If you believe that you are too drunk to get in the car and you ask people for advice on what you should do, they may repeat some myths that tend to make the rounds. For instance, a roommate may tell you that all you need to do is take a cold shower. After you do, you’ll have sobered up quickly and you’ll be able to drive home safely.
Does this actually work? There’s no scientific evidence a shower can sober you up.
The same goes for other myths like drinking a cup of coffee or getting some exercise. People believe that these things work, but, if you try it, you run the risk of getting a DWI on the drive home. You will not be any more sober than if you hadn’t taken a cold shower, hadn’t gone for a run or hadn’t had a cup of coffee.
Is there any validity to these myths?
These myths persist because there is a small amount of validity to them. Time is what makes you sober up. After you ingest alcohol, your body has to metabolize it and clear it from your system. Once it does, you are sober again, and it can do this at a rate of roughly 0.015% per hour – when looking at blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
The way that any of these myths work is that they also force you to spend some time before you get in the car. You will sober up slightly if you work out for 45 minutes before driving. You’ll be a bit more sober if you spend 15 minutes in the shower or buying a cup of coffee.
But don’t assume that these things will make you sober any quicker than if you just waited without doing them. There is no trick to getting sober. Time is all that works.
If you get pulled over by the police and are facing DWI charges, then you also need to know about your legal defense options.
