Question

If you are involved in a vehicle accident, you should not drink any alcohol up to ___ hours after the accident or you could be legally charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

Answer 1

Answer: 6

Explanation:

Alcohol is a psychoactive drug with a high number of side effects that can seriously affect our body. The amount and circumstances of consumption play an important role in determining the duration of intoxication. For example, consuming alcohol after a large meal is less likely to produce visible signs of intoxication than on an empty stomach.

Alcohol has a two-phase effect on the body, meaning that its effects change over time.  Initially, it produces feelings of relaxation and joy, but later consumption can lead to blurred vision and coordination problems.  Cell membranes are highly permeable to alcohol, so once alcohol is in the bloodstream, it can spread to almost all body tissues.  

Unconsciousness can follow excessive consumption, and extreme levels of consumption can lead to alcohol poisoning and death. Death can also be caused by asphyxiation, if vomit - a frequent result of excessive drinking - blocks the windpipe and the individual is too drunk to respond.  An appropriate first-aid response to an unconscious, drunk person is to place him or her in the recovery position.  

When alcohol enters the bloodstream (30-90 minutes after ingestion), there is a decrease in the sugars present in the bloodstream, causing a feeling of weakness and physical exhaustion. This is because alcohol accelerates the transformation of glycogen (a substance that stores sugar in the liver) into glucose, which is then eliminated more quickly.  

After the ingestion of alcohol, a series of effects or symptoms occur in the short term, depending on the dose ingested (although other individual factors are affected).

• Euphoria and excitement phase

• Intoxication: The nervous system is affected as the loss of the capacity to coordinate movements is caused, producing imbalance and sometimes falls. If abused, locomotor ataxia can occur, which is a paralysis characteristic of alcoholics.

• Hypnotic or confused phase: Irritability, agitation, drowsiness, headache, ysarthria, ataxia, dysmetry, nausea and vomiting.
• Anaesthetic phase or stupor and coma, inconsistent language.

• Bulbar or death phase: Cardiovascular shock, inhibition of the respiratory center, cardio-respiratory arrest and death.

Alcohol is broken down mainly in the liver, which can metabolize about 1 drink per hour for men. Factors such as age, weight, gender, and the amount of food eaten can affect how quickly the body can process alcohol. The amount of time alcohol can be detected in blood is up to 6 hours. Then it is not recommended to drink alcohol until after 6 hours if you have been involved in an accident, since alcohol can be detected in the blood in that time range. Because of the effects alcohol has on the body and how it can affect driving, if alcohol is detected you can be legally charged with driving under its influence.