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Being tired can make you more intoxicated — or just appear drunk

On Behalf of | Feb 21, 2021 | Criminal Defense |

How intoxicated you are after drinking has to do with much more than just how many drinks you’ve had. You need to consider what type of alcohol you’re drinking, how much you weigh, how much you ate, how far you are above sea level, what gender you are and a whole host of other factors. 

Interestingly, one factor is just how much sleep you’ve gotten. Studies have found that being tired makes you get drunk more quickly. You can also take this to mean that an exhausted person will be more intoxicated off of the same number of drinks as a sober person — even when all other factors are the same. 

Maybe you can normally have a beer without feeling the impact at all. If you’ve been awake for 24 hours, that same beer might hit you a lot harder. 

For drivers, being tired also looks like drunk driving

The above is one reason you may get pulled over for drunk driving, even when you don’t think you’ve had enough drinks to be dangerous. Another part of the equation is that being exhausted can also impact your driving, and you may make many of the same mistakes a drunk driver would make, such as swerving over the centerline or not reacting quickly to cars ahead of you. The police could believe you’re drunk and that’s reason enough to initiate a stop, even if you’re just nodding off. 

If you do get stopped and arrested, those charges can have a massive impact on your future. It is absolutely critical that you understand what legal options you have and what next steps to take. Speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney before you speak to the police.

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