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How do breathalyzers work?
I'm genuinely curious as how breathalyzers actually work. Does it simply measure how much alcohol you have consumed, how entoxicated you are, or is there more to that. To my understanding, it takes roughly 3 beers, 15oz of wine, or one shot to blow a .08.
Me personally, I can't actually get drunk off of beer. I actually get bloated and full before I get drunk. I can down about a liter of vodka, or have half a jar of moonshine, while having no effect to my speech, motor functions, or cognitive functions. I don't get dizzy, I never black out, and always have full control and knowledge of what I'm doing regardless of how much I have consumed. But can I still fail a breathalyzer? Regardless of how much I drink, it does not effect my driving but I have always wondered about the specifics of breathalyzers.
No I don't need a lecture on drinking, I usually do not drink while driving, and I am highly against drunk drivers considering only a rare few can do so safely; not counting the fact that only a rare few of the population can actually drive safely while sober to begin with...
2 Answers
- 3 months agoFavorite Answer
Alcohol diffuses through all tissues, meaning it comes out of your skin, pee, and inside your lungs. When you breathe, the alcohol that is breaking down escapes your body through your lungs, among many other places. That allows the machine to detect it where trying to get a patch off your skin or a pee test in public wouldn't be overly feasible.
Yes, some people are like you. Their blood may well be many times the legal limit and they are mostly fine. Meanwhile a 16 year old is crashing into the china hutch over 1 Bud light. In short, #biology.
- Anonymous3 months ago
Breathalyzers aren’t really an accurate measure of intoxication. Someone who rarely drinks may be very drunk and blow 0.08. An alcoholic with a high tolerance to alcohol may not be impaired at all. Everyone handles their liquor differently. You don’t get too drunk on beer, because the average person can metabolize about one drink per hour. Most people don’t drink beer very fast. If you drink 5 beers over an evening, you’re probably not gonna feel much. If you drink 5 shots of whiskey in quick succession, you might be wasted. Your BAC decreases as you metabolize the alcohol. But it’s very easy to blow 0.08 and not realize it. Experienced drinkers tend to maintain control with a high BAC. This is why field sobriety tests may be a better test of impairment. If you can’t stand on one leg and touch your nose, you shouldn’t be driving.