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What is the Green Zone®?
Green Zone = Blood Alcohol Concentration of .00 -.05
You are in the Green Zone® if your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is below .06. As you consume alcohol in low to moderate amounts, and your BAC is rising but below .06, you will likely experience the positive effects of alcohol. People with a BAC below .06 generally feel excited, 'buzzed', tipsy, more social and confident, and relaxed.
Why You Should
Stay in Your Green Zone®
Because alcohol affects the pleasure centers of the brain, many people falsely believe that the more they drink the better they will feel.
People often decide to drink more in an attempt to hold onto the 'buzzed' feeling. However, there comes a point--called the point of diminishing returns--when your 'buzz' will not increase with more alcohol. At this point, typically around a BAC of .06, drinking more alcohol increases the risk for the negative things that are commonly associated with being impaired (e.g. hangovers, vomiting, injury, poor judgment, and regret).
If you choose to drink and want drinking to be a pleasurable and less risky experience, drink slowly and moderately (about one drink per hour) and Stay in Your Green Zone!® (keep your BAC under .06).
Click here to learn how to get your FREE, personalized Green Zone® Card.
Strategies to Stay in Your Green Zone!®
- GET CARDED: Get a FREE, personalized Green Zone® Card.
- DECIDE: Make a conscious decision about whether you will drink.
- HALT: Don't drink when hungry, angry, lonely, or tired.
- PLAN AHEAD how much you will drink & how you and your friends will get home safely.
- KNOW what you are drinking as well as how much.
- MEASURE your drinks accurately.
- SLOW DOWN by avoiding rapid consumption during drinking games and pre-gaming. (Limit yourself to one drink or less per hour.)
- EAT before and while drinking.
- HYDRATE! Alternate alcoholic drinks with water
- TUNE IN. Listen to your body and how you feel after each drink. Ask yourself, "do I want another?"
- WATCH OUT for friends. Help them stick to their plan.
- RESPECT another person's decision not to drink.
Why High Tolerance is Not a Good Thing
Tolerance results from the prolonged or heavy use of a drug. Alcohol tolerance refers to a progressive state where, over time, a person will need to drink increasingly more to experience the positive effects of alcohol ('buzz').
If a person has to drink increasingly larger amounts of alcohol to feel the effects, their tolerance is increasing. This means that their behavior may not be an accurate indicator of how intoxicated they have become. (They may not appear intoxicated, when they are.)
People sometimes brag of their high tolerance or ability to "hold their liquor". But, having a high tolerance is actually a warning sign that more serious problems with alcohol are developing.
Help keep your tolerance down by drinking less or taking a break from drinking for several weeks.
Rethinking Drinking: Alcohol and Your Health is an excellent website and offers an anonymous online assessment to evaluate your drinking habits, see if there are signs of a problem, and get the tools to make a change.
If you are concerned about your drinking or that of a friend or family member, help is available through the Counseling Center. Additional resources are listed on our website.
*Stay in Your Green Zone® and Green Zone® are registered trademarks of BACZONE Ltd. www.baczone.com All Rights Reserved.
Click here to get your FREE, personalized Green Zone Card®.
