How Drunk Is Too Drunk to Drive?

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How Drunk Is Too Drunk to Drive?

We all know that drinking and driving is dangerous, and that it carries steep penalties for the people who choose to engage in it anyway. At the same time, we all enjoy a drink now and then, and most of us would have no issue having a drink, waiting a few hours, and then driving home.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell exactly how many drinks it takes before you’re too drunk to drive, or how long you must wait for those drinks to metabolize before you can drive safely.

What’s the best way to approach this problem?

The Best Approach

If you’re above the legal limit in your area, you could be arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) or a similar crime. Accordingly, the best and safest approach is to avoid driving at all if you’ve had any alcoholic beverages recently. You know your body and mind better than anyone else, but even so, it’s possible for you to overestimate your driving abilities or underestimate your level of intoxication.

If you’re planning on drinking any alcohol, you should have a plan for how you’re going to get home. That could mean appointing a designated driver, relying on a ride-sharing service, or even simply walking home. If you have a reliable means of transportation, there’s no reason for you to resort to drinking and driving, even if you’ve only had a small amount of alcohol.

The Legal Limit

The legal limit in most areas is 0.08 or higher, though there are some exceptions. This is a measure of the percentage of your blood that consists of alcohol, and it goes up as you consume more drinks. It also goes down as time passes, as the alcohol in your system is gradually metabolized.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a perfect measure of drunkenness, even though it’s sufficient to show intoxication from a legal perspective. That’s because the amount of alcohol in your bloodstream doesn’t necessarily correlate with your subjective level of drunkenness, nor does it account for other factors that could impact your ability to drive.

Still, it’s the best measure we have, and the one that’s most legally relevant, so it’s the one we’re going to work with.

An Approximate Estimate

Most people can process approximately one drink per hour, with one drink being the equivalent of 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor. Essentially, that means if you only have one drink per hour, and you wait at least an hour after your last drink to drive, you should be well below the legal limit for drinking and driving.

However, this is a very broad estimate, and it shouldn’t be taken literally. There are many factors that you’ll need to keep in mind when adjusting this equation for your personal situation.

Factors to Keep in Mind

These are some of the most important factors to keep in mind when adjusting your alcoholic intake estimates:

·       Age. People of different ages have different levels of metabolism and can process alcohol in different ways.

·       Sex. In general, men can afford to drink more than women, and it takes a lower amount of alcohol for women to feel the effects of intoxication. Note that this is a general trend, and not an exact science.

·       Weight. Generally, the more you weigh, the more alcohol you can tolerate before feeling the effects of intoxication. Tall, heavy, muscular people who drink the same amount as short, light, skinny people are going to feel much less drunk, comparatively.

·       Metabolism. You also need to factor in the effects of your metabolism. Some people have a much faster metabolism than others, meaning they can break down the alcohol in their system at a faster rate. This allows them to process drinks more quickly, enabling them to drive sooner than their counterparts. Conversely, people with a slow metabolism can feel the effects of intoxication much longer than the average person.

·       Alcohol tolerance. Alcohol tolerance also plays a role in your subjective feelings of drunkenness. People with high alcohol tolerance may not feel especially drunk, even when they’re well above the legal limit. This makes it much harder to estimate your level of intoxication from a legal perspective.

·       Food. How and when you eat can also impact your subjective level of intoxication.

Signs of Intoxication

You should also be on the lookout for clear signs of intoxication, like:

·       Slurred speech.

·       Imbalance or difficulty walking.

·       Slowed reaction time.

·       Disorientation.

When in Doubt, Play It Safe

When in doubt, you should always play it safe. If you’re not sure whether you’re sober enough to drive, you absolutely shouldn’t drive. Only if you’re certain of your own sobriety and ability to drive should you do so.