Alcohol - Units

r10crw · Post by **r10crw** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:32 pm

I understand that its a case of legality in that if there is still alchohol in your system you can be charged but medically does the alchohol still have the same effect. For instance if at 1 pm on sunday you have the equivelent of four pints of lager in units Im sure it doesnt feel like youve just drunk four pints. Cases like this should have the same tests as the americans, and I cant believe I just stood up for the americans.

Edin430 · Post by **Edin430** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 1:01 pm

Especially after the American post....

bertieduff · Post by **bertieduff** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:06 pm

Christmas present for the party animal in your life?

http://www.discountbreathalysers.co.uk/

Post by **pete** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 4:11 pm

r10crw wrote:I understand that its a case of legality in that if there is still alchohol in your system you can be charged but medically does the alchohol still have the same effect. For instance if at 1 pm on sunday you have the equivelent of four pints of lager in units Im sure it doesnt feel like youve just drunk four pints. Cases like this should have the same tests as the americans, and I cant believe I just stood up for the americans.

Yes that is the famous "Alcoholium Benignium" vs "Alcoholium Malignantium" debate.

Clearly alcohol that has been in the bloodstream whilst you have been asleep has no effect on your ability to drive as it is "Alcoholium Benignium", just loitering in your bloodstream until it evaporates in the cold light of day.

"Alcoholium Malignantium" is the bad stuff that makes you fall over, consider having sex with ugly birds and lose the ability to operate heavy machinery. This stuff is neutralised by a small dose of sleep and exposure to daylight.

Occasionally if the mixtures of sleep, daylight and Alcoholium Malignantium combine to produce a chemical that the body is allergic to, the symptoms include headaches, nausea and allergy to light (Medically "alcohol induced vampirism", the chemical produced is called Transyllvanium.). One of the certain cures to an excess of Transyllvanium is a stake through the heart but this is considered too extreme in most cases. More beer works too.

Hope that helps,

Pete

BiggestNizzy · Post by **BiggestNizzy** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 4:18 pm

Loving your work pete, you must have to much time on your hands.

only one problem I consider sleeping with ugly women when I'm sober. anything with a pulse really, well warm at least.

Matelotman · Post by **Matelotman** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 6:07 pm

I've recently been to a drugs and alcohol course that we get every 2 years through work. These days you're looking at about 3-4 units per pint for stuff like Stella etc and about 2-3 units for wine and 2-3 units per shot of spirit. - each unit takes approx 1hr to leave the system. So 8 drinks at about 2 units per drink = 16hrs which takes him to about mid afternoon sometime !!!!!

I know this is closing the door after the horse has bolted... but for future reference.

Post by **pete** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:49 pm

Matelotman wrote:I've recently been to a drugs and alcohol course that we get every 2 years through work. These days you're looking at about 3-4 units per pint for stuff like Stella etc and about 2-3 units for wine and 2-3 units per shot of spirit. - each unit takes approx 1hr to leave the system. So 8 drinks at about 2 units per drink = 16hrs which takes him to about mid afternoon sometime !!!!!

I know this is closing the door after the horse has bolted... but for future reference.

Did this course make any mention of Transyllvanium?
Or Benign Alcohol?

Sounds a bit shoddy to me mate, I wouldn't stake my licence (driving or otherwise) on it...

Pete

Bada Bing! · Post by **Bada Bing!** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 8:15 pm

pete wrote:I always think that provided you get a good nights sleep, anything more than 4-5 hours, then you'll be fine.

Pete

Matelotman · Post by **Matelotman** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 9:43 pm

pete wrote:
Matelotman wrote:I've recently been to a drugs and alcohol course that we get every 2 years through work. These days you're looking at about 3-4 units per pint for stuff like Stella etc and about 2-3 units for wine and 2-3 units per shot of spirit. - each unit takes approx 1hr to leave the system. So 8 drinks at about 2 units per drink = 16hrs which takes him to about mid afternoon sometime !!!!!

I know this is closing the door after the horse has bolted... but for future reference.
Did this course make any mention of Transyllvanium?
Or Benign Alcohol?

Sounds a bit shoddy to me mate, I wouldn't stake my licence (driving or otherwise) on it...

Pete

In a word....no - the course is only a disclaimer so that if I turn up for work honking of the swally I can get sacked and they say "see, told you"

Post by **simon** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 10:37 pm

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/ar ... icleId=853

On average it takes about one hour for your body to process one unit of alcohol. This varies depending on your body size, sex and the amount of food in your digestive system. If your liver isn't functioning normally, the process takes longer. One unit of alcohol is roughly equivalent to half a pint of beer, a 25ml (pub) measure of spirit, or two-thirds of a small (125ml) glass of wine. This means that one pint takes your body about two hours to break down, and a large glass of wine (250ml) about three hours - longer if the ABV (alcohol by volume) content is higher than average. So if you have seven pints during a night out, it could take as long as 17 or 18 hours to leave your system.

Post by **pete** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:16 am

mac wrote:Thing is that it's not a function of sleep - it's how much your kidneys can filter and I'm fairly sure there is a set time.

Having re-read the previous posts I now think it's something like 8 hours for the first unit and 1 hour for every unit from there on.

So if a pint is 2 units then it's 9 hours before thats completely out of your system.

Mac

It's an hour per unit, (see later less made up post.

Are you covered by the Railway and Transport Safety Act? (I think you are onthe railways but I don't know who it applies to in that context. I have a Brother inlaw who is on the railways and they are very strict about testing.)

We are and it's 25% of the drink drive limit. Which equates to no drinking the day before a shift

Victor Meldrew · Post by **Victor Meldrew** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:25 am

RICHARDHUMBLE wrote:The aircrew work on 10 hours bottle to throttle... But that is no guarantee of sobriety!

Comforting thought that these heroic daredevils actualy think about it..........

I have seen people waiting to travel offshore sitting in the public bar waiting for the flight to be called...

mac · Post by **mac** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 12:54 pm

pete wrote:
mac wrote:Thing is that it's not a function of sleep - it's how much your kidneys can filter and I'm fairly sure there is a set time.

Having re-read the previous posts I now think it's something like 8 hours for the first unit and 1 hour for every unit from there on.

So if a pint is 2 units then it's 9 hours before thats completely out of your system.

Mac
It's an hour per unit, (see later less made up post.

Are you covered by the Railway and Transport Safety Act? (I think you are onthe railways but I don't know who it applies to in that context. I have a Brother inlaw who is on the railways and they are very strict about testing.)

We are and it's 25% of the drink drive limit. Which equates to no drinking the day before a shift

I am

Don't touch the drink on a Friday night unless I'm not working until the Sunday morning. It's quite a sobering thought (pun intended) that I can be stopped outside of work and pass the police test and fail out own!

Mac

BiggestNizzy · Post by **BiggestNizzy** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 12:58 pm

I work in a sub con engineering shop, it's expected every now and then, if you don't you get taken into trhe office and asked whats up

GregR · Post by **GregR** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:01 pm

The position is simple:-

If you have to try to calculate it, you've had too much. Do not risk it. I don't mean your licence, i mean the safety of other road users.

Its not possible thesedays to give an accurate definition of a unit in measurements of a given type of booze. back in the day, 1 pint = 1 unit. That's when lager was 3% abv. Tennents & other cooking lager is now 4-4.5%, and stella is 5.2, with Leffe and other heavy beers at 7%+.