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. 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. 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...

[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.

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here is a chart from the Dept of Health and Human Services. 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. 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. 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. 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.

[benza13]

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here is a chart from the Dept of Health and Human Services. 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. If the chart is not good enough and this is a big concern, I would think this is a good option.

[/ QUOTE ]
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.

[Godfather80]

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[ QUOTE ]
here is a chart from the Dept of Health and Human Services. 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. 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.

[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.