DUI Biology
The Anatomy of a DUI – Alcohol in Men vs. Women
Alcohol in Men vs. Women As I discussed in a previous article, alcohol has an affinity for water. This means that alcohol is attracted to body tissues and organs that have a high water content. Once the alcohol moves from the stomach into the blood, it will be distributed throughout the various body tissues and organs by the blood in proportion to their water contents, and deposited in those tissues and organs by the blood. Brain tissue and muscle have a high water content, so the brain and muscle receive a substantial share of the distributed alcohol. On the [...]
The Anatomy of a DUI – How the Body Eliminates Alcohol
In my last blog article (September 02, 2015) I provided a brief overview of how alcohol is distributed throughout the body. This article will focus on how the consumed alcohol is eliminated from the body. Elimination: As soon as the alcohol enters the blood stream, the body starts eliminating it by a process in the liver called enzymatic oxidation (metabolism). In this process, alcohol reacts with oxygen in the body and eventually changes into carbon dioxide and water, both of which are directly expelled from the body. An enzyme known as alcohol dehydrogenase acts to speed up the reaction [...]
The Anatomy of a DUI – How Alcohol Distributes Within the Body
In my last blog post regarding the Anatomy of a DUI (August 17, 2015) I provided a brief overview of how alcohol is absorbed into the body. This article will focus on how the consumed alcohol distributes throughout the body. Distribution: Once the alcohol moves from the stomach into the small intestine, it will absorb into the blood. Thereafter the alcohol is distributed throughout the body by the blood. Alcohol has an affinity for water. The blood will carry the alcohol to the various tissues and organs of the body, and will deposit the alcohol in them in proportion [...]
The Anatomy of a DUI – Absorption of Alcohol
In my last article I provided a brief overview of alcohol, mainly ethanol, which is the type of alcohol consumed by humans in alcoholic beverages. Ethanol is produced through the process of fermentation (up to 15%) and by distillation for beverages with higher alcohol concentrations such as rum, vodka, whiskey, etc. In this article I will discuss how alcohol is absorbed into the body. Alcohol is a Central Nervous System Depressant. It doesn't affect a person until it gets into their central nervous system, i.e., the brain, brain stem and spinal cord. Alcohol gets to the brain by getting [...]
The Anatomy of a DUI – An Overview of Alcohol
Over the past few months I have been asked by many individuals various questions relating to DUI. I believe that knowledge is power, and when you have the knowledge you are in a better position to protect yourself. Therefore, I decided to write this column to provide information relating to DUI so to educate and inform and to help individuals have a better understanding of DUI. Before I discuss the anatomy of an actual DUI arrest, I believe it important for the reader to have a basic understanding of the physiology of alcohol itself. By understanding how alcohol works [...]
Heavy Drinkers are Rarely Alcoholics – So Says Centers for Disease Control
The bottom line is someone who frequently likes to go out, let their hair down, and drink a lot of booze is not necessarily an alcoholic. In fact, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it means only rarely that someone who frequently drinks a lot of alcohol is an alcoholic. According to the new study, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration finds that 1 in 3 American adults meet the definition of heavy drinking—for men, having five or more drinks in one sitting or 15 or more in a week; [...]
Finally – The Myth of the “Gold Standard” is Beginning to Unravel!
As reported in the Los Angeles Times article on November 10, 2013, an Orange County Crime Lab error leads to inaccurate blood alcohol test results that could affect hundreds of DUI cases. You ask, Why is this important? Because for years Gas Chromatography, the process of how law enforcement crime labs test most blood samples for alcohol content, has been referred to as the "Gold Standard" by crime lab personnel. The term "gold standard" is nothing more than crime lab personnel's attempt to cloak the gas chromatography process in secrecy so that the public, as well as [...]
