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HomeHealthWill a Person’s BAC Go Down If They: Drink Coffee, Take A...

Will a Person’s BAC Go Down If They: Drink Coffee, Take A Cold Shower, or Vomit?

Many adults have had a night where they drink a little too much or a lunch meeting with a few too many cocktails with business associates. It’s easy to overdo it when we are distracted from what we are doing. When this happens, you might be tempted to drive, so you want to drop your BAC level to a drivable limit before getting behind the wheel. One of the first things you think is, “will a person’s BAC go down if they: {insert your preference here}.” However, it’s not that simple.

What is BAC?

Your BAC is your blood alcohol concentration. This is generally measured by either a blood test or a breathalyzer test. These tests can either be performed by a medical professional or an officer in the case of a suspected DUI or DWI. Field sobriety tests are usually followed up with the breathalyzer test. However, if the breathalyzer isn’t available at the scene or the person suspected of being inebriated is unable to complete this test, a medical professional may perform a blood test. The BAC is the measurement of the percentage of alcohol in a person’s bloodstream. 

Will a Person’s BAC Go Down If They Do One of the Above Things? 

The short answer is no. One of the most important things to understand is how your body processes alcohol and what affects it. Yes, your blood alcohol level is affected by food, weight, hormones, water, and even sex assigned at birth. However, eating or drinking non-alcoholic foods and beverages after drinking alcohol will not change your blood alcohol level. This is because your body begins processing alcohol immediately to filter toxins from your body. Once this process begins, you cannot stop or reverse it. 

Likewise, vomiting will not make a person’s BAC go down or change. Once your body begins processing the alcohol, it has already entered your bloodstream. You cannot change that even by removing the alcoholic beverage from your body. Once the alcohol is in your bloodstream, it will take time to process. There isn’t anything that you can do to speed the process by more than marginal means. Hydration can prevent hangovers and help your body more efficiently process the alcohol, but it would only possibly change the processing time by minutes, and even then, there is no solid evidence it would change for everyone. 

A shower might make you feel more alert, but it cannot change how your body processes toxins. Alcohol is a toxin, so it cannot be processed with a cold shower. 

Final Thoughts

While you may want to positively affect your BAC, the only thing that will drop it is to stop drinking and wait for your body to process the alcohol. Time will allow your body to effectively process the alcohol. Use precaution if you decide to partake in alcohol before work or during your lunch break. If you need to be up on Monday morning, late-night drinking on Sunday is probably a bad idea. As always, if you have been drinking, do not drive. If you are the driver for the evening, refrain from drinking to keep everyone safe. Whenever possible, drink at home rather than somewhere you will need to leave. Call a rideshare or taxi if you do need to leave at any time. 

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1 COMMENT

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