Can You Drive the Next Day After Drinking a Bottle of Beer at Night?
4 Answers
It is not recommended to drive the next day after drinking a bottle of beer at night. Whether you can drive depends on whether there is still alcohol residue in your body. The specific explanation about drunk driving is as follows: 1. Drunk driving standard: Drunk driving is not a subjective judgment. Methods such as smelling for alcohol or observing whether someone walks in a straight line are unreliable. Professional instruments must be used to determine drunk driving, such as a breathalyzer. Drinking and driving refers to driving behavior where the alcohol content in the driver's blood is greater than or equal to 20mg/100ml but less than 80mg/100ml. Drunk driving refers to driving behavior where the alcohol content in the driver's blood is greater than or equal to 80mg/100ml. 2. Alcohol decomposition time: Generally, the speed at which an adult decomposes alcohol is 10-15 milliliters per hour. This means that after drinking a bottle of beer, it takes 2-3 hours before you can drive; after drinking two bottles of beer, it takes 4-8 hours before you can drive. Some experts point out that it takes at least 10 hours for alcohol to completely degrade and be undetectable in the human body, and the safest way is to wait more than 20 hours to give the body enough time to decompose the alcohol.
I've checked the information before. After drinking one bottle of beer, it takes about 6 to 10 hours for the alcohol to be completely metabolized in the body, but this varies from person to person. People with lower body weight, poor liver function, or those who didn't eat while drinking will metabolize alcohol more slowly. Once, my friend drank half a bottle, and the next day at noon, he was stopped by traffic police for a breath test, which still showed 28mg/100ml, resulting in his license being confiscated on the spot. So, don't think that just sleeping it off is enough, especially now that traffic police are increasingly conducting morning DUI checks. It's recommended to wait at least 12 hours before driving. Otherwise, trying to save on taxi fare might end up costing you thousands in fines and requiring you to retake the driving test.
This is really not something to take lightly. I always pay close attention to drunk driving laws. According to regulations, a blood alcohol concentration exceeding 20mg/100ml is considered drunk driving. A bottle of beer typically contains about 15-20g of alcohol, and many people still have residual alcohol in their system the next morning. I remember a case last year where a driver had three beers at dinner, and when he was pulled over at 9 AM the next day, his alcohol level was still above the legal limit. As a result, his license was suspended for six months. So even if you've only had one bottle, don't gamble with your luck. My current practice is to directly use a ride-hailing app to book a designated driver after drinking—it's worry-free and safe.
Safety always comes first. Even if you feel sober, alcohol residue can actually affect reaction time. During my driving school training, the instructor demonstrated that even with a low blood alcohol level, a driver's judgment could be impaired by 30%. After drinking a bottle of beer, if you see a pedestrian suddenly dart out at an intersection while driving the next day, you might not be able to brake in time. It's advisable to keep a portable breathalyzer in your car—the kind that costs just a few dollars—and test yourself before heading out the next day. If it shows any reading, take a taxi without hesitation. After all, safety is more important than anything else.
