All tests › Medicine levels

Blood alcohol

Medicine levels · also printed as Ethanol, Blood ethanol, Alcohol level, Serum ethanol, Blood alcohol level

Typical UK adult rangeNo single typical range

Not detected is the usual result in someone who has not been drinking; there is no typical range.

What this test measures

Blood alcohol measures ethanol in the blood, from drinking alcohol.

Why doctors request it

Measured in emergency departments and in some occupational and legal settings.

What commonly pushes it up

Recent drinking

What commonly pushes it down

Time since the last drink, at roughly 15 mg/dL per hour

Everyday reasons for a value outside the range

Units differ: mg/dL, mg/100mL and mmol/L
The UK driving limit is 80 mg/100mL in England and Wales and 50 in Scotland

About the sample

Timed from the last drink.

Written by a UK consultant physician. Typical UK adult reference ranges; your laboratory's own printed range takes precedence.

Got a report with Blood alcohol on it?

Upload a photo or PDF and see every line against the range your lab printed, explained in plain English. First report free.

Read my report free

This is an educational summary of results you uploaded. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan, and it does not replace the doctor who requested the test. If you are worried, or a result is marked outside range, discuss it with your doctor. Written and reviewed by a UK consultant physician. Reference ranges vary between laboratories.