Driving after drinking alcohol

HurdyGurdy

Is there any kind of a rule or a guideline as to how long after drinking alcohol a person would be ok to drive again? If there isn't - then how do you know?

My husband went out with some workmates last night and got very drunk. He left his car at the office before they went out, and caught the train home.

We are not sure how long he should leave it before going to work to collect it. We are thinking it may be better to be on the safe side and wait until later this evening, or even tomorrow morning, but he is a little concerned about leaving it in the unattended car park.

He doesn't often drink alcohol. Very occasionally he will have a beer at home, or on the rare occasions we go out for a meal, if I am driving, he will have a beer. We are both of the view that you either drink or drive, but don't do both. I don't know if the fact that he doesn't often drink would make a difference.

22cuddles

As a rule of them I think they say it takes the body an hour to clear one unit of alcohol so he'd need to have a rough idea of who much he had to drink in total.

Georgiegirl256

It's usually one hour for each unit drunk. Obviously different people's livers will process alcohol at a different rate, but that is the general rule.

forgotmyname

Its been unattended in the carpark already so why worry now?

I do remember a phase where it seemed that lots of milkmen and postmen were getting caught over the limit.

I know someone that got breathalysed between midday and 1 o'clock and found to be twice the legal limit still.

As a non drinker it may take longer to clear the system. If i have a drink i wont drive the next day at all.

HappyMJ

HurdyGurdy wrote: »

Is there any kind of a rule or a guideline as to how long after drinking alcohol a person would be ok to drive again? If there isn't - then how do you know?

My husband went out with some workmates last night and got very drunk. He left his car at the office before they went out, and caught the train home.

We are not sure how long he should leave it before going to work to collect it. We are thinking it may be better to be on the safe side and wait until later this evening, or even tomorrow morning, but he is a little concerned about leaving it in the unattended car park.

He doesn't often drink alcohol. Very occasionally he will have a beer at home, or on the rare occasions we go out for a meal, if I am driving, he will have a beer. We are both of the view that you either drink or drive, but don't do both. I don't know if the fact that he doesn't often drink would make a difference.

As a guide 1 unit per hour. Not drinking often does make a difference. Someone drinking heavily every day wouldn't feel the effect of alcohol so much the next day but may still be over the limit. Could you get a taxi there and drive the car back yourself?

HurdyGurdy

Thank you for your replies.

I think best to leave it until tomorrow, just to be on the safe side.

No car means he has no excuse for not doing stuff round the house, as well, so win-win for me

Pyxis

Found this on the you-know-what:-


Research by road safety charity Brake found that more than half of young drivers and over a third of older motorists are risking lives by driving first thing in the morning after drinking a lot the night.

The research suggests people are failing to understand that just because you’ve been to sleep, it doesn’t mean you’re no longer affected by alcohol.

“Many drivers who would not consider driving after a night in the pub fail to recognise the influence of alcohol on their body the next day, or simply choose to ignore its effects,” says Alice Granville, policy and research analyst from the Institute of Advanced Motoring. “Drivers need to take responsibility and use alternative means of transport after a heavy night drinking.”

Whether it’s okay to drive the next morning depends on how much you’ve drunk – and if you’ve left enough time for your system to get rid of the alcohol.

“The amount of alcohol in your bloodstream depends on two things,” says Dr Paul Wallace, Drinkaware's Chief Medical Adviser. “The amount you take in, over what period of time and the speed at which your body gets rid of it.”

In general, alcohol is removed from the blood at the rate of about one unit an hour. But this varies from person to person. It can depend on your size and gender, as men tend to process alcohol quicker than women; how much food you’ve eaten; the state of your liver, and your metabolism (how quickly or slowly your body turns food into energy).

“Imagine you’re drinking until three or four in the morning and you wake up at 8 am,” says Dr Wallace. “If you’ve had six or seven units, you could still have several units of alcohol in your body when you start your day. This is because your body can only process around one unit an hour. With several units of alcohol still in your body you would still be over the drink drive limit.”

You can’t speed up the process

There’s a mixture of mechanisms at work when your body processes alcohol, mainly enzymes in your liver doing their job of breaking down alcohol. This process can take longer if your liver is damaged or not working normally.

There’s nothing you can do to speed up the rate alcohol leaves your system.

“Having a cup of coffee or a cold shower won’t do anything at all to get rid of the alcohol,” says Dr Wallace. “They may make you feel slightly different, but they haven’t eliminated the alcohol in any way.”

Know your units

If you’re thinking about driving the morning after you’ve been drinking, it’s best to consider how much you had, and how late into the night it was before you finished your last drink.

Remember, the strength of different drinks can vary greatly. Some ales for example are 3.5%, but stronger continental lagers can be 5% ABV, or even 6%. White wines vary from around 8% to 15%. Use our unit calculator to find out how many units there are in your drinks.

There’s no fail-safe way to guarantee all the alcohol you’ve drunk has left your system, so it’s important not to take risks. As Dr Wallace points out, when you’re under the influence of alcohol at any level, the skills you need when you’re driving, such as hand eye coordination, are impaired to some extent. You’re more likely to have an accident.

bristol_pilot

One hour per unit is the often quoted rule of thumb, but it's very easy to under-estimate the number of units consumed. If I've 'been drinking' I don't drive at all the following day and by the time I set off for work the morning after that over 30 hours have passed so I think I will be OK.

ladymarmalade1970

I brought a breathalyser precisely because of this reason. It's very good and is only about £40.

HurdyGurdy

ladymarmalade1970 wrote: »

I brought a breathalyser precisely because of this reason. It's very good and is only about £40.

I didn't know they were available to "joe public". I will look into one of these. As stated before, neither of us drink very much, so it would be good to know how affected we are by the alcohol.

thank you

ladymarmalade1970

This is the one i brought http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001LZ3D02/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and i am very happy with it. It's interesting to see how just 1 glass of wine can affect your levels.