Freese Fact-Check: How Many Beers Does A .232 Blood-Alcohol Content Make?

By Kristen Hinman Thu., Dec. 17 2009 at 11:45 AM

Categories: Baseball, Criminally Stupid, Sports

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Upon his arrest Saturday night, St. Louis Cardinal David Freese told police he'd thrown back seven beers -- and proceeded to blow a .232 BAC.

According to this nifty "physiology, alcohol and the human body" chart from St. Louis-based Intoximeters, a blood-alcohol content of .232 indicates the boozer's at the "stage of confusion."

Slightly better than "coma" and "stupor," but worse than "euphoria" and "excitement," sayeth Intoximeters.

So how many beers does it take to reach the apogee of confusion?

According to Intoximeters' equally nifty "Drink Wheel," way more than seven.

Assume Freese still clocks in at 220 pounds, and take a lil' spin on the wheel yourself. Our calculation comes after the jump, along with the police report.

The Drink Wheel
On-Line BrAC Calculator

About Disclaimer

I have had over a period of hour(s)².

I am Male Female (Explanation of gender differences in Blood Alcohol Concentration)

and I weigh Pounds Kilograms

and I live in (so that the result is displayed in the appropriate units).

So what'd you get?

a) a solid four hours of imbibing

b) at least one dickhead who let you get in the car never passed the bar nuts

c) a friggin' expensive tab

d) seventeen cold brewskis

You got it. All of the above, including seventeen beers -- with a disclaimer from Drink Wheel/Intoximeters.

About the Drink Wheel
The Intoximeters Inc. "Drink Wheel"¹ is a form that you can fill out. Upon completion we will instantly compute your estimated blood/breath alcohol concentration ("BAC") based on the information that you have provided and return that estimate to you. It is presented as a public service to Intoximeters web site visitors. Its primary purpose is to provide useful information about the responsible use of alcohol.
Why is it called a "Drink Wheel"?
We call it the "Drink Wheel" because it is based on various paper and cardboard BAC calculators that are given out in alcohol awareness programs, some of which are in the form of a wheel that you can spin around to calculate your estimated BAC based on what and how much you have had to drink.
Disclaimer
It would be extremely foolish for us to pretend that our "Drink Wheel" can tell you what your BAC actually is, first because it would open us up to an incredible amount of potential liability and second if it really did work accurately there would be no need for anyone to buy the instruments that we make and sell.
A person's actual BAC is dependent on many complex factors, including their physical condition (body composition, health etc...) and what they have recently ingested (including food, water, medications and other drugs). This site includes a more detailed discussion of the Pharmacology and Disposition of alcohol in humans.
The results that are generated are rough estimates of an average healthy person's BAC assuming typical beverage sizes, recipes and alcohol content. The BAC estimates generated by the Drink Wheel should not be used to infer anyone's fitness to work, drive or perform any other task or duty.

Check out the police report:

David Freese DWI Police Report

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