{"id":425,"date":"2018-05-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-11T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baronedefensefirm.lawblogger.net\/blog\/difference-between-impairment-and-intoxication\/"},"modified":"2025-01-08T14:39:08","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T18:39:08","slug":"difference-between-impairment-and-intoxication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baronedefensefirm.com\/blog\/difference-between-impairment-and-intoxication\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the Difference Between Impairment and Intoxication?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are several ways to look at this question.\u00a0 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines the two terms this way. Notice the results-based language contained in these definitions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Impairment\u2014Refers to the deterioration of an individual\u2019s judgment and\/or physical ability. Physiological and cognitive impairment begin at BAC levels below those that are associated with intoxication. As a legal standard, impairment and DWI laws are based on a person\u2019s physical or mental impairment as judged on the basis of BAC level, performance in standardized field sobriety tests, or observed behavior. Although this report is focused on impairment from alcohol, impairment can result from other substance use, distracted driving, and other reasons.<\/li>\n<li>Intoxication\u2014Refers to the condition of having physical or mental control markedly diminished by the effects of alcohol or drugs. This is usually based on a subjective determination (one feels the sensation or observes a behavior in another person). Physiological impairment begins at BAC levels below those that are associated with intoxication. Intoxication is not a legal standard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Scientists have produced charts such as this one[i], which much more carefully explain the differences:<\/p>\n<table style=\"height: 1099px;\" width=\"771\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"112\"><em><strong>Blood Alcohol\u00a0<\/strong><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">Concentration\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<td width=\"94\"><em><strong>Stage of alcoholic influence<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<td width=\"418\"><em><strong>Clinical Signs and Symptoms<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"112\">0.01 &#8211; 0.05<\/td>\n<td width=\"94\">subclinical<\/td>\n<td width=\"418\">Influence of effects not apparent or obvious.\u00a0 Behavior nearly normal by ordinary observation.\u00a0 Impairment detectable by special tests.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"112\">0.03 &#8211; 0.12<\/td>\n<td width=\"94\">euphoria<\/td>\n<td width=\"418\">Mild euphoria, sociability, talkativeness.\u00a0 Increased self-confidence, decreased inhibitions.\u00a0 Diminution of attention, judgement and control.\u00a0 Some sensory-motor impairment.\u00a0 Slowed information processing.\u00a0 Loss of efficiency in critical performance tests.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"112\">0.09 &#8211; 0.25<\/td>\n<td width=\"94\">excitement<\/td>\n<td width=\"418\">Emotional instability, loss of critical judgment. Impairment of perception, memory, and comprehension.\u00a0 Decreased sensatory response, increased reaction time, Reduced visual acuity, peripheral vision and glare recovery.\u00a0 Sensory-motor incoordination, impaired balance.\u00a0 Drowsiness.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"112\">0.18 &#8211; 0.30<\/td>\n<td width=\"94\">confusion<\/td>\n<td width=\"418\">Disoriented, mental confusion, dizziness.\u00a0 Exaggerated emotional states (fear, rage, grief, etc.).\u00a0 Disturbances of vision (diplopia, etc.) and of perception of color, form, motion, dimensions.\u00a0 Increased pain threshold.\u00a0 Increased muscular incoordination, staggering gait, slurred speech, Apathy, lethargy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"112\">0.25 &#8211; .40<\/td>\n<td width=\"94\">stupor<\/td>\n<td width=\"418\">General inertia, approaching loss of motor functions.\u00a0 Markedly decreased response to stimuli.\u00a0 Marked muscular incoordination, inability to stand or walk.\u00a0 Vomiting, incontinence of urine and feces.\u00a0 Impaired consciousness, sleep or stupor.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"112\">0.35-0.50<\/td>\n<td width=\"94\">coma<\/td>\n<td width=\"418\">Complete unconsciousness, coma, anesthesia.\u00a0 Depressed or abolished reflexes.\u00a0 Subnormal temperature.\u00a0 Impairment of circulation and respiration.\u00a0 Possible death.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"112\">0.45+<\/td>\n<td width=\"94\">death<\/td>\n<td width=\"418\">Death from respiratory arrest.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The legal definition is still different. In Michigan, the law says that it is unlawful to operate a motor vehicle while intoxicated. This is called OWI or operating while intoxicated.\u00a0 A person is intoxicated if they have a bodily alcohol level at or above .08% and\/or where alcohol has materially and substantially lessened their ability to operate a motor vehicle in a normal way.\u00a0 The standard jury instruction for impairment says this:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>To prove that the defendant operated while visibly impaired, the prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that, due to the drinking of alcohol the defendant drove with less ability than would an ordinary careful driver. The defendant\u2019s driving ability must have been lessened to the point that it would have been noticed by another person.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>i[] <em>See<\/em>, Jones, <em>Garriott&#8217;s Medicolegal Aspects of Alcohol<\/em>, Pharmacology and Toxicology of Ethyl Alcohol, Lawyers and Judges Publishing Company, Fifth Ed., pg 28, 2007. (chart copyright by Kurt M. Dubowski, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK, 1997).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are several ways to look at this question.\u00a0 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines the two terms this way. Notice the results-based language contained in these definitions: Impairment\u2014Refers to the deterioration of an individual\u2019s judgment and\/or physical ability. Physiological and cognitive impairment begin at BAC levels below those that are associated with intoxication. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dui","category-owi"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What\u2019s the Difference Between Impairment and Intoxication?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It can be confusing determining the difference between impairment and intoxication. Michigan DUI lawyer Patrick Barone explains the difference between the two. 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