An elevated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) can cause a driver to fail a breath test. This can lead to an arrest and a potential conviction on drunk driving charges.
As such, drivers will sometimes take specific steps to try to lower their BAC before they drive. Someone who has been drinking may decide to eat a meal or drink a cup of coffee, for example. But will either of these things actually lower their BAC?
Time is the only thing that works
No, neither drinking coffee nor eating a meal will reduce a person’s blood alcohol concentration. The only thing that does it is time. A person just has to wait for their body to metabolize the alcohol, and their BAC will go down.
Coffee can sometimes make a person feel more awake. If they were feeling groggy from drinking alcohol, they may feel alert from drinking caffeine. But they are not any more sober than they were before.
If a person eats before they drink, it can actually slow down how fast the body absorbs the alcohol content. They may become intoxicated at a slower rate. But eating after they drink is not going to remove any of that alcohol from their system. Their BAC remains the same.
What are your defense options?
It is important to understand how alcohol affects the body and how you can actually sober up before you drive. If you do find yourself facing drunk driving charges, be sure you know exactly what legal defense options you have, as a conviction could lead to fines, a license suspension and more.
