To drive or not to drive: drunk driving in five myths

Myth 1: If I have a blood alcohol level of less than 80 mg/100 ml of blood, I can drive safely

The legal limit for driving is 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. On the other hand, if a police officer judges that your capacities are weakened, he can arrest you even if you do not exceed this limit.

Indeed, alcohol can be dangerous even below the legal limit. The SAAQ also believes thattimes higher in a driver with a blood alcohol level of 50 to 80mg/100ml than in a sober driver”,”text”:”the risk of a fatal accident is 4.5 times higher in a driver with a blood alcohol level of 50 to 80mg/100ml than in a sober driver”}}”>the risk of a fatal accident is 4.5 times higher in a driver with a blood alcohol level of 50 to 80 mg/100 ml than in a sober driver.

When we drink, we don’t drive, emphasizes Mr. Vaillancourt. With risks of accidents, injuries, deaths, arrests and even criminal charges, the game is not worth the candlehe said.

According to the Sûreté du Québec,% of fatal collisions and in 15% of collisions with serious injuries”,”text”:”between 2016 and 2022, on average, alcohol was involved in 25% of fatal collisions and in 15% of collisions with serious injuries”}}”>between 2016 and 2022, on average, alcohol was involved in 25% of fatal collisions and 15% of serious injury collisions.

Myth #2: I don’t need to plan my trips in advance

: you’re going to get into obstinacy with someone who doesn’t have the same perception of danger as you”,”text”:”Don’t have that conversation once the damage is done: you’re going to embark on stubbornness with someone who does not have the same perception of danger as you””>Don’t have that conversation after the damage is done: you’re going to get into bickering with someone who doesn’t have the same perception of danger as you do.warns Ms. Desautels.

Some solutions, in particular having a designated driver, must be adopted beforehand. It is also possible to arrange to sleep on site, to call a taxi or an Operation Red Nose volunteer or take public transport.

It should be noted, however, that due to the storm, Operation Red Nose services are canceled in some regions.

Volunteers from Operation Red Nose offer support to drivers who have consumed a lot of alcohol. (Archives)

Photo : Radio-Canada

Myth 3: I can judge by feeling if I’ve drunk too much to drive

It is actually very difficult to assess one’s own state of intoxication.

Alcohol, especially when we have taken a little more than we should, will alter our judgment and our perception of risk.explains Ms. Desautels.: “I think I am correct”, they are not lying to us. It’s just that they lie to themselves because of the effect of alcohol.”,”text”:”That’s why people, when they tell us: “I think that I’m okay”, they are not lying to us. It’s just that they lie to themselves because of the effect of alcohol.”}}”>That’s why people, when they tell us, “I think I’m okay,” they’re not lying to us. It’s just that they lie to themselves because of the effect of alcohol.

Moreover, even if we stopped drinking for the rest of the evening, our condition may still continue to worsen. A few minutes later, our body will have assimilated the alcohol, and there, we will have more of it in the blood.recalls Mr. Vaillancourt.

Alcohol can take up to 90 minutes to pass through our digestive system.

Myth #4: Last time I drank the same amount of alcohol and I was okay, so I don’t need to worry about that

Not everyone has the same tolerance, but it’s also true that the same person can react differently from day to day.

It may be our degree of fatigue. There may also be taking medication or drugs mixed with alcohol, according to M. Vaillancourt. This is because some common medications like antidepressants and anti-allergen pills can have unintended effects when mixed with alcohol, including drowsiness.

You also have to ask yourself this: how much do I really know how many drinks I’ve had? After all, it is not uncommon, during a drunken evening, for our host to fill our cup with wine as it is emptied.

Even if you avoid filling your cup before it is empty, it remains to be seen whether the glass in question really corresponds to a single drink. As Ms. Desautels points out, your guests, we will give them the advice to count their glasses, but if they count their glasses and they count each time they have taken one when they have taken one and a quarter, you will have understood that it does not give the same calculation at the end of the evening.

On its website, Éduc’alcool presents a tool to calculate what a standard drink represents for different types of drinks.

Myth 5: I know a technique to get drunk

The famous coffee, a very cold shower, Grandma’s secret recipe or even an industrial quantity of large glasses of water do nothing: there is no way to get drunk faster.

Only time can obviously play on the fact that we will metabolize alcoholsays Ms. Desautels. And for that, what we drank must pass through our digestive system and reach the liver.