The morning after?

The morning after calculator
Supplied by Brake – the road safety charity
It’s all about timingNearly 1 in 6 convicted drink-drivers are caught the morning after drinking. How much have you drunk, when did you stop drinking, and when do you plan to drive? It’s not just about being under the limit, it’s about being alcohol free. Even small amounts of alcohol affect your reaction times.

This document explains how to calculate how long it takes to be alcohol freeYou can use it when out drinking, as long as you know how much you drink and how strong it is. If you‘re drinking out of cans or bottles, these things are printed on the container by law. You don’t have to learn all the times for all the drinks – just the ones that you drink.

Add an hourOn top of the times given below; you need to add an hour. This is how long it takes for alcohol to be absorbed into your blood stream. The times below are only rough guides. It takes about 1 hour for your body to rid itself of each unit of alcohol, but it can take much longer. It depends on factors including how healthy you are and how much you’ve eaten. Eating a big meal means alcohol is absorbed more slowly - so it takes longer to sober up.

PINTS OF BEER OR CIDER 4% beers and cidersAverage strength beers and ciders like Fosters and Guinness are 2 hour pints. Each pint takes at least 2 hours to leave your blood stream from when you stop drinking.

5.5% beers and cidersStronger beers and ciders like Stella, Kronenberg and Strongbow are 3 hour pints. Each pint takes at least 3 hours to leave your blood stream.

Drink 4 pints of Stella and you can’t drive for at least 13 hours from finishing your last pint. If you finish at midnight, you aren’t safe until after 1pm the next day.

BOTTLES250ml – 330ml bottles of 5.5% beer Becks, Bud and Stella bottles of this size and strength are 2 hour bottles.

Large 550ml bottles of beerA large Stella or Newcastle Brown Ale in a 550ml bottle is a 3 hour bottle. Drink 5 bottles and you can’t drive for at least 16 hours. That’s 4pm the following day if you finish drinking at midnight.

275ml – 330ml alcopopsA standard Bacardi Breezer or Vodka Ice is a 2 hour drink. But bear in mind, it’s easy to drink a lot because they taste sugary,

CANS OF BEER OR CIDERA 3%-4% can of Carling or Fosters is a 2 hour drink. A 5%-5.5% strength can is a 2.5 hour drink.

SUPER STRENGTH CANS OF BEER OR CIDERYou can see why they have the reputation of being the favoured tipple of alcoholics. Cans such as Special Brew, Tennent’s Super and Strongbow Super can be TWICE as strong as a Fosters – a whopping 7.5-9%. A 7.5% can is a 3.5 hour drink. A 9% can is a 4 hour drink.

Drink 5 super-strength cans and you can’t drive for about 21 hours - almost a full day later.
MEASURES OF SPIRITSIt doesn’t matter what mixer you use. The alcohol takes the same amount of time to leave your system whether your vodka’s just on ice or in a large glass of orange juice.

Pub measures vary. 25ml (one unit) used to be standard, but 35ml is now more common. A 25ml shot is a 1 hour drink. A 35ml shot is 1.5 hour drink. A70ml double is a 3 hour drink – the same as a pint of Stella.

Drink four 70ml doubles and you can’t drive for 13 hours – that’s 1pm the next day if you drank your last double at midnight.
If you are pouring spirits yourself at a party, you’ll probably pour generous doubles, triples or more. Take this into account when calculating your hours.

GLASSES OF WINEThere are several different wine glass sizes and wine comes in different strengths, from 12%-15%. One 250ml glass of 15% wine is a 4 hour drink. Drink a bottle of 15% wine - just three 250ml glasses - and you can’t drive for 13 hours - 1pm the next day if you finish at midnight.

BOTTLES OF CIDERBig plastic bottles of cider mostly range from 3.5% to 8% and come in 1, 2 and 3 litre bottles. A litre of 3.5% cider is a 7 hour drink. Stronger ciders take much longer to be out of your system. If you drink a litre of 8% cider, you won’t be safe to drive for about 16 hours.Men v. WomenIt takes exactly the same amount of time for women to lose alcohol from their blood stream as men. Their livers work at the same speed.

KNOW when you are next planning to drive. If it’s the next day, calculate the maximum you can drink using this guide and stay well under this.

KNOW what you are drinking. If you drink a weird cocktail your mate’s invented with two doubles in it, it will take you at least seven hours more to sober up. That’s a big forfeit.

AVOID unknown drinks altogether. It keeps you in control; it’s usually cheaper, and helps you avoid a killer hangover.

KNOW WHAT YOU DRINK. DRINK WITHIN YOUR HOURS.