Be Safe This Holiday Season

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor

My husband and I are not heavy drinkers but we do love our wine. We always question if we are okay to drive after one glass of wine when we go out, or if we should abstain completely. We grew up in the era before MADD (Moms Against Drunk Drivers) and police DUI check points, when it was not so unusual to have a few and still get behind the wheel.

I was searching for a portable breathalyzer to carry in my purse (remember this article from last year?) when I came across B4UDrink, an interactive website with a virtual bar. After sharing your personal info (age, gender, weight and so on) head to the bar, pick a drink and the time it takes you to finish it and you will get a idea of your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC), plus the time it will take to get back to a .00 BAC.

Although this is by no means a license to drink then drive, it does give a good understanding how alcohol affects your abilities.

Although geared towards college students, B4UDrink has valuable information for any age group. The site is sponsored by the non-profit organization, the Century Council, that leads the fight against drunk driving (and was the major investor to the invention of the breathalyzer) and underage drinking and, additionally, promotes responsible drinking habits. B4UDrink is an educational site that also provides users with drinking and driving laws by state, information about the effects of alcohol at various BAC levels, how food impacts BAC levels, and the facts about how alcohol affects everyone differently.

So, before you head out, head over to B4UDrink’s Virtual Bar to know your limits.