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Beware DWI risk long after finishing that last Christmas party beverage

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Even after getting some sleep you could still be over the limit. (Courtesy photo)

With the Christmas season well under way, holiday revelers are sure to soon be faced with the daunting challenge of enjoying get-togethers with family, friends and co-workers while staying safe and making wise decisions regarding alcohol consumption.

That may mean taking a cab, finding a designated driver or even spending the night.

But remember, when you get up the next morning, get in your car and head for work, you could be saddled with more than a jarring headache. You could get saddled with a DWI.

That's right, depending on the amount and type of alcohol you consumed, and the time at which you consumed it, you could easily register over the legal limit if given a breathalyzer test after a traffic stop or accident.

Rochester Police Capt. Jason Thomas said morning DWI incidents (excluding the early morning hours of midnight-1:30 a.m. when area bars are closing) are extremely rare and account for a very low percentage of DWI arrests.

But they do happen. On Nov. 21 a Rochester man was nabbed for DWI after a morning hit-and-run. He was arrested outside a Rochester breakfast eatery.

And on Nov. 28 an area man was arrested for DWI in Dover after a crash on the Spaulding around 7:30 a.m.

Of course the exact timeline of when the suspects were drinking is rarely revealed as they are for the most part uncooperative in such circumstances, Thomas said.

But science does show that an average liver can process about one unit (or shot) of alcohol per hour. This means that if you drink 12 units, it'll take you roughly 12 hours to fully sober up.

As one website that sells alcohol interlock devices says, "Imagine if you go out for dinner at 7 p.m. and have two glasses of wine. Then you head over to the pub with friends and have three bottles of beer and one tequila shot, and your last drink was at 1 a.m. Your body would have started to metabolize the alcohol at dinner, but it would be 12 hours later by the time all of the alcohol leaves your system.

"Even if you've metabolized a large portion of the alcohol by 8 a.m., you could still be register over .08 when you get behind the wheel to go to work or home. And if you're stopped while driving drunk, even if you didn't intend to, you'll receive the same jail time, fines, and ignition interlock program as anyone who made the decision to get behind the wheel drunk."

Of course, to be totally safe, you could buy an interlock device. They go for around $100, but you can also consult different websites that will gauge the time it takes to be sober given the type of alcohol consumed and when you began drinking.

The amount of time also depends on your weight and sex among other factors.

There's a few sites that will help you figure it out including When Will I be Sober: http://www.whenwillibesober.com/; and The Morning After at http://morning-after.org.uk/?page_id=82.

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