Can I drive in the evening after drinking a glass of baijiu at noon?
4 Answers
No. The body can only metabolize 10-15 grams of alcohol per hour, and the time required to metabolize one bottle versus five bottles will differ, just as the metabolism time for baijiu and beer will vary. Precautions for drinking: Wait at least 24 hours after drinking before driving: Regardless of how much you drink, drunk driving carries risks, and a slight mistake could harm yourself and others. Cherish life, be responsible for yourself and others, and never take chances by acting recklessly. Traffic police rely on data during testing: Sometimes you may feel completely sober and normal, but that doesn’t mean your blood alcohol concentration won’t exceed the limit. Conversely, everyone’s constitution is different, and passing an alcohol test doesn’t necessarily mean driving won’t be affected.
Drunk driving is really not something to mess with. The lingering effects of that cup of baijiu at lunch don't wear off as quickly as you might think. A single cup of baijiu contains at least 20 grams of alcohol, and your body can only metabolize about 10 grams per hour. Even if you weigh 80 kilograms, it would take six hours to fully metabolize it. If your liver is a bit slow, you might still have 30mg of alcohol in your blood by 8 PM. The breathalyzers the traffic police use are very sensitive—anything over 20mg means losing your license for six months. Not to mention, alcohol slows your reaction time, making it hard to avoid emergencies when driving at night. I know a friend who learned this the hard way—three beers in the afternoon and still testing positive for drunk driving at 1 AM. Just call a designated driver or take a cab—it's safer and hassle-free.
From a medical perspective, this is quite straightforward: drinking a 50ml shot of 50-proof liquor contains 20 grams of pure alcohol. Once ingested, this alcohol is metabolized by the liver into acetaldehyde before being broken down further. The normal metabolic rate is 10-15 milligrams of alcohol per hour. Even at the fastest rate, it would take at least five hours to completely eliminate it from the body, but actual metabolism can be influenced by many factors. For example, if you had a light lunch or have suboptimal liver function, the metabolic rate slows down. Additionally, people with lower body weight tend to have higher blood alcohol concentrations, and women generally metabolize alcohol about 20% slower than men. To be safe, it's best to allow a 12-hour interval before driving in the evening—otherwise, the risk of being caught for drunk driving is quite high.
From my experience, the risk is too high. A small glass of baijiu might not seem like much, but alcohol stays in your system for a long time. Last year, my cousin had two small cups at lunch, drove home ten hours later, and rear-ended someone at a red light. His blood alcohol level was still 28, which counts as drunk driving. Now his insurance has gone up by 30%, and he had to retake his driving test. To be specific, 50ml of 50-proof baijiu is about 25ml, equivalent to the alcohol content of a bottle of beer. If you drive at night, it’s usually less than ten hours after drinking, which isn’t enough time for most people to metabolize the alcohol. A more practical approach is to leave your car where it is and take the subway home. Safety is far more important than convenience—don’t take chances, seriously.
