People are often looking for ways to sober up quickly, especially if they need to drive. Say that someone goes out drinking with friends at a local bar. The night gets away from them and finally wraps up at two in the morning. They realize that they’re too impaired to drive, but they’re also too far away from home to leave their vehicle behind. How can they sober up quickly so that they can get behind the wheel?
One common myth is that the person just needs to drink a cup of hot black coffee. Once they do, it supposedly helps them regain their sobriety so they can drive without worrying about causing an accident or being arrested by the police. Many people swear by this tactic, but it’s important to point out that it doesn’t work.
Why is this a myth?
There are two things to consider here. The first is that a cup of hot black coffee can wake someone up. Many people who are intoxicated feel fatigued, and they’re simply not very alert. But if they quickly drink coffee, the caffeine wakes them up and makes them feel like they’re sober. In actuality, their blood alcohol concentration is relatively the same as it was before the cup of coffee.
The second thing to remember is that your BAC drops with time. There are some things that can influence how quickly you get intoxicated, such as your body weight or whether you ate food before drinking. But once you are intoxicated, your BAC only drops by about 0.015% per hour. So, a cup of hot coffee can’t make you sober up any faster. If your BAC was at 0.09%, for instance, you would simply need six hours to get back down to zero, regardless of how much caffeine you consumed.
Have you recently been arrested on drunk driving allegations? This can lead to serious fines, jail time and a license suspension, so be sure you know what defense options you have.