In order to best represent your legal interests, it is important for your DWI lawyer in Fort Worth to have a comprehensive understanding of alcohol absorption and its impact on you. One key aspect to this knowledge is understanding tolerance and how it affects you.

How Tolerance Has Developed

A Fort Worth DWI attorney can explain that there are several theories that scientists have proposed that explain how alcohol tolerance develops.

One theory is that alcohol interferes with the body’s nerve cell impulses. When a person consumes alcohol over a long period of time, this may cause the enzyme that is involved in the process to be affected and in turn compensate for the interference caused by alcohol.

Another theory states that repeated exposure to alcohol influences the cell membrane to increase the amount of saturated fat or cholesterol content, causing the membrane to become more rigid.

A third theory is that repeated exposure to alcohol affects the neurotransmitters.

Effect of Tolerance

If individuals are routinely consuming alcohol, it is likely that they will develop a tolerance to it. This causes them to be desensitized to the effect of alcohol and may make them think that they are sober even when their blood alcohol content exceeds the legal limit. Individuals who become alcoholics often have an increased tolerance to alcohol even when their blood alcohol content level is very high.

Some studies have shown that these individuals exhibit few external indicators of being under the influence at these elevated levels. Other studies have found no meaningful correlation between a person’s blood alcohol content level and performance levels for individuals who have developed a tolerance for alcohol.

Legal Assistance

If you would like more information about how your tolerance level may affect your case, contact a DWI lawyer in Fort Worth from the Law Office of Bryan P. Hoeller.