The Breathalyzer Challenge - Is 0.08 the right limit?

[Mibz]

Hahaha, yeah, let's be clear here. I'm 5'7", I'm a chubby 180lb. Kenny (if he is actually 180) is much slimmer.

That night made me think that tolerance is not just simply being able to function better at a given BAC, but your body adjusting and metabolising and/or filtering alcohol at an increased pace. rage2 required a LOT of liquor just to maintain his BAC, whereas "subject 4" only dropped a little bit after a 20 minute break despite peeing twice before we left and once when we arrived :P

I was really skeptical at how accurate this thing would be. My Mom bought me one when I was a teenager and it was fucking useless, but this one was extremely consistent. I'm not saying the actual accuracy is perfect, but I honestly believe that the trends we witnessed were valid.

Getting on-topic, yeah at 0.02 I felt iffy on driving. By the time I hit 0.04 I knew I was right fucked. Once I got to that point it also became harder to drink, and I ended up bitching out early cause I was so tired. Singing Tom Jones takes it out of a guy.

And that's something else that should be brought up. Being tired drastically affects how you feel. Given two people with the same tolerance and BAC, the one who's ready for bed is going to be way more out of it than the guy ready to keep going.

All in all there's clearly more testing that needs to be done. I assure you that MythBeyonders are up to the challenge.

[JfuckinC]

Originally posted by theken
Can I join in your tests? I am a heavy drinker. Would be interested to see.

Haha, same. rage you shold come out for a night with me and my drinking buddy. I'd love to test the limits. Come to V-Bar next sat

[Hakkola]

Yeah, I'd be up for this if not to prove how the percentage doesn't mean all that much.

I remember blowing 0.15 if Finland and people thinking I was pretty much sober.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Mibz
Hahaha, yeah, let's be clear here. I'm 5'7", I'm a chubby 180lb.

Let's not kid ourselves here. You're 5'5", tops. Like a male snookie.

Originally posted by Mibz
Singing Tom Jones takes it out of a guy.

Vids being uploaded!

[Mibz]

Originally posted by rage2
Let's not kid ourselves here. You're 5'5", tops. Like a male snookie.

Eat shit.

Originally posted by rage2
Vids being uploaded!

Eat shit.

[rage2]

[van]

haha mibz i think you're the same height as me when i met you and i'm 5'4" lol.. who's the guy dancing? hahaha

[eb0i]

Originally posted by rage2

Let's not kid ourselves here. You're 5'5", tops. Like a male snookie.


Vids being uploaded!

BUSTED!

[Cos]

That is sort of embarrassing for matt but really what about the other buddy with the turtle hat?

That wasnt horrible Mibzy

[Mitsu3000gt]

Somewhat off topic, but I have heard that if you can manage to get a drink (anything with alcohol in it) between getting pulled over for DUI and being taken down to the station where they do the actual BAL test, you can't be charged. Is that true? Like if you could sneak one of those little tiny shot bottles of vodka with you and pound it before the police station, they can no longer accurately determine if you were over the limit while driving and can't charge you. Obviously I don't recommend this but it's something I've heard and I'm curious if its true. Seems like an easy way out for the drunks.

[Mibz]

Of course he only caught the end, which I fucking butchered, hahaha. First two verses were spot on.

I don't even know that guy's name, but when he found out I was doing Tom Jones he couldn't wait to get up and dance.

EDIT: Wow I look awkward up there. I need to work on my moves.

[JfuckinC]

Haha, your stage presence is a little awkward, but i gotta say the singing wasn't that bad! beats the hell outta what i'd pull off. Love the guy dancing lol.

[Cos]

Originally posted by Mibz
Of course he only caught the end, which I fucking butchered, hahaha. First two verses were spot on.

I don't even know that guy's name, but when he found out I was doing Tom Jones he couldn't wait to get up and dance.

EDIT: Wow I look awkward up there. I need to work on my moves.

Haha you need to look like frog hat guy! Hey man it is only bad because it was caught. You do NOT want to hear me do it..... actually dont worry you never will.


Where is that? Nanta?

[dexlargo]

The devices that the CPS use are the Intoxilyzer 400D - the roadside tester, and the Intoxilyzer 5000C - the machine on the checkstop bus and in the district offices.
The links go to the American versions of the device. My understanding is that the 5000C is the same as the american device linked to (5000en), but the C means that it has been tested and certified specifically for use in Canada. Similarly with the 400D vs. the 400PA.

I don't think that they are available for sale to the public.

Rage's results are very surprising, suggesting that he's not actually absorbing all of the alcohol he's consuming into his blood. Normally, even habitual alcoholics absorb all of the alcohol they consume, it's just that the level of alcohol in their blood doesn't affect their motor skills until higher levels than for most people.

