You know that drinking alcohol and then driving your vehicle opens you up to the potential of DUI charges. This is especially true if your blood alcohol concentration goes over the legal limit. For most drivers, this limit has been set at 0.08%, although there can be lower limits for commercial drivers or underage drivers.
However, you may have heard that it is possible to avoid a DUI if you simply drink coffee before you get in your car. A common piece of advice is to buy a cup of hot black coffee and drink it after leaving the bar, the club or the other social gathering where you are drinking alcohol. This way, you can get your BAC back under the legal limit and drive home without worrying about DUI charges. But does this actually work?
It just wakes you up
No, coffee is not going to reduce your BAC or even have an impact on your intoxication and impairment. You could drink the largest cup of black coffee you can find, and you are still going to be over the legal limit if you were before drinking it.
Coffee can only wake you up. Many people who start to become impaired also grow fatigued and drowsy. Coffee wakes them up and makes them feel suddenly more alert and more focused. This may be why people continue to perpetuate the myth that coffee will sober them up, when that is not actually what is happening.
If you do find yourself facing DUI charges, it is critical that you know about all of your defense options.