There are many different tricks that people think they can use to get out of a drunk driving charge. They may try to drink a big glass of water or eat a meal at the end of the night so that they can sober up before they drive home. Some people believe that taking a cold shower can help. Still others will down a large cup of hot, black coffee, believing that this is going to lower their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and make them sober enough to drive.
But this does not work. None of these tactics change your blood alcohol concentration at all. The only thing that will cause your BAC reading to go down is time. For every hour that goes by, it should drop by roughly 0.015%. So a person with a BAC of 0.06% would still need four hours to get back to zero. It doesn’t matter if they eat, drink coffee or take a shower. Only time can help.
Why do people think these tactics will work?
The biggest reason why people think that coffee or a cold shower will help is because these things can wake them up.
When someone has been drinking excessively, their brain may feel rather foggy and tired. If they drink a cup of coffee, the caffeine is a jolt to their system and they feel more awake and alert. They mistake this for feeling sober and think that their BAC has gone down, but they’re just as drunk as they were before. Now they are simply drunk and extra awake at the same time.
Has a mistake like this led to DUI charges? If so, you must know about your criminal defense options.