How to reduce alcohol level

The best way to lower your blood alcohol level is to drink less alcohol…!  Techniques that help include counting your drinks, slowing down, hydrating and eating food.

Remember it takes at least one hour to process each drink. So by the time you’ve had your second drink, you’re likely to be impaired if it’s within the same hour. So try not to consume several drinks in a short period. Taking slow sips, and chatting with friends to distract you, can help reduce your blood alcohol level. And talking of friends, try and make it a rule never to drink when you’re on your own.

Drink a glass of water in between each alcoholic drink, which helps to limit the amount of alcohol you consume by spacing out the drinks.  Even small levels of alcohol cause dehydration and impairment, but water can slow this down. Drinking plenty of water hydrates you and gives your liver time to metabolise the alcohol out of your system. 

Food can reduce your alcohol level. A stomach full of carbs and fat slows alcohol absorption. It helps your liver keep up better, so you get less intoxicated and your Blood Alcohol Concentration level doesn’t climb as fast. Also, if you feel full, you tend to drink more slowly. 

Don’t mix your drinks. Combining different spirits, wine or beer can speed up your BAC level, so try and stick to the same type. 

Finally, it’s easy to lose track of the amount of alcohol you’re consuming so make a note of each drink on your phone - you’ll be surprised how quickly they can add up.

How to reduce your blood alcohol concentration BAC level

There is nothing you can do to bring down the BAC level in your body. You cannot speed up the rate that alcohol leaves the bloodstream.

In a survey conducted by AlcoSense personal breathalyzers, a quarter of respondents thought that a strong black coffee helps. Caffeine may make you feel more alert, but it does not reduce the alcohol level in your body - so you remain impaired.

Cold showers do nothing to lower BAC levels either. They might ‘wake you up’ but impairment is not reduced.

Nearly half the people in the survey said that a good night’s sleep is the best way to sober up. Sleep in itself makes no difference, the only benefit being that the time you are asleep gives your liver the opportunity to metabolise the alcohol. If you drink four pints of medium-strong beer or four large glasses of wine, it can take as long as 14 hours for the alcohol to clear your system completely. A person’s BAC will not go down faster just because they have been asleep during some of this period!

Some 40% advocated a hearty breakfast. Whilst eating helps slow the absorption of alcohol into your system, it doesn’t make alcohol leave the bloodstream any quicker. 

How to check your BAC level

The only way to measure your blood alcohol level is to use an accurate personal breathalyzer. Online calculators are available but can only give a ‘guesstimate’ of your alcohol level because of all the variable factors that need to be taken into account.  A good consumer breathalyzer from a reputable firm will have a margin of error of around 5% which makes it as accurate as a Police handheld device.