Driving after drinking moderately; or, how do you know where .08 is?

[Godfather80]

I was in conversation with some friends and the subject of drunk driving came up. We all agreed that it is a terribly irresponsible thing to do (we used more explatives than this, but you get the idea).

The funny thing was that none of us exactly knew where the line between having "been drinking, but still fine to drive" and "legally drunk" was.

To the best of my knowledge, I think from high school health class, the average man processes about 1 drink per hour. So, my logic is that with more than 2 "unprocessed drinks" in you, that you shouldn't drive.

Am I anywhere near correct? Is there a better way of figuring this out?

here is a chart from the Dept of Health and Human Services (http://www.health.org/nongovpubs/bac%2Dchart/). But, all it could take is one drink - so I don't risk it.

[Godfather80]

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here is a chart from the Dept of Health and Human Services (http://www.health.org/nongovpubs/bac%2Dchart/). But, all it could take is one drink - so I don't risk it.

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I agree that "all it could take is one drink" but I also see this type of thinking as a problem. People drink at bars and they drive home for the most part afterwards, that's a fact possibly a sad one for some people who have lost loved ones to drunk driving accidents. I think people should have some way of figuring out whether they are over the legal limit WITHOUT involving the police.

[gmrankin]

I always break out grand turismo and see how i drive. if i do pretty well, then i hit the road...

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here is a chart from the Dept of Health and Human Services (http://www.health.org/nongovpubs/bac%2Dchart/). But, all it could take is one drink - so I don't risk it.

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I agree that "all it could take is one drink" but I also see this type of thinking as a problem. People drink at bars and they drive home for the most part afterwards, that's a fact possibly a sad one for some people who have lost loved ones to drunk driving accidents. I think people should have some way of figuring out whether they are over the legal limit WITHOUT involving the police.

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You can buy a personal breathalyzer (http://www.breathalyzer.net/). If the chart is not good enough and this is a big concern, I would think this is a good option.

[Evan]

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here is a chart from the Dept of Health and Human Services (http://www.health.org/nongovpubs/bac%2Dchart/). But, all it could take is one drink - so I don't risk it.

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I agree that "all it could take is one drink" but I also see this type of thinking as a problem. People drink at bars and they drive home for the most part afterwards, that's a fact possibly a sad one for some people who have lost loved ones to drunk driving accidents. I think people should have some way of figuring out whether they are over the legal limit WITHOUT involving the police.

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You can buy a personal breathalyzer (http://www.breathalyzer.net/). If the chart is not good enough and this is a big concern, I would think this is a good option.

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I wanted to get one of these because I thought it would be fun to play with when I was drunk. Apparently you have to have stopped drinking for 30 minutes before the results are accurate. That sucks.

[correia]

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I always break out grand turismo and see how i drive. if i do pretty well, then i hit the road...

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And I thought I was the only one who did this.

[RunDownHouse]

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But, all it could take is one drink - so I don't risk it.

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Wendy Hamilton? Is that you?

[Godfather80]

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here is a chart from the Dept of Health and Human Services (http://www.health.org/nongovpubs/bac%2Dchart/). But, all it could take is one drink - so I don't risk it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that "all it could take is one drink" but I also see this type of thinking as a problem. People drink at bars and they drive home for the most part afterwards, that's a fact possibly a sad one for some people who have lost loved ones to drunk driving accidents. I think people should have some way of figuring out whether they are over the legal limit WITHOUT involving the police.

[/ QUOTE ]

You can buy a personal breathalyzer (http://www.breathalyzer.net/). If the chart is not good enough and this is a big concern, I would think this is a good option.

[/ QUOTE ]

Personal Disclaimer: I'm not a big drinker anymore. I was when I was in school, but I never drove then anyway.

I'm mostly curious about how you guys make the call for yourselves as to whether you are able to drive or not. Does everybody just say "Well, one drink down, I'm not driving tonight?"

If your answer to that is, use common sense, then I guess I'm looking for what your "common sense" rule is.

[M2d]

as I understand it, .08 is not gospel. at .08 and above, it's automatic, but you still can get tagged if your driving is impared and you blow below that number.

[Alobar]

When im too drunk to think I am capable of convincing a police officer I am not drunk, then I dont drive. I also dont drive stupid tho, I prolly drive better drunk than I do sober. Sober, Im talking on my cell phone, speeding, and swearing at the guy doing the same thing next to me, who just cut me off. Slightly inotixcated, I drive with the radio turned off, drive under the speed limit, keep an obscene amount of space between me and the car in front of me (which isnt hard to do at 3am) and dont drive on the freeway.
<font color="white"> flame on</font>

[benza13]

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here is a chart from the Dept of Health and Human Services (http://www.health.org/nongovpubs/bac%2Dchart/). But, all it could take is one drink - so I don't risk it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that "all it could take is one drink" but I also see this type of thinking as a problem. People drink at bars and they drive home for the most part afterwards, that's a fact possibly a sad one for some people who have lost loved ones to drunk driving accidents. I think people should have some way of figuring out whether they are over the legal limit WITHOUT involving the police.

[/ QUOTE ]

You can buy a personal breathalyzer (http://www.breathalyzer.net/). If the chart is not good enough and this is a big concern, I would think this is a good option.

