I've had a drink, when can I drive again ?
Discussion
garyhun said:
The body cannot metabolise more than 1 unit per hour.
Wait... what? You are saying that it is physically impossible for any human to metabolise more than 1 unit per hour regardless of weight, height, age, gender, physiology, metabolism, level of fitness and alcohol tolerance? I would suggest that "1 unit per hour" is actually a rough average for the average person, and that the value can be less or more depending on the individual. Which, of course, is why it is so difficult to answer the question the OP is asking.
JonRB said:
garyhun said:
The body cannot metabolise more than 1 unit per hour.
Wait... what? You are saying that it is physically impossible for any human to metabolise more than 1 unit per hour regardless of weight, height, age, gender, physiology, metabolism, level of fitness and alcohol tolerance? I would suggest that "1 unit per hour" is actually a rough average for the average person, and that the value can be less or more depending on the individual. Which, of course, is why it is so difficult to answer the question the OP is asking.
As I have said throughout, the only sure way is to get a breathalyser.
Everyone's forgetting the tactical chunder 
. Calculator.
. Calculator.Edited by speedking31 on Monday 8th December 13:29
Just a point you might want to consider. After a collision, all drivers involved should be breathalysed by the attending police. This is to negate any allegations at a later date that one of the parties involved was drunk.
If one or all of the other parties are blowing a green and you're blowing an amber/green, amber, or amber/red, you are not over the limit, but any evidence you give with regard to how the collision happened isn't going to have as much gravity to the officers attending or to a court.
Retired Plod.
If one or all of the other parties are blowing a green and you're blowing an amber/green, amber, or amber/red, you are not over the limit, but any evidence you give with regard to how the collision happened isn't going to have as much gravity to the officers attending or to a court.
Retired Plod.
Corpulent Tosser said:
I would agree that he would be safe to drive at 06.30, you are not considering that his body will be processing the alcohol during the time he is drinking, so he would be safe to drive before that.
He is including that in the figures, which is why it;s 12 hours from the start of drinking. If he weren't it would be 12 hours from the end of drinking.Flibble said:
Corpulent Tosser said:
I would agree that he would be safe to drive at 06.30, you are not considering that his body will be processing the alcohol during the time he is drinking, so he would be safe to drive before that.
He is including that in the figures, which is why it;s 12 hours from the start of drinking. If he weren't it would be 12 hours from the end of drinking.I've been part of a test regarding how much one can drink before being over the limit and how quickly the level drops. This on a course to be an instructor for the stations based machine. I eventually became my force representative for drink drive law and practice. I visited the place where the machines (used to be) were manufactured in LLantrisant.
The numbers taking part were not statistically significant, just 8, but this had been done many times before and the results were consistent.
The MO was for people to drink alcohol and then be tested after a set period.
There were nine of us, but as I was tee-total I ended up testing everyone on the substantive breath test machine, the one used in the police station.
The undeniable conclusion, not only from our lot but from all courses, is that there is no consistency.
There are general pointers - rules is too strong a word.
Women peak higher for the same quantity of alcohol, stay high for longer and take longer to drop.
The bigger the person, the slower the rise in score.
If a person rises slower, they will peak lower.
Not apparent in our group, but if a person is ill, such as a cold, all bets are off.
A full meal slows the intake of alcohol and lowers the total score, but there is a big however. See later.
A person with lower body fat will peak higher, sooner and drop quicker. If the person is very fit then they are even more so (and serve them right).
The variation on all measurements is remarkable. So the main rule is that there are no rules.
One person who did not eat but drank two double shorts then went onto beers did not blow positive during the test, that's about four hours from the first drink. However, some 14 hours after the first drink, he blew just over. The explanation was that the neat alcohol made the sphincter muscle at the bottom on his stomach and made it contract stopping the alcohol going into the intestines.
Also there are variations in readings taken closely. So the increase in the reading is not linear. Nor is the drop.
As I said, those who ran the course said that our experiences were the norm. They occasionally got exceptional readings: very high/very low. No explanation was known for these aberrations.
The conclusion of those who ran the course, supported 100% by our experiment, is that there are no consistencies that can be depended on.
There were other observations about inebriation, but that's a different subject.
The numbers taking part were not statistically significant, just 8, but this had been done many times before and the results were consistent.
The MO was for people to drink alcohol and then be tested after a set period.
There were nine of us, but as I was tee-total I ended up testing everyone on the substantive breath test machine, the one used in the police station.
The undeniable conclusion, not only from our lot but from all courses, is that there is no consistency.
There are general pointers - rules is too strong a word.
Women peak higher for the same quantity of alcohol, stay high for longer and take longer to drop.
The bigger the person, the slower the rise in score.
If a person rises slower, they will peak lower.
Not apparent in our group, but if a person is ill, such as a cold, all bets are off.
A full meal slows the intake of alcohol and lowers the total score, but there is a big however. See later.
A person with lower body fat will peak higher, sooner and drop quicker. If the person is very fit then they are even more so (and serve them right).
The variation on all measurements is remarkable. So the main rule is that there are no rules.
One person who did not eat but drank two double shorts then went onto beers did not blow positive during the test, that's about four hours from the first drink. However, some 14 hours after the first drink, he blew just over. The explanation was that the neat alcohol made the sphincter muscle at the bottom on his stomach and made it contract stopping the alcohol going into the intestines.