Our parliament enacted the 80 mg (0.08) limit because even though alcohol levels affect people differently for a given level, 80 mg was a level where it was clear that almost 100% of people would have their ability to drive be affected by the alcohol they had consumed. The truth is, most people show some significant effects to reaction time and coordination at just 30 mg (0.03). So if you think that just because you wouldn't blow over that you're safe to drive, you could be wrong. That's why there's another charge that doesn't refer to blood alcohol levels, of just driving while your ability is impaired by alcohol. It's harder for the police to prove, because they have to show that you were actually driving erratically and that alcohol was at least contributing to your poor driving.

And for the record, when I did a round of testing in a bar with the police, I can't remember exactly how many drinks it was that I had anymore, but like others said, the point where I felt like I would definitely be a danger on the road, I blew in the 30s. When I passed 80, I felt really drunk, and was stumbling around. Eventually I got up to I think 130 or 140 and at that level I was falling down drunk and looking for a place to pass out. I think that took me about 12 drinks to get to in the course of 3 hours.

[dexlargo]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Somewhat off topic, but I have heard that if you can manage to get a drink (anything with alcohol in it) between getting pulled over for DUI and being taken down to the station where they do the actual BAL test, you can't be charged. Is that true? Like if you could sneak one of those little tiny shot bottles of vodka with you and pound it before the police station, they can no longer accurately determine if you were over the limit while driving and can't charge you. Obviously I don't recommend this but it's something I've heard and I'm curious if its true. Seems like an easy way out for the drunks.

Yes and no. First off, you'd immediately be given an obstruction charge. Secondly, if they can figure out what the quantity it was you drank and the type of alcohol, they can get an alcohol expert to discount what you blow to what it would have been without that last drink. If they can't determine how much it was you drank or what it was, then you might not be convicted on the over 80 charge, but you could still be convicted of impaired driving. That all assumes that the police see you drinking after the driving. If they don't, or decide that they didn't, then who's to say that the result you blew at wasn't reliable?

[Cos]

Dexlargo you seem to know a lot about this. What exactly is the rule if you are not .08 but you have had drinks. I have had a beer or two with dinner and driven. Never actually gone through a check stop or been pulled over however am curious what the laws are regarding:

1.) I have heard people say if you have only had 1 it is better to just say you havent so they dont stop and test you. Obviously lying to a cop isnt exactly something suggested but if you have 1 will you be asked to blow pretty much regardless?

2.) What about if you have had a few drinks and blow a .02? What classifies a 24 or 48 hour suspension (or whatever we have here). What are the rules around this and what is the punishment?

3.) What happens if they deem you impaired but not at .08? I am not talking an on the spot suspension, I am talking about arrest.




I know how a lot of the rules for over .08 and I couldnt drink to that limit and even find my car let alone drink drive, so I never had to worry too much. I dont know a lot around that middle 'grey' area of zero drinks and an actual blown/tested .08

Thanks in advanced

[Kloubek]

I remember several years ago when I wasn't as heavy as I am now (I was about 200lbs at the time), I was at a club drinking mildly. When we started to consider leaving, I ordered myself two pints and shot them back in a couple of minutes.

Upon leaving the club, (right around the corner actually), there was a checkstop. At the time, I was not aware that drinking and immediately having a test done will provide high readings. However, I WAS aware that 2 pints was pretty much supposed to be my limit, and I was close to blowing over.

In the end, I really am not too sure how I passed the breathalizer. I was right fucked up - but it was probably the joint we smoked as we left the club, and not so much the booze. Luckily, they didn't (and I believe STILL don't) have an actual test for that...

[chkolny541]

Originally posted by texasnick
This is very interesting. I was always under the assumption that an average (200ish lb) male blows ~0.05 at 2 pints of beer. The most I will drink and still drive is 2 beers. Anything over that and I "feel it", so to speak.

I might have to try this out sometime.

this is exactly what i was thinking as well, i though a 0.05 was something like 2-3 drinks tops, i dont consider having any more then 1 pint an hour when im out and DD. This is actually a really interesting read RAGE, i didnt realize that a 0.05 is actually that tough to acheive.

[R-Audi]

This somewhat contradicts what others have said, but the one time I did blow on an official Check Stop in BC, it was literally 2 minutes after I chugged A beer. (Emphasize 'A')
RCMP said it didnt matter how soon after.. and their machine only registered green, yellow for alcohol present and then the number for an amount over 0.08.
I blew yellow.. and was on my way.

[Jeremiah]

So this was a reason to have a sleepover at Rage2's house? LOL