DOES ONE TYPE OF ALCOHOL GET YOU MORE INTOXICATED THAN ANOTHER?

You may have heard someone say that they can’t drink a certain type of alcohol. For instance, maybe they claim that they stick to beer and wine because they get “too drunk” when they drink hard alcohol like bourbon or vodka. 

Maybe you never thought twice about it, but maybe you found yourself questioning it. Does one type of alcohol actually lead to a higher degree of intoxication than another? And, in light of that, would you be more likely to get a DUI or a DWI after having that type of drink? 

It’s complicated. Technically, all alcohol has the same impact. It just raises your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). Any alcohol is going to do that, whether it’s a beer or a shot or a glass of wine. 

The difference is in the amount of alcohol in that drink and the amount that you consume. For instance, wine may have around 13% alcohol, while a craft beer may have 6.5%. If you drank one glass of wine, it would get you drunker than one beer. 

The speed of consumption is also important. Shots are often made with hard alcohol. One shot is equivalent to one beer. If you take half an hour to drink a beer but three seconds to take a shot, you may get drunk faster or consume alcohol at a quicker rate. 

What is important to track is the amount of alcohol in your system, no matter how it got there. The legal limit is a BAC of 0.08% for most drivers, and that’s what you can’t exceed. If you do, and if you’re facing charges as a result, you need to understand what legal options you have. An experienced attorney can advise you.