1. What is the alcohol by volume of substance being consumed?
2. Size of individual consuming.
3. Pattern of drinking - short period - long period.
4. Has person eaten - The part about eating applies because most of the absorption of alcohol occurs in the intestine and not the stomach. Greasy foods in the stomach can slow down alcohol from getting to the intestine which will prolong peak blood alcohol levels.
5. Though it is not uniform, people burn off alcohol at between .01 - .015 per hour.
If Neary hit a .17 in a couple of hours, he probably had an empty stomach and drank hard liquor over a short period of time. You can heat peak BAC levels within less than an hour. He may have even been coming down from a higher number.
