Determination of absorption time of ethanol in social drinkers

This study was designed to determine the peak, plateau and absorption times of ethanol in a social drinking setting. For the purpose of this study, subjects who had drinking times of 30 min or greater were considered to fit the 'social drinking' category. Healthy subjects (31 male and two female) were tested immediately after they finished drinking. Blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) were measured using a breath testing instrument (Intoxilyzer 5000). Drinking time, type and volume of alcoholic beverage consumed, subject's weight, and a brief description of the breakfast meal were recorded for each subject. The peak, plateau and absorption times were determined for each subject. Peak time was the time interval between the end of drinking and the maximum blood alcohol measurement. Plateau time was the time interval between peak time and the end of absorption time, i.e. the interval between peak time and the beginning of dissipation. Absorption time was defined as the peak time plus plateau time. Among 31 subjects with drinking times of 30 min or greater, 23 (74.2%) had peak and absorption times of < 30 and < 60 min, respectively. Twenty four out of 31 (77.4%) social drinkers had an absorption time of < 60 min, regardless of their peak time. Overall, the average peak and absorption times were 17.4 +/- 17.3 (range 0-74) and 42.2 +/- 31.5 (range 1-130) min. Plateau times averaged 24.9 +/- 23.1 with a range of 0-74 min. It can be concluded from this study that in a social drinking setting, a shorter time to peak and faster rate of absorption may occur when ethanol is consumed over an extended period of time. This is in contrast to results reported in earlier studies involving bolus drinking, where longer absorption times occurred.