How Many Holiday Drinks Are Safe?

Spiked eggnog and gingerbread cocktails are only two of the most popular holiday drinks. Chances are, if you attend a party this holiday season, there will be alcoholic drinks available. Ideally, you will forgo drinking altogether. If not, you can face criminal charges if you choose to get behind the wheel to drive home and end up arrested for Driving While Intoxicated.

At Tad Nelson & Associates, we see an uptick in calls during the holidays. Many of our clients enjoyed one too many drinks and now face serious criminal charges for drinking and driving. Below, we highlight key facts about how alcohol will impact your faculties.

Know Your Limit

We can measure the effect of an alcoholic beverage by considering various factors. Your sex and weight are the two most important.

For example, a 180-pound man who has one drink will have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of about 0.02. That’s not over the limit, but there will be some definite impairment. If this man has 4 drinks, he’ll hit 0.08.

It takes about 40 minutes for your BAC to go down .01, so someone who nurses 4 drinks throughout the evening will have a lower BAC. But he or she will probably still have some impairment.

And remember, you can be convicted of DWI in Texas even if you blow a low number. So long as you have some alcohol in your system that impairs your driving ability, you have broken the law.

See our BAC Calculator for more information about how drinks will affect you.

What Factors Increase the Effects of Alcohol?

The above information is general. But there are certain factors that can exaggerate the effects of alcohol and cause you to get arrested for DWI:

• Maybe you had a toke of marijuana with your eggnog. That will only impair your ability to drive safely, since marijuana has sedative qualities for many people.
• Many holiday parties happen late at night, when people are already tired. Your fatigue will increase the effects of any alcohol.
• Anger or stress. Many people find holiday parties stressful. You might get angry being around certain family members and jump in your car to go home. However, this anger increases the chances of taking risky behavior.

Further, many partygoers speed to get home after a long night. Driving too fast increases the odds that a cop will stop you and ask you if you have been drinking. Events snowball from there.

Make it an Alcohol-Free Holiday Season

The easiest way to avoid an arrest for DWI is to avoid drinking alcohol in the first place. Use the party as a chance to try out non-alcoholic alternatives, like cranberry cocktails, or simply ask for a soft drink or bottled water.

We highly recommend seeing if you can wean yourself off alcohol in the run up to your New Year’s Eve party. It’s harder to go cold turkey all at once.

Need Assistance With Criminal Charges in Houston?

Call Us if You Need Legal Help.

People make mistakes. It isn’t unusual to underestimate how an alcoholic beverage will impact you. Anyone arrested for DWI should seek legal representation immediately. If you’re facing criminal charges for DWI in Houston, contact our legal team for help at 281-280-0100 or send us a contact form message.