For example, a BAC rating of 0.20 means 1 part per 500 in an individual's blood is alcohol. In many countries, the BAC is measured and reported as milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood (mg/100ml).

Number of drinks consumed is a poor measure of intoxication, because of variation according to body weight. One drink (unit of alcohol) will increase the average person's BAC to roughly 0.04, but there is much variation according to body weight, gender and body fat percentage. Furthermore, neither BAC nor the number of drinks consumed are necessarily accurate indicators of the level of impairment. Individual alcohol tolerance varies, and can be affected by genetic or nutritional factors, drugs, other degrees of impairment, and long-term heavy drinking.