A recent study out of Ohio State University suggests that when people head to the bar, their drinking habits mimic the cruise control system in a vehicle.
In an effort to better understand people’s drinking habits and the choices they make as they consume alcohol, researchers conducted a small study. They gathered 1,500 students who were planning on going out to a party or a bar and asked them how intoxicated they planned to get. Students told researchers how drunk they planned to get and then tested their blood alcohol content several times throughout the duration of their night.
Cruise Control BAC
When researchers examined the data, they found that individuals did a good job of reaching their level of intoxication and then adjusting their drinking habits to maintain that level of intoxication. The data found:
- Students who wanted to feel “buzzed” adjusted their alcohol consumption to maintain a BAC around 0.05.
- Students who wanted to get “very drunk” averaged a BAC around 0.10.
- Students adjusted their habits throughout the night to maintain their desired BAC level through actions like sipping vs. gulping or by switching to a non-alcoholic beverage.
Researchers concluded that the choices we make when we’re drinking are similar to how a car’s cruise control system work. For example, if you set the cruise at 65 mph and you go up a hill, your cruise control system will increase your car’s speed as your car naturally loses speed as you climb the hill. Conversely, your car lets off the gas as it picks up speed down a hill so you stay close to 65 mph. Researchers found that students increased their drinking habits to get up to their desired BAC level, then adjusted their consumption habits to maintain their level of intoxication.
The results are just part of the puzzle of combating drinking and driving. Now that we know more about alcohol consumption habits, researchers want to apply the findings to develop a smartphone app that alerts individuals when they’ve reached their limit or had too much to drink. They hope this will help people better understand their level of intoxication and make smarter decisions behind the wheel.
