Medically speaking, intoxication is just a form of being poisoned. As the word intoxication implies, alcohol and other drugs have a toxic effect on your mental and physical abilities.
This toxic effect only becomes worse as you consume more alcohol.
The amount of alcohol in your system is measured with a number known as Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). Drivers 21 years of age or older cannot legally drive with a BAC over 0.08%, which indicates that a person has more than eight parts of alcohol for
The amount of alcohol in a beverage is typically indicated by a measurement known as proof, which is twice the percent of alcohol in the drink. Different kinds of beverages contain different amounts of alcohol, and therefore have different effects on your
With 0.6 oz of alcohol each, the following drinks each have enough alcohol to qualify as "one drink" and increase your BAC by the same amount:
*One 12-ounce beer with an alcohol content of 5%
*One 5-ounce glass of wine with an alcohol content of 12%
*One
One drink can affect people differently depending on:
*The size of their bodies
*Their gender
*Their emotional state and tiredness
*The amount of time spent drinking
*The amount of food they've ingested
*The alcohol content of the beverages they consume
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Some say coffee or a cold shower or a meal or some exercise will cause you to sober faster. In fact, only one thing will cause you to sober up: time.
After drinking, do not do not drive until you are no longer legally intoxicated. Keep in mind that if you
Alcohol affects every organ in the body. As a depressant, it directly affects the central nervous system and the brain. It is absorbed by the stomach and small intestine into the bloodstream. It is metabolized by enzymes in the liver, but since the liver
Because the brain is supplied with more blood than other organs, alcohol impairs brain function within minutes of consumption. The brain cells associated with memory, attention, sleep, coordination, and judgment are affected the most.
Long-term alcohol us
In addition to judgment, alcohol affects a person's brain center and senses, including taste, smell, sight, and hearing. It then disrupts the motor skills: in rapid succession the hands, fingers, feet, and legs will become difficult to control. Drivers in
Reflexes and hand-eye coordination are also affected by drinking alcohol. Cognitive functions are slowed and the ability to make decisions is impaired. Because of this, drunk drivers may not even realize that their driving skills are lessened.
Drivers impaired by alcohol have difficulty performing more than one task at a time. They will often forget to turn on or dim their headlights and tend to stare straight ahead because alcohol makes it more difficult for them to scan with their eyes. Wheth
Additionally, alcohol harms a person's vision. Central vision, peripheral vision, and night vision are all impaired by alcohol. This is especially dangerous considering that most people who have been drinking drive at night.
Alcohol can also cause blurred
Drunk drivers can be identified by certain characteristic behaviors that are apparent to other drivers and police officers, even while the driver him or herself remains unaware of them. Exercise extreme caution if you see a driver:
*Driving the wrong spee
If you decide to consume alcohol, the only safe and responsible driving practice is not to drive. Stay where you are, take a taxi, or call someone to pick you up. If you're going to be drinking, choose a designated driver or make alternate transportation
Generally speaking, any substance that affects your body's normal functions after being absorbed into your system is considered a drug.
Many drugs are used to improve a person's health (these include prescription and over-the-counter drugs), and some are
Consuming too much of any drug can be fatal. Each drug has a minimum dosage (under which there will be no effects), an effective dosage (which will provide the greatest benefit), and a lethal dosage (which is the amount that must be consumed to be fatal).
In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness that drugs impair drivers and that the dangers they pose must be seriously addressed. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), drugs can alter a person's perception, cognition, atten
Most drugs are available over-the-counter, by prescription, or from a black market. Many drugs are classified as stimulants or depressants. Stimulants, also known as uppers, can artificially elevate a person's mood, increase his or her energy and alertnes
Cocaine is one of the most commonly abused illegal stimulants. Its short-term consequences include:
*A euphoric experience that peaks after 15 to 40 minutes and fades quickly
*A sense of well-being that includes alertness, painlessness, and confidence
*Ph
Like alcohol, other depressants slow the functions of the central nervous system. Small doses can produce a feeling of calmness and cause muscles to relax. Larger doses, however, impair judgment, reflexes, and speech. Also known as downers, these drugs ge
Marijuana is a hallucinogen and the most widely used illegal drug in the United States.
Marijuana users can become dependent upon the drug to feel good, deal with life, or handle stress. A user may need to ingest increasing quantities of the drug to achie
After consuming marijuana, drivers are more likely to react passively rather than defensively to a dangerous situation on the road. Moreover, marijuana can shorten a person's attention span and cause him or her to drive slowly, disrupting traffic flow.
Ma
Many over-the-counter drugs can affect a user significantly enough to impair his or her ability to drive.
These include many medications that can commonly be found in household medicine cabinets, such as decongestants, antihistamines, cough syrups, pain r
The effects of over-the-counter drugs can range from mild to severe. These include such symptoms as:
*Anxiety
*Delirium
*Excitement
*Drowsiness
*Dizziness
*Restlessness
*Muscle tension
*Confusion
These conditions significantly interfere with your ability
Many medications have strict prohibitions against drinking alcohol while using them. Mixing alcohol with some medications can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, drowsiness, fainting, and a loss of coordination.