Also there are variations in readings taken closely. So the increase in the reading is not linear. Nor is the drop.
As I said, those who ran the course said that our experiences were the norm. They occasionally got exceptional readings: very high/very low. No explanation was known for these aberrations.
The conclusion of those who ran the course, supported 100% by our experiment, is that there are no consistencies that can be depended on.
There were other observations about inebriation, but that's a different subject.
I work to a simple rule of thumb. If i'm drinking a significant ammount i.e. more than 3 pints I don't drive until after 12 pm the following day. I very rarely drink more than 6 pints but if I do then i'd stay away from the car for the whole of the following day. I also typically stop drinking at about 11pm, i'm normally wanting to go to bed then anyway (my kids don't tend to let me sleep much past 6 am).
Following these rules is a lot easier since I had kids as being woken up early is a big deterrent to having a hangover.
I fairly certain I drove while still under the influence after a Christmas night out a few years back and have taken a lot more care ever since.
IMHO if you need to start thinking about a breathaliser then you are sailing too close to the wind.
Following these rules is a lot easier since I had kids as being woken up early is a big deterrent to having a hangover.
I fairly certain I drove while still under the influence after a Christmas night out a few years back and have taken a lot more care ever since.
IMHO if you need to start thinking about a breathaliser then you are sailing too close to the wind.
The other thing to note is that feeling ok to drive is a poor indication of whether you are over the limit or not.
I've been to many BTaP over the years, and they always had the Blow Me guys there the next morning, plus a serving policeman (I forget which PHer it was - sorry) brought his Police-issue breathalyser with him for a couple of years running too.
One year I felt hungover and had no intention of driving, and blew twice over the limit at 9am the next morning. I stayed at the hotel until late afternoon before driving home that year.
Another year I felt really rough and wouldn't have driven, yet was well under the limit. I waited until I didn't feel so rough, though, before I did drive.
And another year I felt absolutely fine, and would have driven. Then blew and found I was just over the limit. That was the one that scared the s
t out of me. I hung around the hotel until after lunch that year before driving home.
Just goes to show really.
I've been to many BTaP over the years, and they always had the Blow Me guys there the next morning, plus a serving policeman (I forget which PHer it was - sorry) brought his Police-issue breathalyser with him for a couple of years running too.
One year I felt hungover and had no intention of driving, and blew twice over the limit at 9am the next morning. I stayed at the hotel until late afternoon before driving home that year.
Another year I felt really rough and wouldn't have driven, yet was well under the limit. I waited until I didn't feel so rough, though, before I did drive.
And another year I felt absolutely fine, and would have driven. Then blew and found I was just over the limit. That was the one that scared the s
t out of me. I hung around the hotel until after lunch that year before driving home. Just goes to show really.
Edited by JonRB on Tuesday 9th December 10:51
Devil2575 said:
I work to a simple rule of thumb. If i'm drinking a significant ammount i.e. more than 3 pints I don't drive until after 12 pm the following day. I very rarely drink more than 6 pints but if I do then i'd stay away from the car for the whole of the following day. I also typically stop drinking at about 11pm, i'm normally wanting to go to bed then anyway (my kids don't tend to let me sleep much past 6 am).
Following these rules is a lot easier since I had kids as being woken up early is a big deterrent to having a hangover.
I fairly certain I drove while still under the influence after a Christmas night out a few years back and have taken a lot more care ever since.
IMHO if you need to start thinking about a breathaliser then you are sailing too close to the wind.
I had an accident about 5 years ago and was breathalysed and I thought sFollowing these rules is a lot easier since I had kids as being woken up early is a big deterrent to having a hangover.
I fairly certain I drove while still under the influence after a Christmas night out a few years back and have taken a lot more care ever since.
IMHO if you need to start thinking about a breathaliser then you are sailing too close to the wind.
t here we go having had a couple of bottle of wine
the previous evening until quite late.12 hours later I passed no problem at all not even close so maybe its very much down to the day . I always have a huge bowl of Cereal before going to bed maybe that the answer.
Edited by johnxjsc1985 on Tuesday 9th December 12:33
johnxjsc1985 said:
I had an accident about 5 years ago and was breathalysed and I thought st here we go having had a couple of bottle of win the previous evening until quite late.
12 hours later I passed no problem at all not even close so maybe its very much down to the day . I always have a huge bowl of Cereal before going to bed maybe that the answer.
Sounds like you did indeed have a 'bottle of win'. t here we go having had a couple of bottle of win the previous evening until quite late.12 hours later I passed no problem at all not even close so maybe its very much down to the day . I always have a huge bowl of Cereal before going to bed maybe that the answer.
JonRB said:
johnxjsc1985 said:
I had an accident about 5 years ago and was breathalysed and I thought st here we go having had a couple of bottle of win the previous evening until quite late.
12 hours later I passed no problem at all not even close so maybe its very much down to the day . I always have a huge bowl of Cereal before going to bed maybe that the answer.
Sounds like you did indeed have a 'bottle of win'. t here we go having had a couple of bottle of win the previous evening until quite late.12 hours later I passed no problem at all not even close so maybe its very much down to the day . I always have a huge bowl of Cereal before going to bed maybe that the answer.
Now I have a 14 hour rule and I don't drink often and certainly not two bottles.
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