Ethanol: Pharmacokinetics and Cns Effects
| Ethanol: Pharmacokinetics and CNS effects |
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| Mean | Range | Standard deviation | Peak BAC (mg/100ml) | 70.91 | 46 | 12.54 | Time of peak BAC (mins) | 44.32 | 75 | 21.85 | Peak subjective intoxication level | 4.9 | 5.5 | 1.94 | Time to peak intoxication (mins) | 59.09 | 120 | 35.99 | Rate of elimination (mg/100mL/h) | 16.20 | 12.66 | 4.49 | 1.
2. Comment on the variability in BAC and intoxication scores
There are many factors which affect the variability seen in the BAC and intoxication scores. For this particular sample of people, I believe the main factors affecting the BAC scores would be ethnicity and regularity of alcohol intake. The large variability in the intoxication scores reflects the subjectivity of the test- individuals were asked to rate their own feeling of intoxication, however this obviously varies greatly from individual to individual. For example, an individual who drinks and gets intoxicated frequently would most likely rate their intoxication levels during the experiment as low, since their intoxication during the experiment is almost incomparable to what they are used to. In contrast, an individual who has never consumed alcohol before the experiment would most likely rate their intoxication level higher than what would be expected, since they have never felt the sensation of intoxication before this.
3. From the plots of the mean data, did you observe evidence of acute tolerance?
Yes, the plots of mean data did present evidence of acute tolerance. The mean BAC at 15 minutes was 47.91 mg/100ml, while the mean intoxication rating at this time was recorded as 2.71. When we compare this to the mean data at 120 minutes, where the mean BAC is 48.55 mg/100ml (roughly the same BAC level as at 15 minutes), we can see that the intoxication rating had decreased to 2.09. Simply put, the subjects were not feeling the effects of alcohol as strongly later on in the experiment compared to the
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| Mean | Range | Standard deviation | Peak BAC (mg/100ml) | 70.91 | 46 | 12.54 | Time of peak BAC (mins) | 44.32 | 75 | 21.85 | Peak subjective intoxication level | 4.9 | 5.5 | 1.94 | Time to peak intoxication (mins) | 59.09 | 120 | 35.99 | Rate of elimination (mg/100mL/h) | 16.20 | 12.66 | 4.49 | 1.
2. Comment on the variability in BAC and intoxication scores
There are many factors which affect the variability seen in the BAC and intoxication scores. For this particular sample of people, I believe the main factors affecting the BAC scores would be ethnicity and regularity of alcohol intake. The large variability in the intoxication scores reflects the subjectivity of the test- individuals were asked to rate their own feeling of intoxication, however this obviously varies greatly from individual to individual. For example, an individual who drinks and gets intoxicated frequently would most likely rate their intoxication levels during the experiment as low, since their intoxication during the experiment is almost incomparable to what they are used to. In contrast, an individual who has never consumed alcohol before the experiment would most likely rate their intoxication level higher than what would be expected, since they have never felt the sensation of intoxication before this.
3. From the plots of the mean data, did you observe evidence of acute tolerance?
Yes, the plots of mean data did present evidence of acute tolerance. The mean BAC at 15 minutes was 47.91 mg/100ml, while the mean intoxication rating at this time was recorded as 2.71. When we compare this to the mean data at 120 minutes, where the mean BAC is 48.55 mg/100ml (roughly the same BAC level as at 15 minutes), we can see that the intoxication rating had decreased to 2.09. Simply put, the subjects were not feeling the effects of alcohol as strongly later on in the experiment compared to the