BAC Chart: What Each Level Feels Like
A BAC chart maps blood alcohol concentration — the share of alcohol in your blood — to what's actually happening in your body, from 0.02 (mild relaxation) to 0.40 (life-threatening). Below: every level in both scales, what it feels like, and roughly how many drinks it takes. Set your weight and sex to highlight the row that matches you — averages lie, bodies differ.
Find your row
Weight and sex tune the drinks column to your body. Add a number of drinks (0.33 l beer at 5%) and the chart highlights where that evening would take you.
| Level: % BAC = ‰ | Stage — what's happening | ~ drinks for you |
|---|---|---|
| 0.00 % BAC = 0 ‰ | Sober0.00 % BAC No measurable alcohol at work. Your baseline — reaction, judgment and memory all running normally. | 0 |
| 0.02 % BAC = 0.2 ‰ | Mild buzz0.02–0.05 % · 0.2–0.5 ‰ Warmth, light relaxation, small talk gets easier. Judgment already begins to soften — you just don't notice it yet. | ~1 |
| 0.04 % BAC = 0.4 ‰ | ~1.5 | |
| 0.06 % BAC = 0.6 ‰ | Tipsy → drunk0.06–0.10 % · 0.6–1 ‰ Reaction time and coordination measurably drop. This is where “one more” decisions start being made by the alcohol, not by you. | ~2.5 |
| 0.08 % BAC = 0.8 ‰ | ~3.5 | |
| 0.10 % BAC = 1 ‰ | ~4 | |
| 0.12 % BAC = 1.2 ‰ | Drunk0.11–0.15 % · 1.1–1.5 ‰ Speech loosens, balance wobbles, emotions swing wider. Most people underestimate their level right here — the peak is still climbing. | ~5 |
| 0.14 % BAC = 1.4 ‰ | ~5.5 | |
| 0.16 % BAC = 1.6 ‰ | Heavily drunk0.16–0.24 % · 1.6–2.4 ‰ Nausea, blackout risk climbs, memory gaps likely. The morning is already lost — the question is how much of tomorrow goes with it. | ~6.5 |
| 0.18 % BAC = 1.8 ‰ | ~7.5 | |
| 0.20 % BAC = 2 ‰ | ~8 | |
| 0.22 % BAC = 2.2 ‰ | ~9 | |
| 0.24 % BAC = 2.4 ‰ | ~10 | |
| 0.26 % BAC = 2.6 ‰ | Stupor & blackout0.25–0.30 % · 2.5–3 ‰ Confusion, vomiting, passing out. Memory stops recording. At this level a person needs watching, not another round. | ~10.5 |
| 0.28 % BAC = 2.8 ‰ | ~11.5 | |
| 0.30 % BAC = 3 ‰ | ~12 | |
| 0.32 % BAC = 3.2 ‰ | Life-threatening0.31–0.40 % · 3.1–4 ‰ Breathing and heart rate can be suppressed. This is alcohol poisoning territory — an emergency, not a hangover in the making. | ~13 |
| 0.34 % BAC = 3.4 ‰ | ~14 | |
| 0.36 % BAC = 3.6 ‰ | ~14.5 | |
| 0.38 % BAC = 3.8 ‰ | 15+ | |
| 0.40 % BAC = 4 ‰ | 15+ |
Drink counts are peak estimates for the weight and sex set above — one drink = a 0.33 l beer at 5%. Food, pacing and time all pull the real number down.
BAC chart for women vs men
The same drinks put more alcohol into a woman's blood than a man's: on average less body water to dilute it, and less of the stomach enzyme that breaks alcohol down before it ever reaches the bloodstream. The chart's rows simply arrive earlier — a level a man reaches on the fourth drink can arrive on the third.
Three glasses of wine over an evening: an 80 kg man peaks around 0.42 ‰, a 65 kg woman around 0.8 ‰ — same table, different rows. That's why this chart asks for your weight and sex instead of pretending one column fits everyone.
How many drinks is 0.08? 0.15? 0.24?
For the body set above: 0.08 % BAC is roughly 3.5 drinks, 0.15 % about 6, and 0.24 % about 10 — counted as 0.33 l beers at 5%, drunk close together. Shift the weight or sex above and the numbers move with you.
These are peak estimates, not a plan for the evening. Pace, food and hours between drinks reshape the curve — two people with the same count can sit in different rows.
Get your exact number with the BAC calculatorWhen BAC gets dangerous
From about 0.25 % BAC (2.5 ‰) alcohol stops being about being drunk and starts suppressing the systems that keep you alive: breathing slows, the reflexes that protect your airway fade, body temperature drops. Passing out at this level is not “sleeping it off” — it's the body shutting down.
Signs of alcohol poisoning
- Can't be woken up, or drifts out mid-sentence
- Slow or irregular breathing, with long pauses between breaths
- Cold, clammy, pale or bluish skin
- Vomiting while half-conscious or unresponsive
If you see these signs — call emergency services. Stay with the person and keep them on their side.
Levels this high rarely come from one drink too many — they come from a pace the body's elimination can't catch. A slower rhythm is the one lever that always works.
The chart says average. Your curve says you
Every row above is a population average. The same three drinks land differently depending on your weight, sex, food, and how fast the evening moves. A chart can show you the map — it can't show your position on it.
See your exact curve with the BAC calculatorBAC to promille — the two scales explained
US sources measure blood alcohol in % BAC, most of Europe in promille (‰) — and it's the same number times ten: 0.08 % BAC = 0.8 ‰. Nothing else changes; a promille is simply one-tenth of a percent.
Type in either field — the other follows. Same number, different scale.
That's why the table above shows both scales in every row — whether you're reading an American source or a European breathalyzer, you land on the same line of the same chart.
A row isn't a verdict — your level keeps falling, hour by hour, as the body clears alcohol. How long alcohol stays in your system →
Frequently asked questions
Is a BAC of 0.2 high?
Yes — very. 0.20 % BAC (2.0 ‰) sits in the heavily-drunk band: nausea, memory gaps, high blackout risk. For most people that's eight or more drinks close together. Anywhere above 0.25 % is alcohol-poisoning territory, and the person needs watching.
What BAC is tipsy vs drunk?
Tipsy usually means 0.02–0.05 % BAC (0.2–0.5 ‰) — warm, relaxed, a bit chattier. Drunk starts around 0.08 % (0.8 ‰), where reaction time and coordination measurably drop. Between the two sits the slide where each extra drink feels smaller than it is.
Is 0.08 drunk?
By feel, yes for most people: 0.08 % BAC (0.8 ‰) means slowed reactions, softer judgment and visible coordination changes — the border of the tipsy-to-drunk band in the chart above. How fast you get there depends on your body and your pace, not just the count.
How long does it take for a 0.12 BAC to reach zero?
Rough math: the body clears about 0.015 % BAC per hour, so 0.12 % takes around eight hours to reach zero — more if your elimination runs slower than average. For your body and your actual evening, use the time-to-zero link above: it counts from your drinks, not from averages.
Is 0.08 BAC the same as 0.8 promille?
Yes. Promille is one-tenth of a percent, so % BAC × 10 = ‰: 0.08 % BAC = 0.8 ‰, 0.15 % = 1.5 ‰, 0.24 % = 2.4 ‰. Same measurement, two scales — the table above lists both in every row.