Wyoming criminal defense attorney talks about common myths associated with getting sober. The safest way to avoid getting a DUI or DWUI is to make a plan before going out to have a sober driver.
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Transcript
00:00:00:07 – 00:00:28:10
Speaker 1
Hey, everybody, this is Christina Williams with Just Criminal Law. It’s all we do. In today’s video, I’d like to talk to you about some of the common myths surrounding getting sober. That is sobering up quickly. And David and I have talked about some of these and some of them are pretty funny. And we just like to highlight them and then give you some real tips on how to actually sober up.
00:00:28:15 – 00:00:29:05
Speaker 1
Hi, David.
00:00:29:19 – 00:00:47:12
Speaker 2
That’s right. Hi there. We were trying to sort of remember all the things we’ve ever heard. You know, people always have these stories about, oh, yeah, do this and then you’ll sober up really quick and, you know, then you can drive. So, I mean, we’re we’re putting together a video here of how not to have to need a lawyer.
00:00:47:21 – 00:00:47:29
Speaker 2
Right?
00:00:47:29 – 00:00:48:08
Speaker 1
Right.
00:00:48:18 – 00:00:58:26
Speaker 2
How not to get stopped for a DUI. So what are some of the ones that we’ve we’ve heard about? I know. I think everybody always thinks of coffee first, like drink a bunch of coffee that’s supposed to sober you.
00:00:58:26 – 00:01:24:07
Speaker 1
Up, right? They think, well, caffeine gets your heart rate going, gets your metabolism going. So it’s probably going to get the alcohol out of my system quicker. But that, unfortunately, just is not true. Sure, it might make you a little bit more alert because it has caffeine in it, maybe a little bit less drowsy, but it’s not going to speed up the elimination of alcohol out of your blood.
00:01:24:13 – 00:01:33:28
Speaker 2
I suppose that’s about the same thinking that goes behind, hey, if I just exercise a bunch, if I like, do a bunch of push ups or something, that’s going to sober me up. Right?
00:01:34:14 – 00:01:48:21
Speaker 1
Right. And I think that’s you know, people are thinking the same thing. Just sweat it out of my system at that point. I can get it out if I just sweat it out. But it’s in your blood. It’s not going anywhere until you let some time pass by.
00:01:48:27 – 00:02:15:11
Speaker 2
Yeah. So, I mean, it’s kind of like if I feel more alert, then I must be more sober is sort of the thinking behind that. But just because you feel more alert from having exercised or had some coffee, it doesn’t change your actual blood alcohol content. But I think I think another way of looking at it. So that’s, you know, people wanting to speed it up and speed up the sobriety.
00:02:15:11 – 00:02:22:20
Speaker 2
But what about the idea of eating more food while you’re drinking? Is there anything in that that that you know, can help?
00:02:23:29 – 00:02:57:16
Speaker 1
Well, actually, that is not a myth that does help. So the reason it helps is because you put some food in your stomach instead of just that liquid alcoholic drink. And it slows down the absorption of the alcohol into your bloodstream. So putting food on your stomach in your stomach allows you to have more time to eliminate the alcohol out of your system because that food is interfering with you, absorbing so quickly.
00:02:57:26 – 00:03:24:10
Speaker 2
Yeah, I read somewhere that it takes the liver about an hour per drink to get it out of your system. So if you’re drinking very slowly or if your stomach is absorbing the alcohol, making it, then take longer. The hour per drink, you know, is what you’re getting that hour. But if you’re you’re drinking very quickly, even if you put a bunch of food in your stomach, it’s still not going to sober you up faster.
00:03:24:14 – 00:03:26:21
Speaker 2
Right. That’s still not going to happen.
00:03:26:21 – 00:03:47:00
Speaker 1
Right. Because you you still have to let the time pass. So the alcohol is in your stomach. It’s going to be part of your system. And, you know, eating isn’t going to reverse that absorption. It’s just going to slow it down.
00:03:47:01 – 00:04:06:12
Speaker 2
Okay. So the other things, too, is that you’re so maybe you decided, oh, I am going to drive and maybe I had too many. There’s that old myth, something about like putting a penny in your mouth to get so that the so that the breathalyzer doesn’t detect the alcohol. I think that’s the thinking there. Have you heard that one?
00:04:07:03 – 00:04:30:24
Speaker 1
I’ve heard that one. And there’s absolutely no science behind it, no matter what your buddy may have said, how you know how it worked for him. There’s not nothing related to the copper or having that in your mouth that’s going to confuse the breath machine. Now, you know, you shouldn’t have anything in your mouth. When you blow into the device.
00:04:30:27 – 00:04:50:24
Speaker 1
They’ll check your mouth for chewing tobacco or gum or anything like that. You need to have your mouth clear, just for obvious reasons. If you’re going to try to blow air into a device, they don’t want anything getting into it. So you shouldn’t have anything in your mouth. But pennies aren’t going to confuse the machine.
00:04:51:13 – 00:05:14:11
Speaker 2
So the only other thing then to think about is different types of alcohol having a different amount of, you know, a different rate of making you drunk. And I think we all know, you know, if you drink a beer versus drinking a shot of whiskey, that there’s a big difference in how it tastes, how it feels and all that.
00:05:14:17 – 00:05:22:02
Speaker 2
So it leads people to believe maybe that like, oh, well, there’s it’s going to be get me drunk faster or slower. What’s the what’s the story behind that?
00:05:23:05 – 00:05:47:19
Speaker 1
Well, it goes back to the whole idea of time. So, you know, if you if you drink a beer with dinner over, you know, like a 45 minute period versus you do a shot on an empty stomach, again, that alcohol is going to quickly get into the system. It’s going to spike your blood alcohol content. And so you’re going to get drunk very quick.
00:05:48:03 – 00:06:12:04
Speaker 1
Now, if you drink the beer over the 45 minute period as you’re drinking it, you’re absorbing it. But your body’s also getting rid of it. So you’re eliminating it. And that’s why if you pace yourself and you drink slowly and a lot of times eating will slow you down. You know, if you’re eating a meal and having a glass of wine, that’s really what helps you.
00:06:12:04 – 00:06:22:11
Speaker 1
Not get in trouble is that you’re slowing down the absorption, but you’re also eliminating the alcohol out of your system. You’re giving yourself that time to sober up.
00:06:23:04 – 00:06:41:07
Speaker 2
This is all really good advice for the holidays when these matters end up coming up, you know, quite a bit. So if somebody does manages to not follow any of the things that we’ve just said, as you know, it will happen. And they need a lawyer. I bet they should call you. Is that right?
00:06:42:07 – 00:07:06:23
Speaker 1
Absolutely. And I just want to remind people that you really can’t avoid getting in trouble, getting stopped for a DUI. If you let time pass, you eat something. And, you know, if you’re at home or or at a restaurant, you just need to stop and let that time pass and don’t drive. The best thing to do is sleep.
00:07:07:03 – 00:07:26:14
Speaker 1
Sleep it off. And unfortunately, if if you find yourself in a situation where you do get arrested, we’ve included a link in the description and you can call, text or chat with a member of my team any time, day or night. We know you only get one shot at justice, so make yours count.
