# Highest BAC ever recorded?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 3, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926 "2006-03-03T17:29:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/1 "2006-03-03T17:29:14Z")
Does anyone have an idea what the highest Blood Alcohol Content ever recorded is?
---
### Author:  [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2006, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/2 "2006-03-03T17:33:14Z")
According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_alcohol_content), it has gone as high as 0.914, although I don’t know if that’s the top end and there’s no documentation of that specific case.
Needless to say, though, it’s pretty damn high.
---
### Author:  [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/3 "2006-03-03T17:55:52Z")
According to [this article](http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/01/04/drunk-bulgarian-050104.html), the world record is .914
---
### Author:  [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/4 "2006-03-03T18:51:32Z")
And that’s just among the folks who have been caught.
---
### Author:  [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/5 "2006-03-03T19:01:32Z")
How would one go about getting a BAC that high? Drinking huge amounts of very strong alcohol before it had a chance to knock you out?
---
### Author:  [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2006, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/6 "2006-03-03T19:08:14Z")
> [@Speaker for the Dead](#):
>
> How would one go about getting a BAC that high? Drinking huge amounts of very strong alcohol before it had a chance to knock you out?
- nods \* Two litres of vodka over the course of a couple of hours will get you into that region.
Don’t try this at home. 0.5 will kill most people, let alone twice that amount.
---
### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2006, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/7 "2006-03-03T19:22:42Z")
> [@Tevildo](#):
>
> Don’t try this at home. 0.5 will kill most people, let alone twice that amount.
some years back we had a call of a 15 year old passed out on the front lawn of a house where a party was taking place. His bac came back over .5 and he lived.
Amazing! I’ve heard of people who were “only” .29 who died.
---
### Author:  [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2006, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/8 "2006-03-03T19:37:01Z")
Anecdote warning:
I knew a guy in AA who said he was arrested with a .41 BAC, and he was still walking around. At .30, the cops are supposed to take you to a hospital. Makes my .27 when I was arrested pretty puny.
Another guy I knew worked in a college crisis center and took a guy to the hospital for alchohol overdose. When the doctor took a blood sample, my buddy said he offered to him smell it. He said he could smell the alcohol in the blood.
---
### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/9 "2006-03-03T20:28:02Z")
> [@PoorYorick](#):
>
> At .30, the cops are supposed to take you to a hospital.
Ha!
Let me tell you about that:
The detox center won’t take anyone who hasn’t been medically cleared.
Many hospitals won’t medically clear anyone who is over .20.
Which means that by the time the hospital signs the medical clearance papers, the guy isn’t really in need of detox anymore. Really screwed up.
Doesn’t _always_ happen that way. I’ve had people who were a mere .17 that appeared far, far more intoxicated than some .25’s I’ve met. Tolorance is an individual thing.
And don’t get me started about .08! .08 is legally intoxicated, but it’s not “drunk”!
20 years both full & part-time and I’ve nailed very few DWI’s that were below .12!
---
### Author:  [@meow\_meow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meow_meow)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/10 "2006-03-03T20:40:11Z")
Well, MY highest recorded was .317
I had a long (maybe 4 hours long), alcohol filled lunch with co-workers. Afterwards, I tried to walk home and didn’t make it. Got picked up by the first aid squad.
I was with co-workers at a swank French restaurant, and I was trying to keep up with everyone. We were served cocktails pre-lunch, wine with lunch (lots), port, then brandy, THEN more drinks at the bar since we decided not to go back to the office.
It was not a good day. I mean, who does that at LUNCH? Oh wait don’t answer that.
---
### Author:  [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2006, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/11 "2006-03-03T21:44:44Z")
Sorry, **pkbites** , didn’t mean to hit a nerve. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2006, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/12 "2006-03-03T21:54:23Z")
> [@PoorYorick](#):
>
> Sorry, **pkbites** , didn’t mean to hit a nerve. 🙂
You didn’t hit a nerve. I was scoffing at the ridiculousness of the system.
