Students get virtually drunk — to prove point

Angela Soo

Friday, April 20, 2001 | 10:59 a.m.

Students at UNLV got "drunk" Thursday while experimenting with an interactive virtual bar that determined their blood alcohol levels after consuming various alcoholic drinks.

The Century Council, a nonprofit organization funded by America's leading distillers, set up the cyber-cafe as part of a nationwide education campaign during Alcohol Awareness Month.

"This is a good time to come out here, because Nevada is currently debating on the legal blood alcohol level," said Dana Fudurich, Century Council field coordinator.

The blood alcohol concentration limit for Nevada is .10. The newly adopted national standard is .08.

"It's a nice way to use the new technology," Detective William Redfairn of Metro Police said.

Virtual drinkers can get a better idea as to how much they can consume before reaching the legal limit. To begin the alcohol test, visitors must first type in important variables, such as gender and weight.

"Women get intoxicated faster and stay intoxicated longer than men because they have more fat," Redfairn said. "Women also have less fluids in their bodies than men, which is needed to help dilute the alcohol."

After plugging in the vital information, users selected their favorite beverages and re-created a typical night's worth of drinking. After a drink was selected the Blood Alcohol Educator asked if the person planned to consume the drink within 40 minutes, 20 minutes or "Slam" it.

Once the consumption rate was selected, the user's blood alcohol concentration level appeared with the time it would take for the alcohol to clear the individual's system. The steps could be repeated as many times with different drinks and rates of consumption.

Redfairn reminded participants that even though they might not feel drunk, their blood alcohol concentration level could still be high.

"Some people have a higher tolerance than others," Redfairn said. "But if two men who weigh the same and are consuming the same drinks, then their blood alcohol concentration level won't be any different."

A 135-pound woman who drinks one martini, a screwdriver and a Long Island iced tea within an hour on an empty stomach will register a level above the legal drinking limit. A 175-pound man who consumes four shots without eating prior to consuming the drinks would also violate Nevada drinking laws.

Drinking on an empty stomach significantly affects how fast the alcohol enters the blood system, Redfairn said. Eating an hour before drinking can reduce a person's peek blood alcohol level by as much as 40 percent.

"The longer you can keep the alcohol in your stomach, the better it is because it doesn't go straight into your blood," he said.

Alcohol related fatalities make up 40 percent of all deaths that occur in Metro's jurisdiction. The majority of the people who die in these accidents are between the ages of 30 to 45.

"It doesn't really make a difference to us if the legal limit is .08 or .10," he said. "If we can prove that the alcohol affected your ability to drive safely, then that's all that matters."