How long do you assume that it takes to get sober after you’ve been drinking? Many people are unaware of how fast their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) actually goes down. They may think that they will be sober enough to drive if they just spend half an hour drinking a glass of water after going out with their friends.
But the truth is that your BAC only goes down by roughly 0.015% every hour. This is likely far slower than it went up when you began drinking, and it means it can take much longer to completely eliminate all of the alcohol that has been consumed. After all, it would take two hours just to go from 0.03% back down to zero. For anyone who has gotten up over the legal limit of 0.08%, it’s clear that it’s going to take much more than a half an hour and a cup of water at the bar to safely dip below the legal limit.
Can you speed your alcohol metabolism up?
Another issue is that people sometimes try to speed their metabolism up. There’s no way to do this, but there are common myths and tactics that they try. For example, drinking a cup of coffee can make someone feel a bit more alert and like they can concentrate better, but their BAC will remain the same as it would if they had not made this effort. The same goes for taking a cold shower, which can wake them up. Eating food is beneficial before drinking, slowing down how fast someone becomes intoxicated, but does nothing after they have been drinking.
What if this leads to an arrest?
The unfortunate reality is that there are drunk driving arrests every year where people believe that they are sober or that they waited long enough to drive safely. Those who are facing these charges could experience serious ramifications like jail time, major fines and a license suspension. As a result, seeking legal guidance as proactively as possible is important because “I thought I was sufficiently sober” is not a winning legal strategy.