When it comes to drunk driving charges, one thing that can get people in trouble is simply not understanding how long it takes for their BAC to go down. This may lead them to drive under the influence when they do not even realize that they are still impaired. They think they waited long enough for the impairment to end.
Although everyone is slightly different, as a general rule, your BAC will go down by about 0.015% every hour. It does not matter if you drink water, drink coffee, take a shower or eat a meal. Some of these things can delay intoxication, such as eating first so that you are drinking on a full stomach. But once your BAC is already elevated, there is no way to get it to go down any faster than the standard rate.
How long do you actually need?
In this light, thinking about how long you need for your BAC to get back down to zero shows some of the issues that you may face. Say that you had a BAC of 0.09%, and the legal limit is 0.08%. It would take you a full hour just to get back under the legal limit, even though you would still have a high level of alcohol content in your body. It would take roughly six hours for you to get all the way back down to zero.
This is why it can sometimes be problematic when people spend half an hour drinking water after consuming alcohol and assume that is enough to drive safely. In some cases, a person may not even be fully back to zero by the next morning, which, if their BAC was elevated enough the night before, can actually lead to drunk driving charges the next day.
If you do find yourself facing charges, it is important to look into all of your legal defense options at this time.