What is a drinking occasion?
A drinking occasion is any time a person consumes one or more drinks containing alcohol and during this period of time their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) does not return to zero.
A drinking occasion might include drinking at home followed by drinking at other venues. For example, someone may drink two beers at home, then a glass of wine at a restaurant, followed by a shot of spirits at a pub. If this person's BAC did not reach zero at any time between these drinks, this constitutes a single occasion of drinking.
Source: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (2019). Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol.
Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC): A commonly used measure of alcohol intoxication, referring to the amount of alcohol present in the bloodstream. For example, a BAC of 0.05% means that there are 0.05 grams of alcohol in every 100 millilitres of blood.
Drinking Occasion: A period of time during which a person consumes one or more drinks containing alcohol and their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) does not return to zero.