Firstly, everyone is different, but as a guide: Men—No more than 2 standard drinks in the first hour and 1 standard drink each hour after that. Women—No more than 1 standard drink each hour.
Drink driving is a factor in about one in every seven crashes in NSW where someone is killed so if you are wondering about how much alcohol you can drink and still be safe to drive the simple and safe answer is, zero.
As a general guide, to stay below the open licence limit of 0.05% BAC: Males can have a maximum of two standard drinks in the first hour, and one standard drink each hour after that; Females can have a maximum of one standard drink in the first hour, and one standard drink each hour after that.
Drinks per hour rule
The general rule of thumb is that 2 standard drinks in the first hour will raise your BAC to 0.05%, and 1 standard per hour thereafter will maintain that level. To do a quick calculation of whether you are over 0.05% BAC, simply take the number of hours since your first drink and add 1 to it.
Under 0.02 applies to:
A BAC of 0.02 can be reached after the consumption of only one standard drink (a middy of beer, a nip of spirits or a small glass of wine). Drivers subject to a 0.02 limit should not drink any alcohol before driving.
It's worrying that 1 in 20 (5%) think it's safe to drink 4 alcoholic drinks and drive. But as a general rule, 2 pints of regular-strength lager or 2 small glasses of wine could put you over the limit. This equates to roughly 4.5 units of alcohol. For more information, check out our alcohol unit calculator.
Even small amounts of alcohol can affect your ability to drive, and there is no fool-proof way to drink and stay within the limit. The advice from the police is clear: avoid alcohol altogether if you plan to drive.
Many people have the false impression that driving after one drink is OK. The truth is that even one glass of wine can make you legally drunk.
On average it takes at least one hour for your body to clear one small alcoholic drink. For some people it can take longer. That is, at least one hour to clear a middy of beer, or a small (100ml) glass of wine, or a standard nip of spirits.
Wine: The average glass of wine can take 3 hours to leave your system, half of your favourite bottle can stay in your system for 4.5 hours, and the average bottle can take 9 whole hours to leave your body.
Essentially, the one drink per hour rule means that as long as someone only consumes 1¼ ounces of hard liquor, one beer, or one glass of wine and no more over the course of an hour, then they are safe to drive.
Average amount of hours to process
The alcohol from one bottle of wine would take 11 hours from when someone has stopped drinking to leave the bloodstream before it is safe to drive.
In an average glass of red wine 150ml (13.5% alcohol) served at a restaurant you're consuming 1.6 standard drinks. In an average glass of white wine 150ml (11.5% alcohol) served at a restaurant you're consuming 1.4 standard drinks.
Generally speaking, it takes approximately one hour for every unit of alcohol to leave your bloodstream. This is dependent upon your age, weight, gender, genetic factors. This means that a 14% bottle of red, white or rose wine, which is 10.5 units will take around 10.5 hours to wear off.
How Long Does It Stay In Your Body? On average, most people can break down a half of a drink every 30 minutes. A large glass of wine takes about 3 hours to completely metabolize, whereas some drinks can take as long as 6.
A typical-strength medium (175ml) glass of wine has around 2.3 units of alcohol.
In Your Blood: Up to 6 hours. On Your Breath: 12-24 Hours. In Your Urine: 12-24 Hours.
The NIAAA estimates that one drink would be metabolized and out of your system after three hours, two drinks after slightly over four hours, three drinks by six hours and four drinks by seven.
Behonick said if a 150 pound man has one standard drink, it would give him a BAC of about 0.025 percent. A standard drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine or one shot of 80 proof alcohol.
Alcohol affects your judgment; even a small amount can affect you if you're not used to it. If you plan to drive – then do not drink. That is the safest and most reliable advice.
Drink driving – you're breaking the law if you drive and your blood alcohol concentration equal to or more than 0.05. If you're on a learners or provisional licence, your BAC must be zero.
The smallest amount of alcohol can affect your vision, reaction times and ability to drive, even if you remain well below the legal drink-drive limit of 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres.
The standard amount of wine to get drunk is usually around three to four glasses. It's because the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) will reach the minimum amount of drunkenness at 0.25 percent. The BAC is calculated based on your weight. Someone with higher weight can get drunk much slower than those with a lower number.