You need to drive home, but you know you’ve been drinking and you’re worried that you may be over the legal limit. You know that you should wait until your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) declines on its own. This happens at a rate of about 0.015% per hour.
But you’re worried that that might take too long. If you were notably over the legal limit, it could be hours before you are below that limit again, let alone a low enough level to drive without any impairment. You don’t have hours to wait, so how can you speed the process up? What can you do to get sober faster?
Myths that you should avoid
First and foremost, it’s important to clarify that you can’t speed up how fast you become sober. The rate noted above is simply how fast your body can metabolize alcohol. It may be very slightly different from one individual to the next, but there’s no way to change the rate. You can’t make your body metabolize alcohol twice as fast or anything of that nature.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of different myths about this reality that you may have been exposed to. Some people will say that you should take a cold shower. Others will say that you just need to eat a big meal. Still others may suggest that you should drink a cup of hot coffee.
But none of this is going to change your blood alcohol concentration in the slightest. Coffee can make you feel more awake, as can a cold shower. Food may make you feel full and give you some energy. But your BAC won’t be any lower than it was prior to those efforts, so getting arrested for impaired driving would still theoretically be possible.
What criminal defense options do you have?
Have you already been pulled over and are you facing serious charges? It’s natural to be concerned about your future, and it’s important that you understand all of the criminal defense options you have, when facing drunk driving allegations. Seeking legal guidance is a good place to start.
