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Comment by baxtr | Hacker News Reader

I’m not sure what “0.26” exactly means, but if it’s what I interpret to be that’s about one beer for a typical male adult.

It’s not nothing but it’s not a lot either.

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I have no idea what some of the other commenters are talking about, but

  - 0.26 is around "blackout drunk" (I am not sure I have ever drank this much)
  - 0.20 is when I know that I have made a terrible mistake, definitely "wasted" as we say (though I haven't drank like this for many *many* years).
  - I begin to feel dizzy and ill at around 0.15ish... 
  - 0.1 is a drunk feeling.
  - 0.8 is the legal driving limit in most US states.

Source: I carry various breathalyzers with me whenever I drink. I probably have a higher tolerance than most though.

And here are some other sources for you:

https://www.utoledo.edu/studentaffairs/counseling/selfhelp/s...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_alcohol_content

Also, one thing to note about these charts, they are pretty conservative. One drink is rarely 0.02 unless you rarely drink, and had this one drink on an empty stomach, or are a very small person. Or maybe if you take a shot and measure it 10 minutes later.

Correction: - 0.08 is the legal driving limit in most US states.

You may be thinking of 0.026. 0.08 is the legal limit in most states. 0.26 is drunk enough that you need to worry about them choking on their own vomit.

BAC is given in percent (parts per 100, %), whereas a lot of countries use permille (parts per 1000, ‰). This would equate to 2.6 permille, which is quite a lot, especially for non-drinkers.

The US typically uses "percent" when referring to blood alcohol levels while many other countries use "per mille", sometimes leading to confusion around the rules. When somebody mentions Sweden's "zero point two" limit, it's actually incredibly strict, not incredibly lenient!

Ah yes thanks. That’s it! So in Europe it’s 2.6, which is A LOT!!

Of course they do... but also the first time I hear that, didn't know.

0.26 if a BAC, would be more like 5-10 beers, one drink typically is good for 0.02-0.04

It means blood-alcohol percentage and the limit is usually 0.08%. The article correctly states that it's over three times the limit. I believe your math would mean four beers equals 1% of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

It is Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) and 0.26% is about 8-12 drinks depending on the person's tolerance and weight. Legally drunk. The legal limit to drive in most states is .08% which is typically 2-3 drinks.

0.26 is pretty drunk, in my opinion. A 140lb person drinking 8 shots would leave them close to blacking out unless they drank a lot, and very often.

https://www.healthline.com/health/alcohol/blood-alcohol-leve...

It's over 3 times the legal limit for the most forgiving definition of drunk driving in Colorado.

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