It’s a familiar scenario: a friend drinks heavily until their words are slurring and they can barely walk. So, what do their friends do? They give their drunk friend a strong cup of coffee to help sober them up.

But does that even work?

We hate to break it to you, but coffee cannot sober a drunk person up—not even a little. The only thing that giving coffee to a drunk person does is make them a "wide-awake drunk." Same with cold showers and a brisk walk in the freezing cold: none of these will help sober someone up.

Why?

Because nothing can speed up or slow down the rate that the body metabolizes alcohol. The body's enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenase, can metabolize about 1.5 ounces of alcohol per hour. After a heavy night on the town, it can take six or more hours for the drinks to clear your system.

In fact, some people still have alcohol in their system when they drive to work the next morning. Often, these hungover drivers are oblivious to the fact that they're driving under the influence long after they’ve taken their last drink.

Caffeine Tricks You Into Thinking You're Sober

Downing a Red Bull or tall Starbucks before you hit the road is a bad idea. Sure, you'll feel more alert, but you'll be just as much impaired. You could have twice as much coffee as alcohol, but no amount of caffeine will make a difference to your blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

The fact is, we often confuse “drowsy” with “drunk.” Even if you’re fully alert and awake, being drunk means you’re impaired, with slower reflexes and poorer spatial awareness. Clouded by the alcohol, you'll have the false sense that you're okay to drive when you aren't. That's because the caffeine counteracts the sedative effects of the alcohol, tricking you into thinking that you're sober when you're not.

The next time you get hammered, remember the only thing that will lower your BAC is time.

If you were arrested for DUI, contact an experienced DUI lawyer in this directory!