BackgroundIt is widely assumed that the amount of alcohol in the blood reflects the amount of alcohol consumed. However, several factors in addition to amount of alcohol consumed can influence blood alcohol concentration (BAC). This study examines the effect of alcohol dose, concentration, and volume onBACin rats with a high‐alcohol‐drinking (HAD) phenotype.MethodsStudy 1 examined the relationship between the amount of alcohol consumed andBAC. Alcohol‐naïve, male,HADrats (N = 7) were given access to alcohol for 2 h/d for 9 consecutive days with food and water ad libitum. Alcohol intake andBACwere measured at 30, 60, and 90 minutes after onset of access. Study 2 examined the effects of altering alcohol dose, concentration, and volume onBAC(as measured by area under the curve). Alcohol‐naïve, male,HADrats (N = 39) were infused, via an intragastric cannulus, with 1.16, 2.44, or 3.38 g alcohol/kg body weight (BW), produced by varying alcohol volume while holding concentration constant or by holding volume constant while varying concentration. Other rats were infused with 10, 15, or 20% v/v alcohol solutions while holding dose constant.ResultsBACwas more strongly correlated with the ratio of alcohol intake (g/kgBW) to total fluid intake (mls) (R = 0.85 to 0.97,p < 0.05 top < 0.001) than it was with the amount of alcohol consumed (g/kgBW) (R = 0.70 to 0.81,p < 0.05). No effect of alcohol dose was seen during the first hour following the onset of an alcohol infusion regardless of whether dose was achieved by altering alcohol volume or concentration. After 1 hour, higher alcohol doses were predictive of greaterBACs.ConclusionsThe fact that a 3‐fold difference in alcohol dose did not result in significant differences inBACs during the first 30 minutes after ingestion of alcohol has potentially important implications for interpretation of studies that measure alcohol‐sensitive end points during this time.