Drinking and Driving - Are You Still Impaired The Next Day?

Drinking and Driving is a big mistake and we all know it. You see it in the ads on TV, you see them on the news, and the horrible accidents it can cause, and you sit there and probably say to yourself "I am so glad I stay the night when I drink" which is a good thing to do.

But, what you might not realize, is just what is going on in your body the morning after. I don't mean a hangover. Actually that might be good, because then you are not likely to drive. But I mean the scenario, where you had a good time with your friends, had a few too many and slept on their couch.

You had been drinking pretty steady, and your last drink was around 1:30 am. and then you basically fell asleep. Now it is the light of day, everyone slept in a bit, it is about 9:30 am or so, you are not totally sure, but considering last night, you actually feel pretty good. Now you are hungry and grab a quick coffee at your friends place and then grab your car keys, and head home or out.

But it is possible, that you still have the effects of last night still floating around in your body. Depending on your weight, metabolism etc, you can still have a blood alcohol level that will fail.

With the tougher rules out there now and the lowering of allowable alcohol limits, you could actually blow over at a road side test at 10:30 am the next day.

This happened to a friend of mine, and she was one of those responsible people who always stayed over. She had been drinking since it was her birthday, and fell asleep around 1:30 am, got in her car at 10:30 am, and got caught for speeding. She wishes that is all it was, as they were doing road side screenings as well, and she FAILED.

The police told her, that after a night of drinking, it can take up to 12 hours since the last drink for it to be out of your body and to legally drive. So at 10:30 in the morning, she was charged with Impaired Driving.

This is a warning to everyone. Just because you stayed over night, does not mean you are sober.. It might be worth buying a portable breathalyzer to make sure. Otherwise you could hurt someone else, or yourself, and ruin your life if you still have a life..

These ads should push this a bit more, about the morning after. In my area, random road side testing is being done more and more in the mornings to pick up the "morning after" impaired drivers. They may not realize it, but they are drinking and driving. So, please be careful..