There are many resources for Texas drivers to increase their awareness of alcohol, as well as strategies to make sure an individual doesn’t find himself or herself driving while intoxicated at the end of the night. A variety of organizations and online information sources allow drivers to calculate their estimated blood alcohol content after a certain number of drinks. Many alcohol resource sites also provide strategies for avoiding the temptation to drive after drinking.
Yet the results of a new study might surprise Texas readers.
The results suggest that the choice of mixer may impact intoxication levels. The participants were men and women between the ages of 21 to 33. Each was given vodka with a mixer of either diet or regular soda. After 40 minutes, researchers measured the participants’ breath alcohol concentrations. Despite drinking the same amount of vodka, those who had used diet soda as a mixer had higher breath alcohol concentrations — 18 percent on average — than those who used regular soda.
Although more research is needed to confirm the study, researchers believe that non-diet mixers may slow down the time it takes a person to become intoxicated. Simply put, the sugars in regular soda may be digested in a manner similar to food, whereas the diet soda may pass through, allowing alcohol to reach the small intestine more quickly. It is there that alcohol enters the blood stream.
There may be circumstances when a driver does not realize the effect that even one or two drinks has had on his or her abilities. When that results in a DWI arrest, an attorney should be consulted as soon as possible.
Source: Live Source, “Diet or regular? Choice of alcohol mixer affects intoxication,” Rachael Rettner, Feb. 6, 2013
If you have any questions about this phenomenon, Houston DWI attorney Tad Nelson is an ACS/CHAL Lawyer-Scientist. Need help? Click here for to message us.