Combined with other drugs, alcohol puts a pe
Alcohol use has consistently been shown to impair driving to such a degree that it substantially increases the risk that the driver will become involved in a fatal collision. As a result, the United States as a whole and Texas in particular have establish
Under Texas law, intoxication is defined as:
*Not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a controlled substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of two or more of those substances, or any ot
If you are stopped for drunk driving, the police officer who stopped you will testify at your trial about whether, in his or her judgment, you were in possession of your faculties. The officer will describe the actions that caused him or her to pull you o
Drunk driving can have significant legal consequences. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the NHTSA:
*929,903 drivers were arrested for a drunk driving offense in 2011. This represents an arrest rate of 1 for every 228 licensed drivers.
The consumption of alcohol is legal for Texas residents who are at least 21 years old. However, Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) is a serious crime. Review the penalties for a DWI conviction:
*First offense: A fine up to $2,000, 72 hours to 180 days in jai
Drivers who cause the injury or death of another person while driving intoxicated will face increased penalties.
A drunk driver who injures someone in a collision can be convicted of Intoxication Assault and be punished with a fine of up to $10,000, two t
Simply having an open container of alcohol in a car is illegal, even when the vehicle is parked and even if you aren't the one driving. You can be fined up to $500 for having an open container of alcohol in your car.
A minimum of six days will be added to
A driver whose license is suspended for a DWI offense may apply for a special license that will allow them to continue to drive as long as they install and continue to use an ignition interlock device (IID) in their car. The IID must be approved by the st
In certain situations, the court may allow a driver whose license has been suspended for a DWI offense to obtain an Occupational, or Essential Needs, License if he or she can demonstrate an essential need to use a car (e.g. for work or school or to transp
Since 1995, Texas has had an Administrative License Revocation (ALR) law that allows a law enforcement agent to immediately suspend a drivers license for certain offenses related to driving while intoxicated.
An officer can immediately suspend the license
Under Texas's Implied Consent law, when you operate a motor vehicle within the state you are deemed to have automatically given your consent to submit to a chemical test for alcohol or drugs. If a police officer stops you and requests that you submit to a
If you refuse to submit to a chemical test when requested by an officer, the officer can immediately order your license to be suspended.
All drivers will receive a 180-day suspension for a first offense of refusing to submit to a chemical test, and a two-
In 2011, 1,913 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 who were involved in a fatal collision had been drinking at the time of the crash.
However, it is important to remember that drunk drivers are not the only people killed in alcohol-related collisions, a
Until you turn 21, you are prohibited from consuming, possessing, or purchasing alcohol, and from being publically intoxicated. In addition, you may not falsely claim to be 21 or older, or present any document indicating that you are over 21, to a person
If you are convicted of any alcohol-related offense while you are under 21, you will receive sanctions including the suspension or revocation of your license or driving privilege, regardless of whether the offense was committed while driving.
All minors are prohibited from driving with any amount of alcohol in their system. If you are stopped by a peace officer and found to have a BAC greater than 0.00, you will be convicted of Driving Under the Influence as a minor. Everyone under 21 is consi
A first DUI offense is a Class C misdemeanor. The penalties include:
*A fine of up to $500
*Between 20 and 40 hours of community service
*A suspension or denial of your drivers license for 60 days
*Mandatory attendance of an Alcohol Awareness Program
You
A second DUI offense is a Class C misdemeanor. The penalties include:
*A fine of up to $500
Between 40 and 60 hours of community service
*A suspension or denial of your drivers license for 120 days
*Mandatory attendance of an Alcohol Awareness Program
You
For drivers under 17 years old, a third DUI offense is also a Class C misdemeanor. The penalties are mostly the same as those for a second offense: a fine of up to $500, between 40 and 60 hours of community service, mandatory attendance of an Alcohol Awar
For drivers between 17 and 21 years old, a third DUI offense is a Class B misdemeanor. The penalties include:
*A jail term of up to 180 days
*A fine of between $500 and $2,000
*Between 40 and 60 hours of community service
*Mandatory attendance of an Alcoh
In 1997, Texas established a number of additional Zero Tolerance Laws that more strictly punish minors for committing any offense involving alcohol, including those that are not related to driving.
Until you turn 21, you may not purchase, consume, or poss
*For a minor's first non-driving alcohol-related offense, he or she will face a fine of up to $500, 8 to 12 hours of community service, and a 30-day license suspension or denial, and will be required to attend an alcohol awareness course.
*For a minor's s
*If a minor is 17 or over and convicted of a third non-driving alcohol related offense, he or she will face a fine between $250 and $2000, 20 to 40 hours of community service, a 180-day license suspension or denial, and a jail term of up to 180 days.
*If
Under the Zero Tolerance Laws, it is illegal for minors to:
*Purchase alcohol
*Attempt to purchase alcohol, even when unsuccessful
*Consume alcohol
*Possess alcohol
A minor actually holding an alcoholic beverage, as well as one simply in the presence of a
A minor can also be punished under the Zero Tolerance Laws for misrepresenting his or her age in order to acquire alcohol. There will be additional penalties, including a fine of up to $2000 and possible jail time, if this misrepresentation of age involve
Because of the harsh penalties associated with Zero Tolerance laws, some teens might be afraid to contact the authorities for help if they're drinking with friends and someone gets sick. To ensure that teens will get medical assistance for a friend who ha
In addition to the risks of injury and death associated with alcohol abuse and drunk driving, you may also face a financial disaster if you are caught driving while intoxicated. A person charged with a drunk driving offense should expect to pay:
*Fines of