Alcohol Elimination & Absorption

Explained by a DUI Defense Attorney

The process by which the human body absorbs, distributes, and eliminates alcohol is important to understand in a driving under the influence (DUI) case. Blood and breath tests will read differently from one person to another even when they have identical amounts of alcohol due to variances between how their bodies absorb alcohol. With this in mind, you can be arrested for a DUI when you are entirely sober just because the police assume the average person would be intoxicated in your circumstance.

Attorney Jacqueline Goodman of The Law Offices of Jacqueline Goodman in Fullerton applies her extensive knowledge of alcohol absorption and elimination to every DUI case she takes. The prosecution is often not prepared to go against someone with so much knowledge about the science behind intoxication, giving her clients an edge in their cases.

Find out more by calling (866) 294-8952 today.

How Alcohol Affects Your Body

Once alcohol is consumed, about 85% of it enters the esophagus, stomach, and small intestines before eventually finding its way into the bloodstream. Elimination occurs as the alcohol is burned off through breath, urine, oxidation, and perspiration.

Because alcohol is eliminated from the bloodstream at a fairly constant rate, how intoxicated a person becomes is largely dependent upon the rate of absorption. Rapid absorption means a faster spike in a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level, which causes impairment of mental and motor functions.

Absorption rates vary widely based on who drinks the alcohol. Typically, prosecution criminalists will ignore scientific articles about alcohol absorption variances and will testify that a person may absorb the alcohol in the first 15 minutes of consumption. The reality may be that the absorption rate is much different, though.

The rate at which your body absorbs alcohol depends on several factors:

• Gender
• Age
• Height and weight (muscle-fat ratio)
• Pattern of drinking
• Type of alcohol consumed
• Food recently eaten, if any
• Medications taken, if any
• Pyloric valve functioning

Many naively follow the suggestion of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to count the number of drinks you've had and the time you had them in order to estimate your own BAC. This is a quick path to arrest since it is only a guess. You may have every intention to not drink and drive, but if your BAC level records higher than the legal limit – 0.08 in most circumstances – then you can be arrested and charged with a DUI. That is to say, you can be charged, prosecuted, and convicted of a DUI even if you never had the intent to drive while legally intoxicated.

Aggressive DUI Defense for Fullerton Drivers

You need reliable defense if you have been charged with a DUI. You need someone who can see the science behind your arrest. Otherwise, you risk your license being taken away, paying steep fines, and possible jail time.

At the Law Offices of Jacqueline Goodman, you can work with Attorney Jacqueline Goodman, who stands ready to challenge any breath or blood test evidence against you. She will pursue the best possible outcome, which could be a case dismissal, not guilty verdict, or a sentencing reduction. Attorney Goodman has a perfect 10.0 "Superb" Avvo rating, which means she delivers tough, aggressive defense in every case she takes while also staying connected and real with her clients.

If you were arrested for DUI in Fullerton, contact her firm now.