Breathalysers ?
Discussion
Went out on a work thing last night, was intending just having a couple but that didn't happen and this morning there was no way I was getting behind the wheel, I waited a bit, had something to eat and drink, a shower and then felt ok and cycled in which was fine, if a bit slow.
The ads for these things show a bloke having a mugshot taken with the caption "Four beers the night before", which would be my normal intake, can four pints really put you over the limit the following day ?
So, was wondering if anyone has one of those Alcosense or similar Breathalysers and are they any good, I think I may invest in one. Basically this morning I went through mentally the possible ramifications and it is terrifying, assuming I didnt kill someone, I was envisaging ringing my parents to tell them, telling my wife, telling my boss, the insurance company.
just go through it in your head now, pretty, er, sobering !
The ads for these things show a bloke having a mugshot taken with the caption "Four beers the night before", which would be my normal intake, can four pints really put you over the limit the following day ?
So, was wondering if anyone has one of those Alcosense or similar Breathalysers and are they any good, I think I may invest in one. Basically this morning I went through mentally the possible ramifications and it is terrifying, assuming I didnt kill someone, I was envisaging ringing my parents to tell them, telling my wife, telling my boss, the insurance company.
just go through it in your head now, pretty, er, sobering !
I performed an experiment with these at Christmas 2012. The testers in question were made of a glass tube, containing a chemical that changes colour up its length, which has a line above which you are over the limit and below which you are under the limit (sorry, I can't remember the brand).
Midday: 1 beer and 1 glass of Champagne
Through lunch: 4 glasses of wine and 2 glasses of port, all with water in between.
Then some cups of tea, cake, etc
Over the evening: 2 glasses of wine, 1 port with cheese, then 2 large neat whiskies, followed by a large glass of water.
So that’s about 20 units spread over 11 hours. Assuming you lose 1 unit per hour, I estimated I had about 10 units of alcohol coursing through my veins.
Before going to bed I blew into the tube.
The results were:
Christmas Day (11pm): About 2.5 times over the limit.
Boxing Day morning (9am): Just under the limit.
There’s no way I would have driven in the morning, as whilst the numbers added up (losing 1 unit per hour) and I only had a slightly furry tongue, I certainly wouldn’t entrust such a non-scientific instrument with my licence.
As with all these things, you need to add a dose of common sense and increase the margin for error.
Midday: 1 beer and 1 glass of Champagne
Through lunch: 4 glasses of wine and 2 glasses of port, all with water in between.
Then some cups of tea, cake, etc
Over the evening: 2 glasses of wine, 1 port with cheese, then 2 large neat whiskies, followed by a large glass of water.
So that’s about 20 units spread over 11 hours. Assuming you lose 1 unit per hour, I estimated I had about 10 units of alcohol coursing through my veins.
Before going to bed I blew into the tube.
The results were:
Christmas Day (11pm): About 2.5 times over the limit.
Boxing Day morning (9am): Just under the limit.
There’s no way I would have driven in the morning, as whilst the numbers added up (losing 1 unit per hour) and I only had a slightly furry tongue, I certainly wouldn’t entrust such a non-scientific instrument with my licence.
As with all these things, you need to add a dose of common sense and increase the margin for error.
4 pints of Stella is 12 units.
Average person's liver breaks down 1 unit of alcohol per hour after the first hour. So 12 units takes 13 hours to be broken down.
Drink drive limit is 2 units.
If you finished your 4th pint at 11pm then you wouldn't be able to drive until 10am the following day at the earliest.
Average person's liver breaks down 1 unit of alcohol per hour after the first hour. So 12 units takes 13 hours to be broken down.
Drink drive limit is 2 units.
If you finished your 4th pint at 11pm then you wouldn't be able to drive until 10am the following day at the earliest.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/AlcoSense-Breathalyzer-alc...
I tested this the other day
2 bottles of 'real ale' beer in a bottle 5% drank at a moderate pace. 30 mins after finishing blew 0.88 (limit is 0.8). I'm 6'4" 14 stone and fit
Morning after testing has been far more startling. After an unusually heavy session I blew 'Hi' (on above machine means more than 1.5x over) at 11.50 on Sunday (mind you, that reflected exactly how I felt
I tested this the other day
2 bottles of 'real ale' beer in a bottle 5% drank at a moderate pace. 30 mins after finishing blew 0.88 (limit is 0.8). I'm 6'4" 14 stone and fit
Morning after testing has been far more startling. After an unusually heavy session I blew 'Hi' (on above machine means more than 1.5x over) at 11.50 on Sunday (mind you, that reflected exactly how I felt
Don't try "taking the bicycle" to work instead trick here in Denmark. Drunk on a bike is treated the same as drunk whilst driving a car, bye bye car license. Also, strangely enough, if you drive your garden lawnmower tractor on public land (maybe turning around on the streeet outside your house) this also counts as driving, and so you can loose your license whist mowing the lawn......
