Drink driving...How much?

[serendipity2]

I am actually a non drinker, preferring water and the odd glass of coke. However, when I go out sometimes if I am with friends who love a drink, I feel like I should maybe have one drink to be polite. Could anyone tell me if this would be okay as I have no idea. I would probably have a white wine spritzer.

[puddycat]

They're not very good friends if they make you feel you're being impolite by not having alcohol!

[applebee]

Thats entirely up to you, you decide what is ok with you. If you are wondering if it is ok to have 1 drink and drive I would say yes, unless you are extremely skinny or seem to have a very odd alchohol tolerance. I would stick with coke if thats what you like, no need to drink because your friends

[Aliceband]

Hi serendipity, I like a drink, but never drink and drive ever.

If you dont want to drink, then I dont think you should feel pressured to drink alcohol because your friends do. Do what you feel comfortable with

[daftpixie]

The legal drive limit is 35mcg/ 100ml in breath, or 80mg/ 100ml in blood.
A woman can have 3 units in a 2 hour period, a man can have 5 units.

Alcohol takes 20 minutes to get into your system fully, and then leaves your body at the rate of one unit per one hour.

In a white wine spritzer, if it contained 175ml of 12% wine that would be 2 units, if it was 250ml of 12% wine, that is 3 units (and beware, pubs serve most wine drinks in at least a 175ml serving, they never use the 125ml measures anymore, female friends of mine have had 2 glasses of wine, the pub served large 250ml measures, and they were way over the legal drive limit at 6 units)

So, if you had a large 250ml measure of wine, that would 3 units therefore would take 3 and half hours (including the 20 ish minutes it takes to enter system) to leave your system, technically you could drive on that, but would give it as long as you could before driving as it takes an hour for every unit.

But, puddycat is totally right, dont drink if you dont want to, particuarly if your driving. Even if you drank within the legal limit, and you got pulled over, a policeman could still take you to the station for a breathtest if they are not qualified to do a roadside test (any many arnt) and this would not be a very nice experience, totally not worth the risk.

Dont feel impolite, its your choice and they should respect that and concentrate on their own drinking!

[bloaterbum]

well Iam not bragging but the bussies stopped me last christmas after 4 pints and iread 22 mg It was slow drinking and they were not happy.I am not suggesting you do this but bear in mind that you do lose 1 unit per half hour most people who ge tcaught are well hammered

[funkymoped]

i stay 100% booze free if i intend to drive...

i always think like this.. a kid steps out infront of my car, i hit them and cause permenant damage... im breath tested and it shows im inside the limit, even though ive had a shandy or two. i would forever ask myself if i could have reacted differantly if i was 100% booze free...

for that reason, i NEVER drink and drive...

i dont/wont preach to others what is a safe limit, i just go with my own rule every time i drive...

[4getmenot]

No matter how much you are 'allowed' to have if I drive up the pub I dont even have one. and if I go out drinking at weekend I always take my car keys off my house keys incase I get tempted.

[Loosehead]

The drink drive limit is far too high. You can drink a suprising amount without being over the limit. 2.5 pints for a bloke in 2 hours is often quoted but in fact if you take other factors into account you can drink a lot more, now I'm not suggesting you try it but consider this. You have 2 pints in 2 hours ok, 1 pint takes 2 hours to dissipate so you have actually got only 1. 1 pint takes an hour to get into the blood stream so if you where breathalysed the reading would be negligable. Now 5 pints in 4 hours?? 2 gone last one mostly doesn't count, I think you get the drift. I have a spread sheet, it's probably on the net somewhere, where you plug in body weight and drinks etc and it tells you how drunk you are. The amount you have to drink to get over the DD limit is alarming. Anyway I never drink and drive and I think the limit should be lowered for the above reasons. Probaly to the equivalent of 1 unit, 0 is no good as you'll be nicking people for eating a xmas pud.

Anyway to answer the Q, yes you'll be fine on a WW spritzer

[ugly_bob]

If i'm not drinking cos I'm driving, I won't drink at all. It's not worth having 'just one', cos then I get the taste for it and want more!! I just stick to soft drinks in that situation.

[whiffey]

If I'm driving I won't drink at all now. If you're stopped and they smell alcohol on you, there is a possibility they might go over your car and nick you for something, any old excuse.

The last time I was breathalyzed was at random, at 11.30pm, I'd had 2 pints at 8pm. I saw my life flashing in front of me. The pc told me if I didn't blow harder she'd be forced to arrest me. Fortunately I passed, and she gave me a big cuddle, nice subtle perfume too.

[ugly_bob]

lol, like a woman in uniform whiffey?

[daftpixie]

Some of the calculations you have been given from other posts are not correct, no offence to those posters, but please be careful what you write.

ie, 1 pint takes 2 hours to dissapate, this would only be true if it were a pint containing 2 units of alcohol, and many are much higher percentage than that. You also have to add on the time it takes to enter the system.

Serendipity2, check the TTC Website, www.ttc-uk.com
These people really know what they are talking about as they run the rehabiliation courses for drink driving, and strive to educate drivers on the effects and facts of drink driving.

Ps, your weight and tolerance has nothing to do with effecting the amount of alcohol in your system, that only effects how drunk you are. Whatever the percentage of alcohol consumed will be the same for everyone, and is processed at the same rates etc

[spinchimp]

If you are a non-drinker you are going to be affected by one drink to a much greater degree than someone who drinks regularly. Like other poster above I strongy advise that you do not drink anything if you are going to drive.

[Loosehead]

daftpixie, 1 pint in a 20 stone man is not the same as 1 pint in a 10 stone man. The dd limit is based on alcohol per unit of blood. Same alcohol in more blood = less pro rata. Hence the dd limit expressed in actual units is subjective and is quoted only as a guide.

[laurence2]

Loosehead, just as a matter of interest, i drive trains, do you think i should be allowed to,

1, Drink upto, but just under the legal limit.

2' Depending on how big i am drink more{ref: your post at 10.37

3. The railways should operate a alcohol free policy

[daftpixie]

Your right Loosehead, just checked my notes and the guidelines are based on the average man and woman, was getting in confused with all the other myths about ie tolerance etc.

[Loosehead]

Daftpixie: No problem.

Laurence2:
1 - You should not drink at all if you are going to drive a train within 24 hours.
2 - I don't recomment drinking at all if you are driving car or train.
3 - I agree

I think you may have mis-understood my intenions with my previous post. I am totally anti drink driving and never do it myself, I believe that the limit for driving should be lowerd to trace only. My post above was purely to illustrate that it is possible to be impared to drive but still under the legal limit. You can drink more that you think and still be legal, that is clearly wrong and needs addressing.

[laurence2]

Loosehead, the answer is number 3

The railways operate a alcohol free workplace, the current limit is 29mg/ 100ml in blood, which is zero free, the reason for the 29mg is that the body on average produces approx 29mg even for a tee-totaller

Like you i believe no one should be able to drink drive, we should'nt be tempting drivers to have the odd half as we all know where that leads to

[redcrx]

Since I found i was pregnant with my son i have only had alcohol on about 4 occasions after his birth. I find that even 1 drink can leave me light headed. I may not be over the legal drink drive limit but i know that my judgement and reaction times would be slower.

I will not drink at all if i am driving as i would not want to risk anyones life because i am unable to operate a vehicle following 1 drink and yet be under the legal limit