Smart Serve Effects of Alcohol & Standard Drinks 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What constitutes one 'standard drink' in Canada?
- Any single serving of any alcoholic beverage
- 13.6 grams (17.2 mL) of pure alcohol (Correct answer)
- One pint of any beer
- One shot of any liquor
Correct answer: 13.6 grams (17.2 mL) of pure alcohol
A Canadian standard drink contains 13.6 grams (17.2 mL) of pure alcohol. This equals approximately 341 mL (12 oz) of 5% beer, 142 mL (5 oz) of 12% wine, or 43 mL (1.5 oz) of 40% spirits.
Question 2: Approximately how long does it take the body to metabolize one standard drink?
- 15 minutes
- 30 minutes
- 1 to 1.5 hours (Correct answer)
- 3 hours
Correct answer: 1 to 1.5 hours
The liver metabolizes alcohol at a relatively constant rate of about one standard drink per 1 to 1.5 hours. Nothing can speed up this process — not coffee, food, or cold showers.
Question 3: Which factor does NOT significantly affect how quickly a person becomes intoxicated?
- Body weight
- Gender
- Hair color (Correct answer)
- Whether they've eaten recently
Correct answer: Hair color
Hair color has no effect on alcohol metabolism. Key factors include body weight, gender (women generally have more body fat and less water), food consumption, medications, and drinking speed.
Question 4: Why do women generally become intoxicated faster than men of the same weight?
- Women drink faster
- Women typically have a higher body fat percentage and less body water, resulting in higher blood alcohol concentration (Correct answer)
- Women's livers are less efficient
- Women are more sensitive to taste
Correct answer: Women typically have a higher body fat percentage and less body water, resulting in higher blood alcohol concentration
Women generally have proportionally more body fat and less body water than men. Since alcohol dissolves in water, less body water means a higher concentration of alcohol in the blood.
Question 5: A patron has consumed 4 standard drinks in 2 hours. What is their approximate BAC?
- 0.00%
- 0.04%
- 0.06-0.08% (Correct answer)
- 0.15%
Correct answer: 0.06-0.08%
As a rough estimate: 4 drinks raise BAC, minus metabolism of about 2 drinks in 2 hours, leaving approximately 2 drinks' worth of alcohol. For an average person, this is roughly 0.06-0.08% BAC.
Question 6: What is Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)?
- The number of drinks consumed per hour
- The percentage of alcohol in the bloodstream (Correct answer)
- The ratio of beer to liquor consumed
- The speed at which alcohol is absorbed
Correct answer: The percentage of alcohol in the bloodstream
BAC is the percentage of alcohol present in a person's bloodstream. In Canada, the legal driving limit is 0.08% BAC, though impairment begins well below this level.
Smart Serve Effects of Alcohol & Standard Drinks 2
What constitutes one 'standard drink' in Canada?