Watching real time shows about cops I was always curious how the criminal, caught with 2-3 permille BAC is able to stand straight and speak so fluently, that it is not always easy to say he/she is so drunk. Remembering own experiences with ethanol, 1 permille BAC for me is good buzz, >1.5 permille - I am so drunk, that totally unable to look even close to sober. So, why some people can look quite normal on such a high alcohol concentrations?
The first thing I found is so called Mellanby effect - the same alcohol concentration in blood is subjectively felt much more intense if the concentration is on rise (beginning of drinking session), and effects are less pronounced, if the concentration is falling (after the drinking session). Seems it could be due to fast receptor tolerance to acute alcohol effects. But the same can happen due to long time tolerance (benzos are good example for this, somebody can feel as low as 0.25-0.5 mg of clonazepam, the other one is not feeling even 2-4 mg or larger doses and feels absolutely "normal"). I propose people who drink ethanol for a long time have their "normal" feeling when they have quite a large BAC, and they feel absolutely unimpaired physically and mentally, better, as if they were sober. Especially if their concentration in falling, when due to Mellanby effect subjective feeling is less pronounced.
If this theory is right, why then we prosecute somebody with a chronic ethanol consumption disorder if he is driving with significant BAC, when he subjectively feels better, comparing to the situation he is sober (and feeling worse)?
The first thing I found is so called Mellanby effect - the same alcohol concentration in blood is subjectively felt much more intense if the concentration is on rise (beginning of drinking session), and effects are less pronounced, if the concentration is falling (after the drinking session). Seems it could be due to fast receptor tolerance to acute alcohol effects. But the same can happen due to long time tolerance (benzos are good example for this, somebody can feel as low as 0.25-0.5 mg of clonazepam, the other one is not feeling even 2-4 mg or larger doses and feels absolutely "normal"). I propose people who drink ethanol for a long time have their "normal" feeling when they have quite a large BAC, and they feel absolutely unimpaired physically and mentally, better, as if they were sober. Especially if their concentration in falling, when due to Mellanby effect subjective feeling is less pronounced.
If this theory is right, why then we prosecute somebody with a chronic ethanol consumption disorder if he is driving with significant BAC, when he subjectively feels better, comparing to the situation he is sober (and feeling worse)?