I wouldn't be surprised if those "home" breathalyser kits err on the side of caution, in order to cover themselves. Most data suggests that two pints is "safe":
"Broadly speaking, if a man of average weight consumes two pints of ordinary strength beer of 4% ABV or less, it is extremely unlikely to take him above the 80 mg legal limit, and in reality will probably lead to a maximum BAC of no higher than 60 mg."
http://www.80mg.org.uk/guide.html
That site has links to government research that back this up. Of course "ordinary strength beer" is quite likely to be stronger than 4%.
Still rather alarming though as I for one feel more than a little breezy (ie reckless) after two pints.
"Broadly speaking, if a man of average weight consumes two pints of ordinary strength beer of 4% ABV or less, it is extremely unlikely to take him above the 80 mg legal limit, and in reality will probably lead to a maximum BAC of no higher than 60 mg."
http://www.80mg.org.uk/guide.html
That site has links to government research that back this up. Of course "ordinary strength beer" is quite likely to be stronger than 4%.
Still rather alarming though as I for one feel more than a little breezy (ie reckless) after two pints.
Squishey said:
4 pints of Stella is 12 units.
Average person's liver breaks down 1 unit of alcohol per hour after the first hour. So 12 units takes 13 hours to be broken down.
Drink drive limit is 2 units.
If you finished your 4th pint at 11pm then you wouldn't be able to drive until 10am the following day at the earliest.
Wrong!Average person's liver breaks down 1 unit of alcohol per hour after the first hour. So 12 units takes 13 hours to be broken down.
Drink drive limit is 2 units.
If you finished your 4th pint at 11pm then you wouldn't be able to drive until 10am the following day at the earliest.
keegs111 said:
Wrong!
A really helpful reply, well done 
(I assume you mean the maths mishap and it's 8am or are you saying it's broken down at a different rate?)
The French were going to bring in a law to fine anyone not carrying a breathalyser, however it's now been postponed indefinably. My understanding is the reason for the postponement was that only 2 manufacturers managed to come up with something that met the requirement, and they couldn't manufacture enough in time.
No idea what the kits you can buy in the UK are but that would suggest they're probably not that accurate.
Edited by RizzoTheRat on Wednesday 5th March 15:41
keegs111 said:
Squishey said:
4 pints of Stella is 12 units.
Average person's liver breaks down 1 unit of alcohol per hour after the first hour. So 12 units takes 13 hours to be broken down.
Drink drive limit is 2 units.
If you finished your 4th pint at 11pm then you wouldn't be able to drive until 10am the following day at the earliest.
Wrong!Average person's liver breaks down 1 unit of alcohol per hour after the first hour. So 12 units takes 13 hours to be broken down.
Drink drive limit is 2 units.
If you finished your 4th pint at 11pm then you wouldn't be able to drive until 10am the following day at the earliest.
I'm happy to be corrected/shot down but 'wrong' is not very helpful.
That's the thing with trying to work out a largely unscientific relationship between your alcohol consumption and your own physiology. Many people never work out that they have got their calculations wrong until they're being handcuffed and put into a car having just failed a roadside breath test.
The ones who must be most gutted, I would wager, are those who are just over the limit when driving to work the day after a night on the drink. They are involved in a non-fault RTC (like someone running into the back of them) and are breathalysed at the roadside by the police as a matter of course. All of a sudden, bye bye licence...
The ones who must be most gutted, I would wager, are those who are just over the limit when driving to work the day after a night on the drink. They are involved in a non-fault RTC (like someone running into the back of them) and are breathalysed at the roadside by the police as a matter of course. All of a sudden, bye bye licence...
The thing is, there is huge variation between people- some people metabolise the alcohol better than others, depends how much food is in the gut as well, genetics etc etc.
A few years ago, i remember watching one of those Traffic cops type programmes and they did an experiment giving the volunteers exactly the same alcoholic drinks and then testing them a while afterwards. A couple were over the limit at just 2 standard drinks but i remember there was one woman who had 4 and she was still under and a guy who had 6 and was below the legal limit!
Personally, i would ebb on the side of caution, particularly the morning after a heavy session!
A few years ago, i remember watching one of those Traffic cops type programmes and they did an experiment giving the volunteers exactly the same alcoholic drinks and then testing them a while afterwards. A couple were over the limit at just 2 standard drinks but i remember there was one woman who had 4 and she was still under and a guy who had 6 and was below the legal limit!
Personally, i would ebb on the side of caution, particularly the morning after a heavy session!
I hate this whole 'the limit is two pints' rubbish.
A well built male who drinks regularly and has eaten three square meals may well be under on two pints.
A slim male who drinks rarely and has only eaten a slice of toast for breakfast would likely be over.
Everyone is different how their body deals with alcohol.
A well built male who drinks regularly and has eaten three square meals may well be under on two pints.
A slim male who drinks rarely and has only eaten a slice of toast for breakfast would likely be over.
Everyone is different how their body deals with alcohol.
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