The effects of alcohol can vary greatly between individuals, as well as between males and females. It is important to know exactly how alcohol affects you before you get behind the wheel of a car and potentially end up with a Washington DUI arrest. If you live in Seattle, or anywhere in the state of Washington, you should be aware that Washington drunk driving penalties are very severe and can cost you high fines, a suspended driver's license, and/or jail time.

The rate at which alcohol is absorbed directly into the bloodstream is pretty constant, which means that about 50 minutes after ingesting a drink, it has fully entered your bloodstream. There are certain factors that can alter the effects of alcohol on a person, which can include food in the stomach which slows down the absorption of alcohol directly into the bloodstream. The size of the person also comes into play when looking at how fast alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream, with a larger person requiring more alcohol to get as drunk as a smaller person.

Understanding the Effects of Alcohol on Your Body and Mind

Alcohol is eliminated from the body at different rates of speed, and certain factors influence this rate. For instance, a person's metabolism alters this rate, which is either going to be faster if the metabolism is high, or slower if the metabolism is low. The basic rule is that one drink takes approximately one hour to be eliminated from the body. This means that one beer is equal to one mixed drink which is equal to one shot.

If you have liver problems, you will not be able to rid your body of the alcohol as fast as someone without liver problems. In addition, the effects of alcohol may be seen faster on someone with more body fat than on someone who has a great deal of lean muscle. This is another explanation as to why women feel the effects of alcohol faster than men, as women tend to have more body fat.