Don’t Get a Day-After-DUI in Tennessee

When you’ve been drinking, you know it’s unsafe and not smart to get behind the wheel. Most people who imbibe know they should never drive after alcohol-related festivities. To be sure, many law abiding Tennesseans have done their best during a night of drinking: they have enlisted a designated driver, or decided to stay in a hotel or at a friend’s house so as not to drive home intoxicated. Safety — for yourself, any passengers, and other motorists — should always be your number one concern.

But what happens when you’re driving the next day after an evening of drinking alcohol? For far too many, this can mean a day-after-DUI. A day-after- or next-day-DUI happens when you get pulled over by a police officer — sometimes many hours after your last drink — and your blood alcohol content (BAC) tests above the legal limit of .08. DUIs are expensive, inconvenient, and can have steep consequences. If you’ve been accused of driving under the influence in Tennessee, call a Franklin DUI attorney to assist you in understanding your rights. If you get a day after DUI, you will want the best advocate in the courts you can get.

Causes of day-after-DUIs

The common “rule” is this: one drink, one hour. This means that, approximately one ounce of liquor, 6 ounces of wine, or 8 ounces of beer should metabolize in your body to a point below the legal limit within an hour. But for many, this rule of thumb doesn’t apply. Several factors can lead to your BAC still being above the legal limit:

• If you suffer from type I or type II diabetes, alcohol will break down into sugars and metabolize differently than it would someone without insulin resistance. Take caution if you have diabetes in drinking alcohol at all, but especially in deciding when it’s safe and legal for you to drive. Often, you might not think you feel the effects of alcohol in your system any longer, but your BAC will show up higher than someone who has imbibed the same amount of alcohol and does not have diabetes. Better safe than sorry!
• Bad tests. Breathalyzers are known to be unreliable. If you’ve taken a breathalyzer the day after you’ve been drinking, you might blow a false positive for having a BAC over the legal limit. If you have been arrested for a DUI in Tennessee for what you believe was a false positive, make sure to call a reputable attorney that will work with you to establish your case.
• Your height, weight, and rate of metabolism can handily affect your blood alcohol content. Both larger and smaller people can fall victim to alcohol not metabolizing as fast as they assume, and with the impaired judgment of intoxication, it can be difficult to assess if you’re able to safely drive. When in doubt, don’t drive out!

There is no secret to sobering up — you simply must wait until the alcohol in your body has metabolized. For different people, that could mean different time frames. The best thing you can do to avoid a day after DUI is drink responsibly and avoid binging. And, of course, it always pays to have a designated driver.

The Law Offices of Adrian H. Altshuler & Associates have a longstanding reputation for providing honest representation in DUI cases. We have the experience that can help you understand your rights and advocate for you in Tennessee courts. If you are in need of legal representation for a DUI in the Franklin, Brentwood, or Columbia areas, call us at 615-977-9370 or contact us online.