Preventing alcohol-related mishaps

  • Published
  • By Tech Sgt. Jeffery Davis
  • 341st Medical Group
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  We have all heard the stories from the "old timers" about how things used to be. Basic training was so much harder, dream assignments were located all over the world, and they were able to see and do many unbelievable things. We have also heard how much the day-to-day life has changed and the improvements that have been made. We have gone from one communal bathroom for an entire barracks to now having dormitories with a single suitemate; from smoking at your desk, to an almost smoke-free Air Force.

We have also gone from no PT, to fitness being a major concern in our war-fighting abilities. And how about being told about all of the crazy parties, the clubs and bars, how much they used to drink, and how the plan to get home involved the least intoxicated individual to take point on the drive home. The Air Force has and will continue to undergo changes. One thing we can do to help promote change is by changing the way we think about drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol is not something that we need to abstain from, but rather view in a more responsible light.

The terms Blood Alcohol Content and Alcohol Tolerance sometimes seem to get confused when talking about drinking. The term BAC is the actual concentration of alcohol in a person's blood. Alcohol Tolerance is how your body handles the effects of alcohol. Tolerance is increased by regular drinking and requires that higher quantities of alcohol be consumed in order to achieve the same effects as before tolerance began to occur. In short, someone who drinks more frequently will not feel the effects of alcohol as would a person who rarely or has never consumed alcohol. Just because you feel OK does not correlate to your actual BAC. You might feel fine but your BAC can still be high.

As you drink a standard alcoholic beverage (1.5 oz. shot of 80 proof liquor, 5 oz. wine, or 12 oz. beer), your BAC for an average person raises to roughly 0.02 percent- 0.05 percent and your body will process the alcohol at a rate of 0.015 percent an hour so your BAC will return to 0 percent in roughly and hour and a half to three hours. If your alcohol intake is greater than the rate at which you metabolize it, your blood and breath alcohol concentration will increase. The BAC for a DUI in the U.S. is 0.08 percent. So a 120-pound woman would only need to consume two drinks for her BAC to be 0.08 percent, and for a 180-pound man would only need four drinks. At this level, it would take approximately five and a half hours to return to 0 percent. This really is not a lot for someone to consume in order for them to be at the threshold of a DUI.

When you look at the international levels, we are very lenient in comparison. So remember to take that into consideration when traveling abroad.
Trying to prevent alcohol-related mishaps is not solely limited to drinking and driving. We should also apply the same attitude to other aspects while drinking. And as you can see by the affects alcohol has on your body, there is really no situation in which you would not want to have a plan in place.

0.01-0.029- an average individual appears normal, but subtle effects that can be detected with special tests.
0.03-0.059- You will experience mild euphoria, a sense of well-being, relaxation, talkativeness, decreased inhibition alertness, judgment, coordination and concentration.
0.06-0.10- Blunted feelings, extroversion, impaired sexual pleasures reflexes, reasoning, depth perception, distance acuity, peripheral vision and glare recovery.
0.11-0.20- Over-expression, mood swings, boisterous reaction time, gross motor control, staggering, and slurred speech.
0.21-0.29- Stupor, loss of understanding, impaired sensations, severe motor impairment, loss of consciousness, memory blackout.
0.30-0.39 - Severe depression, unconsciousness, loss of bladder control, decreased breathing and heart rate, and possibly death.
>0.40- Unconsciousness and death.


Here are some things to keep in mind to help you drink responsibly. Slow your rate of intake, who says you need to down 21 shots in 10 minutes to celebrate your birthday? You will be done pretty early in the evening and you might run into some serious consequences, possibly even your own life. Have some food, a snack or drink some water while you are consuming your favorite beverage. This will help control your rate of intake and slow your body's absorption of alcohol. You should exercise your mind before exercising your arm. Always have a plan.


Perhaps the most import thing we can do to help us prevent alcohol-related mishaps is by having a "WINGMAN" (AFI 36-2618 3.1.6). Know and understand the Wingman concept: Airmen take care of other fellow Airmen. Being a good Wingman means you share a bond with other Airmen. You can be counted on to support each other, in all situations, both on- and off-duty. How often do you hear of someone getting a DUI with a sober Wingman sitting next to them in the car? Look out for each other!


The 0-0-1-3 concept is a goal that the Air Force has for us to work towards. Zero underage drinking (simple enough, if you're not old enough don't do it). Zero alcohol-related incidents (an achievable goal if you have a plan). One drink per hour (1.5 oz. shot 80 proof liquor, 5 oz. wine, 12 oz. beer). And no more than three drinks per night (having only three drinks does not mean that you are good to drive). We have all heard the jokes associated with this model. However, if you decide to drink, it is a sound concept for responsible alcohol consumption.

If your plan does fail, there are multiple programs available to you here at Malmstrom, such as Airmen Against Drunk Driving, 788-HOME (4663), which is currently available Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. AADD is an awesome service that can help you out. Having your recall roster is great if your plan fails; it is hard to believe that if you were in need of a ride that anyone on your roster would not help you find a way home, whether it be picking you up, calling someone else for you, or lending you money to pay for a cab. And if nothing else works, there is still yet another avenue to use. We all have them and they are there to help us-supervisors, chiefs, first sergeants, and commanders. They would rather get a call at 2 a.m. asking for a ride when your plan fails than get a call at 2 a.m. saying that you were arrested.

So remember, if you are going to consume alcohol-think ahead. There are multiple ways to help you be a responsible drinker. A little preparation can go a long way. Drinking responsibly can help keep you out of embarrassing situations, keep you out of trouble, and keep you from hurting or possible killing yourself or others.

Sidebar information:

International BAC Limits

0.0%- Armenia, Brazil, Columbia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia,
0.02%- Estonia, Greece, Mongolia, Poland, Sweden, Norway
0.03%- Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, Japan, Maldova, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uruguay
0.04%- Lithuania
0.05%- Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Netherlands, Netherlands , Peru, Phillipines, Portugal , Republic of Macedonia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Venezuela
0.08%- Botswana, Canada, Ireland, Guatemala, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Singapore, United Kingdom, United States, Zimbabwe.

Editor's Note: Information from this article was found at www.intox.com/about_alcohol.asp and www.icap.org/table/BACLimitsWorldwide