one piece of information to help you make a safe decision about drinking and driving. The safest decision is always to not drive if you have been drinking.

Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is commonly used by police and other legal authorities to determine whether a person is legally impaired and should not drive. A blood alcohol concentration in the range of 0.05 to 0.10 is considered legally impaired throughout most of the United States. However, legal BAC levels vary from state to state.

Driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) can be deadly to yourself and to others. Alcohol has been found to be involved in nearly half of all fatal highway accidents. Even one alcoholic drink can impair your ability to drive safely. At 0.06 BAC, your judgment and physical coordination are impaired. At a BAC of 0.08, your muscle coordination and driving ability are significantly impaired.

Having a measurable amount of alcohol in the blood can mean that judgment and reflexes are impaired. You can buy breath alcohol tests on the Internet, either directly from the manufacturer or from a company that sells this kind of product. If you have access to the Internet, you can find this information by searching for the type of test or the name of the manufacturer.

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