Home breathalyzer

Clareman

A few weeks ago my parents were heading out to the shops this morning and they met a checkpoint, they were waved through but since then they've been paranoid about the morning after so much so that they won't have a bottle of wine with dinner if they have something to do the next morning. I want to get them a breathalyzer that they can use in the morning to test themselves, it might be used once a month or 7 days a week depending on what's on, they might want to bring it with them if they are going away for a night, does anyone have a recommendation.

By the way, I'm not condoning drink driving or want to have a discussion on older people driving, I'm looking for a device which will be accurate to give them peace of mind and as I'm paying for it for it to be cheap

Damien360

Alcosense pro on Amazon is used by a few of my colleagues. Reading the blurb, it has to be recalibrated at a cost every 12 months. £150 stg

The same brand name sell the hand held chemical jobs sold in Dunnes (in the alcohol aisle). Cost me €6. Halfords also have them for €7.

It is use once and throwaway. Colleague also had two for night out recently. He tried one straight after a few pints and failed immediately. Tried the other next morning and was clear. I used mine that morning and it was easy to use and understand.

Clareman

https://www.halfords.ie/motoring/travel-accessories/breathalysers/alcosense-pro-breathalyser-over-25-countries

That looks like it in Halfords

bazz26

Boots sell them too but out of stock:

https://www.boots.ie/electrical/electrical-health-diagnostics/breathalysers

CiniO

From what I read, if you're looking for something precise and trustworthy, you'll need to spend higher side of €500.

Anything for €20, €50 or even €200 can't be trusted.


Roughly human body removes 10ml of alcohol per hour (that's very safe estimate - some people's body could do it faster)
So if you drink a pint (568ml) of beer (4.5% vol.) it contains 25.5 ml of alcohol, so should take roughly 2.5 hours to remove from your body.

Bottle of wine would be 750ml with 12% alcohol, so 90ml of alcohol. So after drinking such bottle yourself, you should have no trace of alcohol after 9 hours.


Also remember that BAC limit in Ireland is 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, so even if not all alocohol is removed from your body, you still might be below the limit.


IMO drinking bottle of wine shared per 2 people in the evening (before midnight) gives a guarantee, that they are 100% sober before 6am.

Clareman

CiniO wrote: »

From what I read, if you're looking for something precise and trustworthy, you'll need to spend higher side of €500.

Anything for €20, €50 or even €200 can't be trusted.


Roughly human body removes 10ml of alcohol per hour (that's very safe estimate - some people's body could do it faster)
So if you drink a pint (568ml) of beer (4.5% vol.) it contains 25.5 ml of alcohol, so should take roughly 2.5 hours to remove from your body.

Bottle of wine would be 750ml with 12% alcohol, so 90ml of alcohol. So after drinking such bottle yourself, you should have no trace of alcohol after 9 hours.


Also remember that BAC limit in Ireland is 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, so even if not all alocohol is removed from your body, you still might be below the limit.


IMO drinking bottle of wine shared per 2 people in the evening (before midnight) gives a guarantee, that they are 100% sober before 6am.

Thanks, I've tried saying that to them but they don't want to take the risk and there are too many variables for them, for example does the rate you drink make a difference, does the absorbing of the alcohol start when you start drinking or finish, etc. etc. The amount they drink, the roads they're driving on, the speed they go at means I'm not worried about them driving, it's more the fact that they are being worried about stuff they shouldn't be worries about.

imokyrok

Damien360 wrote: »

Alcosense pro on Amazon is used by a few of my colleagues. Reading the blurb, it has to be recalibrated at a cost every 12 months. £150 stg

The same brand name sell the hand held chemical jobs sold in Dunnes (in the alcohol aisle). Cost me €6. Halfords also have them for €7.

It is use once and throwaway. Colleague also had two for night out recently. He tried one straight after a few pints and failed immediately. Tried the other next morning and was clear. I used mine that morning and it was easy to use and understand.

I must get that one from Dunnes. I want to see is I can have one glass of wine with a meal and definitely be under the legal limit.

seamus

Clareman wrote: »

By the way, I'm not condoning drink driving or want to have a discussion on older people driving, I'm looking for a device which will be accurate to give them peace of mind and as I'm paying for it for it to be cheap

Tbh, I wouldn't see a breathalyser as someone trying to get away with drink driving; quite the opposite, it's someone trying to be responsible.

I defy anyone on here who drinks, to claim with 100% certainty that they've never been over the limit while driving the morning after. Truth is, you just don't know.

I got a breathalyser about 15 years ago and I was continually surprised by just how high the reading could be the next day, even if I felt absolutely fine. So it's better that someone would have a breathalyser and use it to decide if they're OK to drive, rather than just saying "feck it, be grand" and taking the risk.

My in-laws have also gotten a bit paranoid about this. If the father in law has two (tiny) glasses of wine with a meal, she'll start fretting about it, and tell him that he won't be able to drive tomorrow if he has a 3rd.

Invincible

Alcosense Excel €108 in Halfords with 10% voucher. Autoexpress group test winner 2018.
Recalibration cost €29.99 annually through alcosense website.

http://changinglanes.ie/alcosense-excel-breathalyser-on-sale-in-ireland/

seamus

seamus wrote: »

I got a breathalyser about 15 years ago and I was continually surprised by just how high the reading could be the next day, even if I felt absolutely fine. .

On the other hand the number of people I’ve seen pass the next morning after monster sessions just doesn’t add up when you hear people claim to be over the limit after only a few pints.

I know at least 3 or 4 people very well who passed between 9am and noon who would have had well into double figures of pints at a minimum and in most cases spirits too and not stopping drinking until the early hours.

In one case I was drinking with the person and also saw them get bagged and pass so I saw it all first hand. The others I would 100% believe also.

sunnysoutheast

Invincible wrote: »

Alcosense Excel €108 in Halfords with 10% voucher. Autoexpress group test winner 2018.
Recalibration cost €29.99 annually through alcosense website.

http://changinglanes.ie/alcosense-excel-breathalyser-on-sale-in-ireland/

That's the one our neighbours have. He usually works from home in the morning but sometimes has to go in early unpredictably. If he's over, he gets a taxi.

V8 Interceptor

Clareman wrote: »

Does the absorbing of the alcohol start when you start drinking or finish.

Well it has to start absorbing when they start. You can't tell your body "I'm starting now, I'll be finished in 3 hours so I'll let you know then when you can start processing it". You'd be dead by poisoning!









.

V8 Interceptor

seamus wrote: »

My in-laws have also gotten a bit paranoid about this. If the father in law has two (tiny) glasses of wine with a meal, she'll start fretting about it, and tell him that he won't be able to drive tomorrow if he has a 3rd.

I think the morning after testing is getting a bit out of control. Honest decent people like the one you mention are sh1tting themselves when most of the time there's no need to. On the other hand the actual drink drivers who don't care - drinking pints then hopping into the car - seem not to be prioritised by Cops at night.

I'm talking anecdotally here but a number of people have said to me they've been brethalysed in the morning but never see a checkpoint in the evenings or at night.