How long until alcohol leaves your system? Ireland drink calculator tells when you can drive again
With the October bank holiday weekend underway, there are warnings that the morning after can be a particularly dangerous period for drink drivers. Gardai say this is reflected in the number of early-morning checkpoints they will be conducting.

irishmirror
By Anita McSorley
October 27, 2024

The October bank holiday weekend is in full swing, with many people looking forward to an extra day off work tomorrow. It has been a busy weekend of celebrations across Ireland, particularly with Halloween just around the corner.

As festivities continue, people are being reminded of the dangers of driving the morning after drinking alcohol. The morning after drinking can be particularly dangerous for drivers, and gardai say this is reflected in the number of early-morning checkpoints they will be conducting.

Gardai will be out in force this bank holiday weekend, on the lookout for four “lifesaver offences” – Driving under the influence, speed, non-wearing of seatbelts and mobile phone use.

Drinkaware, the national independent charity working to prevent and reduce alcohol misuse in Ireland, is reminding the public that the only way to remove alcohol from your system is time. According to the Drinkaware Annual Barometer for 2023, there has been a slight decrease in the number of adults who recognise that any amount of alcohol can impair driving – dropping from 87% in 2022 to 86% this year. Alarmingly, only 77% of young adults aged 18 – 24 acknowledge the dangers associated with drinking and driving.

Further research from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) reveals a troubling trend regarding the social acceptability of drink-driving. In 2024, just 73% of motorists surveyed believed that their peers considered driving under the influence unacceptable, down from 85% in 2019. Moreover, one in ten Irish motorists admitted to driving after consuming alcohol in the past year.

Drinkaware CEO Dearbhla O’Brien said: “At Drinkaware, our mission is to prevent and reduce alcohol misuse in Ireland. We aim to equip adults with practical information, tips, and support to ensure their safety over the long weekend. This Bank Holiday Weekend, we are urging people to be more mindful while consuming alcohol and to understand the risks of driving the morning after drinking. We believe in empowering the Irish public to make informed choices.

“The only way to remove alcohol from your system is time. Certain things might make you feel better or may make you feel safe to drive, but unless you have allowed your body one hour to process one standard drink, you are not safe to drive.”

According to Drinkaware, it takes at least one hour to process one standard drink . Examples of a standard drink are half a pint of beer, 100ml glass of wine, or a standard measure of spirits. An average pint of beer equals two standard drinks. This means it will take your body two hours to process one pint of beer.

Drinkaware say the time starts from when the last drink is finished. For example, if a person finished three pints of beer at midnight, they will have consumed six standard drinks, this means they need six hours from midnight when they stopped drinking before their body will have processed the alcohol and they should not get behind the wheel of a car until 6am at the earliest.

Worried you could be over the limit after the October bank holiday weekend? Drinkaware have an alcohol calculator that will tell you how long it will take to process the amount of drink you have.

6 pints of lager/stout

If you end up having 6 pints of Guinness, Heineken, Carlsberg or some other lager or stout in and around 4.5%, according to Drinkaware you can’t drive for 12 hours after you finish your last drink.

So if you head to bed at midnight, you can’t drive until noon the following day.

1 bottle of wine

If you polish off one bottle of red or white wine you will have to stay off the road for eight hours after you finish, according to Drinkaware.

8 gin and tonics

Drinking 8 gin and tonics would mean no driving for 8 hours after your final drink.

5 pints and 5 vodkas with mixers

Some people going for a proper wild night could be drinking pints in the house for the day before going to the pub and switching to vodka.

This one could have you feeling particularly bad the next day and that is reflected in how long you have to stay off the road.

According to Drinkaware, you will have to avoid driving for 15 hours after your last drink.

Calculate your own

Some of the numbers of drinks above are at very harmful levels. These figures above are estimated amounts. The only way to remove alcohol from your system is time, no amount of food or water will speed up the process, say Drinkaware.

If you want to calculate your own, head on over to this drinkaware.ie page.

Binge drinking is defined as consuming 60 grams of pure alcohol – six or more standard drinks – in one sitting. This is the equivalent of three pints of cider (568ml), six bottles of lager (330ml) or four glasses of prosecco (150ml).

You can find further information, advice and useful resources on drinkaware.ie.