Re: Will a person who drinks 10 shots of alcohol (eg bourbon)

Aaron,

That's an interesting question!

Absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream is by diffusion through the 
lining of the stomach and small intestine. The small intestine has far 
more inner surface than the stomach so most of the alcohol a person 
consumes - about eighty per cent - is absorbed there. 

Since diffusion of a substance through a barrier is driven in large part 
by the difference in concentration on each side of the barrier, it is 
reasonable to think that drinking more concentrated beverages like 
straight bourbon would result in faster and more efficient absorption than 
drinking bourbon and cola. Within limits this is actually the case, but 
there are other factors that come into play that can alter this 
drastically.

For example, if the straight bourbon the drinker is slugging down is at or 
above 70 to 80 proof it will irritate the stomach lining and the stomach 
will actually close off the pyloric valve leading to the small intestine 
in an attempt to prevent the rest of the digestive tract being irritated 
as well. The valve will open when the alcohol is diluted by food or more 
liquid but in the meantime the stomach is not very efficient at absorbing 
alcohol, so the blood alcohol rise will be markedly slower and the lower 
concentration of alcohol and/or presence of food after the stomach allows 
the alcohol to finally pass can reduce the absorption from the intestine 
into the bloodstream.

Another factor in absorption is the carbonation in the cola used as a 
mixer. The references I found say that alcohol absorption is increased by 
the presence of carbonation. So it is conceiveable that drinking 
carbonated mixed drinks can cause a higher blood alcohol concentration in 
a shorter time than undiluted straight distilled spirits. However, given 
the rate of drinking you describe in your question, I don't think the 
difference will matter much: that much alcohol consumed in the course of 
an evening will result in significant impairment at the lest, and possible 
toxic effects.

Some places you can check out more detail about the pharmacodynamics of 
alcohol are the How 
Stuff Works entry on alcohol absorption, the Forcon 
Forensics Consulting entry on alcohol and its effects, and Dr. Vijay 
Ramchandani's lecture notes for a talk on alcohol given at the Indiana 
University School of Medicine.

I hope this is helpful!