Drinking coffee, taking a cold shower, vomiting and exercising after drinking alcohol are tricks that generally can make someone more alert and appear more sober. However, they don’t cause the liver to metabolize alcohol faster or reduce blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
Unfortunately, someone can end up facing an operating while intoxicated (OWI) charge if they drive during the temporary alert period they achieve. Here’s why:
The body needs time to get rid of alcohol
The body metabolizes most drugs at a speed proportional to how much is in the system. This does not happen with alcohol. The liver metabolizes alcohol at a constant, fixed rate, regardless of its concentration in the body. This is called zero-order kinetics.
On average, the liver processes about one standard drink per hour, which is equivalent to:
- 12 ounces of beer with 5% alcohol
- 8 ounces of malt liquor with 7% alcohol
- 5 ounces of wine with 12% alcohol
- 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (liquor or distilled spirits with 40% alcohol)
One standard drink can raise the BAC by approximately 0.02% to 0.04%. Individual factors determine how the BAC increases, and the exact time it can take for the liver to clear alcohol. These include biological sex, body weight, speed of consumption, and whether someone ate before drinking.
For instance, males typically have a higher percentage of body water and less fat. Thus, they dilute alcohol more effectively. If a female and a male of the same weight consume the exact amount of alcohol, the female will have a higher BAC. Accordingly, they may metabolize alcohol more slowly.
People constantly get into trouble for using tricks for sobering up quickly or applying the one standard drink per hour timeline without considering personal factors. If this is your case, legal guidance can help you understand your defense options.
