You might find yourself in a situation where you feel you need to drive, but you realize you probably shouldn’t. Perhaps last night ended up heavier and later than you intended, and you are still feeling fuzzy but need to get to work. Or maybe you need to pick the kids up from sports practice and wish you had said no to that last glass of wine at lunch.
In cases such as this, you might turn to some tricks that you’ve heard can help sober you up fast, in the belief that this would leave you fit to drive and safe from police charges. For example:
- Drinking coffee
- Taking a cold shower
- Guzzling down some glasses of water
- Grabbing some food
The problem is, none of these things will work in the way you hope.
Why don’t these tricks work?
The only thing that will prevent you from getting a DUI if stopped by the police is being under the legal blood alcohol limit (BAC). The only way that you can get your BAC down is to wait. The human body processes alcohol at an average rate of around one standard drink per hour. Bear in mind that is an average, and it can vary from person to person or even from day to day for the same person.
All the tricks mentioned might make you feel more sober, but they are not actually making you less sober. On top of that, the police can still charge you even if your BAC is under the limit if they see signs that your driving is impaired.
If you don’t believe you are OK to drive, then don’t. This said, it is easy to make mistakes, and if you do end up facing charges, there may be defense options available.