Not all hospitals refuse to medically clear above a .20, but the one we use the most does.
---
### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2006, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/13 "2006-03-04T04:15:32Z")
> [@pkbites](#):
>
> You didn’t hit a nerve. I was scoffing at the ridiculousness of the system.
>
> Not all hospitals refuse to medically clear above a .20, but the one we use the most does.
If your hospital matches your location, I know the head of maintenance over there quite well.
---
### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2006, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/14 "2006-03-04T04:16:51Z")
> [@pkbites](#):
>
> :
>
> The detox center won’t take anyone who hasn’t been medically cleared.
> Many hospitals won’t medically clear anyone who is over .20.
What does mediacally cleared mean? I’m having trouble trying to figure it out from the context.
---
### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/15 "2006-03-04T04:40:35Z")
> [@Joey P](#):
>
> If your hospital matches your location, I know the head of maintenance over there quite well.
I only live in W.A. I’m not a cop here. _Somewhere_ in Milwaukee County, but not West Allis. So it’s not where you’re thinking.
> [@Joey P](#):
>
> What does medically cleared mean? I’m having trouble trying to figure it out from the context.
Theres a legalese type form that says a doctor has looked them over for injuries and alcohol poisoning, disease, etc… It’s a CYA thing.
Sometimes also this has to be done for people getting transfered from a holding cell down to the county jail. If they have a pre-existing injury, drunk or not, CJF might not take them with a fresh injury without medical clearance.
---
### Author:  [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/16 "2006-03-04T23:05:17Z")
> [@meow meow](#):
>
> I mean, who does that at LUNCH? Oh wait don’t answer that.
/Looks around…
/Keeps hand down.
---
### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2006, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/17 "2006-03-05T00:02:46Z")
The highest I have personally seen is .408% BAC. The guy was still walking around and conversing. He was obviously drunk but I would have guessed a .18 or so. His second DUI was a couple of weeks later and he was a .36.
---
### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2006, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/18 "2006-03-05T03:47:13Z")
> [@pkbites](#):
>
> I only live in W.A. I’m not a cop here. _Somewhere_ in Milwaukee County, but not West Allis. So it’s not where you’re thinking.
Hmmm cop or deputy. Won’t get any more personal then this, but my BIL worked (as a deputy) in the Milwaukee County Jail for a while. He spent alot of time (due to his EMT training I presume) transporting people to the hospital and back. I also happen to know some people in admitting at St Lukes SS, my wifes aunt and uncle are xray techs at Froedert, my MIL is at St Lukes 27th and used to be at St Francis. Yeah, I married into a medical family. So if you deal with the milwaukee county jail, st lukes SS (due to friends in admitting) or a few of the police/fire depts in the certain subarbs we probably know some people in common. Oh, and I have an uncle that’s a guard at the Franklin HOC.
---
### Author:  [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2006, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/19 "2006-03-05T04:47:50Z")
A male american indian was a regular at a hospital my buddy worked at. The reason he was a regular was that he would regularly be arrested for D&D, and he’d blow over .2, so off to the ER he’d go. My buddy knew he had to be pretty drunk when he couldn’t understand him, and sure enough, he blew a .4. But he was over 5 the time they had to help him walk in. The guy lived and functioned at .2.
---
### Author:  [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-bac-ever-recorded/346926/20 "2006-03-06T17:12:00Z")
It’s gotta get higher than that.
I knew a nurse caring for a man in intensive care. He had attempted suicide by drinking methanol (“wood alcohol”). As she explained it, the treatment was to replace the more poisonous methanol with ethanol (“grain alcohol”, the kind we drink). So they gave him intravenous ethanol for several days.
Of course he was unconscious, from before his admission. He stayed in this coma for the several days they treated him. He was also intubated (on a ventilator) because he wouldn’t breathe on his own.
Therefore he spent several days too drunk to breathe.
I don’t know what his BAC was but it had to be higher than somebody stumbling down the street. I have always wondered what his hangover was like.