How much alcohol is too much to drive?
- Last Updated: April 24th, 2025
How much alcohol is too much to drive?
For many people, there is not a second thought to go to a family gathering or a get together with friends and drink a couple of beers and then drive home.
Most people would not feel the effects of the beer and feel perfectly fine to drive home.
The reality, though, is that Ohio’s legal limit for alcohol is a BAC of .08 %. For the majority of people, that means just drinking one beer would put you over the limit.
To clear up any confusion, it helps to know the average amount you can drink without being over the legal BAC limit.
Business Insider gives some insight into the drink limits that will keep you legal behind the wheel.
The following limits compute one drink as being a 12-ounce beer with a 4.5% alcohol content, five ounces of wine with a 12% alcohol content or 1.5 ounces of liquor with a 40% alcohol content.
Because men and women process alcohol differently, there are different limits for each gender.
For men weighing 200 pounds, the limit is one drink before he is over the legal BAC.
If you are a male weighing 240 pounds, you can have two drinks.
It gets questionable over those amounts.
At 200 pounds, having four drinks would definitely put you over the legal BAC limit.
At 240 pounds, drinking five drinks would do it.
For women at a weight of 120 pounds, there is no amount of alcohol that would not put her at risk of a DUI if she gets behind the wheel because even one drink would put her over the limit.
If you are a female weighing 200 pounds, you can have one drink with two drinks putting you over the legal limit.
Do keep in mind that these are just guidelines.
Everyone is different.
Just because you weigh in at a certain weight or are a certain gender, it does not mean the above limits are exactly right for you.
Your body may process alcohol differently.
So, always be safe and use a designated driver.
This information is for education and is not legal advice.
About the Author: Frank Piscitelli
As a first-generation Italian in the United States, Frank is no stranger to tough times.
His father’s family moved to Cleveland from Italy on May 22, 1958, with a few articles of clothing, some personal items and very little money.
His family shared a home with three other related families but happily worked long hours doing jobs that involved physical labor, just to put food on the table.
There was the promise of hope and opportunity, which was missing before his family moved here.
Member of the Ohio State Bar Association since 1993. With 30+ years of legal experience, Attorney Frank Piscitelli has secured over $55 million in compensation for Ohio injury victims, car accident victims, and surviving family members of Ohio wrongful death victims.
Legally Reviewed
This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy and clarity by the team of writers and attorneys at Piscitelli Law Firm and is as accurate as possible. This content should not be taken as legal advice from an attorney. If you would like to learn more about our owner and experienced Ohio personal injury lawyer, Frank Piscitelli, you can do so here.
Fact-Checked
Piscitelli Law Firm does everything possible to make sure the information in this article is up to date and accurate. If you need specific legal advice about your case, contact us. This article should not be taken as advice from an attorney.
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