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I wanted to get one of these because I thought it would be fun to play with when I was drunk. Apparently you have to have stopped drinking for 30 minutes before the results are accurate. That sucks.

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I had a friend that had one and we were playing with it one night, trying to see who was drunkest. Pretty much all of us are blowing .12 and we can't seem to get any higher than this. Turns out most of these things only go slightly over the legal limit so that people can't play these kind of games and then sue the company when someone dies, they can only be used to see if driving is safe.

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But, all it could take is one drink - so I don't risk it.

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Wendy Hamilton? Is that you?

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If you mean this Wendy Hamilton (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0358212/), then YES!

[Jeebus]

For me it is two or three beers as long as I didn't drink them real fast. If I have been there for three or four hours then I can normally get a 4th and feel confident. If you don't know when you have a buzz and shouldn't be driving you really shouldn't drink.

[CanKid]

i drink and drive, but i dont drunk and drive

[Ulysses]

Godfather,

"I'm mostly curious about how you guys make the call for yourselves as to whether you are able to drive or not."

Something like this: A couple of drinks, I am fine to drive. Have a few more, I am not fine to drive. Have a few more, then I am fine to drive again.

This is why I don't drive at all when I'm going to drink.

[bobbyi]

I got pulled over once and blew a .078. Fortunately, the cop let me go without even a ticket despite the fact that he said I was also speeding, swerving over the median, had expired tabs... But I was really surprised that I was so close to the limit. I had stopped drinking hours before and hadn't even had that much. I assumed I was well under the limit and perfectly fine to drive. Obviously, I was wrong.

The lesson I learned is that .08 is much lower than I had thought. That scared me out of driving while even slightly intoxicated again. It's just a bad idea. Don't do it. One of my roommates didn't learn that lesson and I watched him have to pay tons of money in legal fees, go to coutrooms, and so forth for months. The ordeal was awful and all told can be extremely expensive. It's just not worth it. Even if you "know" that you are sober enough not to be hazard, the legal limit is quite low and if you get caught you will get completely [censored].

[The Goober]

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I'm mostly curious about how you guys make the call for yourselves as to whether you are able to drive or not. Does everybody just say "Well, one drink down, I'm not driving tonight?"

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I generally make this decision before I go out. I take cabs and busses a lot, just so that when I get where I'm going I don't have to count drinks, etc... Some of the time I find myself walking in the cold looking for a cab thinking "dammit I'm still sober, I shoulda just driven", but its better than the alternative. When I drive somewhere, I pretty much have to limit myself to 1 or 2 drinks at most. If I try to "walk the line" I'll pretty much always cross it and then convince myself that I didn't. In a drunken state, it's easy to convince yourself that you are fine, and the risk is worth it to save the pain of getting a cab and coming back the next day to get your car. It really sucks waking up the next morning with a hangover and only a vague recollection of driving home.

[tonypaladino]

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But, all it could take is one drink - so I don't risk it.

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I bet you got an A in 10th grade health.

[RunDownHouse]

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If you mean this Wendy Hamilton (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0358212/), then YES!

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No, I meant the Wendy Hamilton who recently ended her reign pushing neo-Prohibition (http://www.madd.org/aboutus/4401).

[patrick_mcmurray]

All I'll say is that I can take my booze but once had a very bad experience driving after one pint of guinness. Tricky road and I was all over the place - scariest expereince I ever had. No accident thank goodness.

Think its because so many factors influence how much effect alcohol has on you.

[manpower]

[ QUOTE ]
I had a friend that had one and we were playing with it one night, trying to see who was drunkest. Pretty much all of us are blowing .12 and we can't seem to get any higher than this. Turns out most of these things only go slightly over the legal limit so that people can't play these kind of games and then sue the company when someone dies, they can only be used to see if driving is safe.

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I've got one, it goes up to .40, so we do play those games...

I also try and keep it in the back of my car. It's nice to hop into your car after a night at the bars, check yourself, and drive home without checking your rearview every 2 seconds.

[Lloyd]

As a general rule, the average person (weighing about 150 pounds) will increase their BAC .02 for every drink. A drink is a 5 oz. glass of wine, 1.5 oz. shot of liquior, or 12 oz. beer. For every hour that goes by, your BAC is reduced by .015. If you weigh more than 150, then the rate at which your BAC will increase for every drink decreases, and vice versa.

Eating food, contrary to popular myth, does not decrease your BAC. What food in your system does is decrease the rate at which your BAC increases. So if you're drinking on an empty stomach you will get drunk faster, but you won't be more drunk than had you just eaten a big meal.

In California, a BAC of over .08 results in a presumed impaired and is a violation of 23152(b) of the CA VC (other states have similar laws). If you have a BAC of less than .05 you are presumed not to be impaired. Most people feel it when they are above .08. And when under a .05 they're pretty confident that they are okay. Of course, some people think they're okay even if they feel buzzed (or more) and are above a .08 but they just don't believe they're that drunk. Between .05 and .08 is a very dangerous zone. Most experts believe impairment starts around .05 but people often don't feel like they are impaired. In California, if an officer believes that your driving is impaired based on a number of factors, you can be arrested for violating 23152(a) of the CA VC even if you're under a .08.