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All states are pushing even harder for an increased awareness of the 'Morning after the Night before' drink driving problem. Police are warning all drivers to consider their BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) before getting behind the wheel of a car after a big night out this holiday period.

People are becoming more and more aware of the problem of drunk driving and either arranging a designated driver, calling a cab, taking public transport or "crashing" the night. But what if you need to get somewhere the next morning?

Sandra Robinson, Road Safety and Traffic officer for Leeton Shire, NSW said the number of people caught driving under the influence (DUI) between the hours of 6am and 12noon during holiday periods increases dramatically.

"Every year I get calls from shocked drivers wanting to know why they have been charged with DUI the morning after a big night out," Ms Robinson said.

After more than 5 hours of sleep, a shower, cup of coffee and a good breakfast you may feel fine to drive but police are still catching motorists well over the .05 legal limit.

How does this affect our teenage drivers? In most states of Australia there is not only a .00 blood alcohol tolerance for probationary licence holders but stricter penalties apply for drivers over this limit. Teenage drivers have to wait for all the alcohol to pass through their system before getting behind the wheel.

Addiction Psychologist Dr Mark Daglisk says, "Approximately, the body will get rid of 1 standard drink per hour."

"Often when people go to sleep, they've still got alcohol in their stomach, so their blood alcohol is still rising."

Chief Health Officer and Road Safety Council Member in Western Australia, Andy Robertson says, "Your blood alcohol level can keep rising for up to two hours after your last drink."

The likelihood then of teenage drivers still being over the legal .00 limit when they wake up the morning after a big night out is considerable!

How is it possible then to keep our teenage drivers safe on the roads and prevent them establishing a criminal record with DUI charges?

S.P. Hardy, a Melbourne Barrister with 18 years experience defending road traffic offences lists 9 points to avoid drink driving convictions without legal assistance. At the top of the list is, "If you drink, don't drive" (common sense to most people) however, it's closely followed by, "Buy a personal breathalyser".

Though Richard Blackburn, in a December 2009 article in The Age entitled "Breathalysers put to the test" discredits the pinpoint accuracy of commercially available personal breathalysers and states, "Perhaps buying one only encourages you to push the boundaries." RACV (Royal Automobile Club of Victoria) retail stores have seen an increase in sales of personal breathalysers to parents of teenage drivers.

Anne-Maree Keys of the Rosebud store says, "Parents are getting them for their teenage kids to make sure they're not registering before they go off to work the morning after a big night."

The RTA (Road Traffic Authority) NSW Drink Driving Brochure says, "Don't try to estimate your BAC. Measure it. The RTA recommends using an Australian Standards approved (AS - 3547) breath testing device. But remember... If you go out drinking and have a big night you may still be over the limit the next day so take another test in the morning."

If you are planning to drink, then plan NOT to drive. Plan ahead; take a taxi, take public transport, organise a designated driver who won't be drinking, arrange a friend or family member to give you a lift. Remember it takes time for alcohol to completely break down in your system. If you're still concerned the morning after a big night look to invest in a personal breathalyser and make sure you test yourself before getting behind the wheel of a car!

Just plead guilty and get it over with? Or seek the help of a public defender?

Since it was so recently I don't have all the details yet of what I'm going to be charged with. I wasn't pulled over; I accidentally turned my car off the road and into train tracks. Car got stuck, police had to be called, car towed, etc.

From what it sounded like my BAC is likely to be .16 or so.. which puts me in the highest range, unfortunately for me.

For my first offense I did get a lawyer but I'm not so sure if it would be a good idea for the second one (AKA I really really dont think I can afford it). Does anyone have any experience, anything they've actually gone through? It seems like all of the DUI law websites are full of misinformation; the penalties they list for your first offense, even under ARD, are a lot worse than what I got my first time.

So yeah. Any advice? If its mandatory that I really should find a lawyer, I guess thats what I have to do. And people that have gone through this before in PA.. what should I expect?
(Not to be a jerk, but yes, I realize drinking and driving is stupid and irresponsible. I didn't go into "I'm not going to do this again." because it isn't what my question is about, but yes, I do realize what a stupid mistake it was. I'd appreciate if everyone could stay on topic; it already happened and I'd like to move on and figure out how to deal with it.)

my church uses real alcoholic wine for communion, we typically get 1-2 sips. Nothing nearly enough to get you drunk or buzzed, but I'm sure it'll show up on a breathalyzer.

Can I be charged with a DUI for this?

The breathalyzer is a key test in the drunk driving stop. Fail to blow below .08 and courts in many states will rule you are impaired per se and driving drunk, forcing you to then prove your innocence. The question for many is whether these results can be affected artificially.

The myths floating around bars and television shows are legendary. There are a host of sure thing theories on how you can cheat a breathalyzer test if pulled over. If it was really so easy, do you think the devices would be used in every state? The truth is, most of the supposed secret strategies don't work because they don't even address how a breathalyzer determines your blood alcohol level.

From onions to breath mints to licking batteries, the different approaches to beating a breathalyzer test are both humorous and inaccurate. A breathalyzer does not measure the smell of alcohol on your breath! It measures the amounts of alcohol gas in a breath. Modifying your breath with onions or mints does nothing to adjust this. The battery approach is just bizarre and definitely doesn't work.

In an ironic twist, the popular picks of mouthwash and breath spray actually make things worse. Why? These products improve your breath by killing the bacteria in the mouth that smell bad. What do they kill it with? Alcohol! If you take a couple of hits of breath spray before getting on the road, your blood alcohol level is going to be through the roof. Studies have shown that it can be as high as .50 for up to 20 minutes after using breath sprays in particular. That's a lethal dose!

There is one simple way to beat the breathalyzer and it works every time. Pull out your phone and call a cab! Consider the cost benefit analysis. for a cab ride or ,000 for a defense attorney, court fines and so on. The cab ride looks like a very good investment.

One frequently asked question is how many drinks does it take to put someone over the legally admissible blood alcohol content (BAC) for driving. This is a very complicated question as there are many factors that come into play. These can include your body type, weight, sex, the time period over which you imbibed your drinks, etc. Of course, the simplest and most obvious answer to this question is to never ever drink and drive and you won't have a problem. This article and its author admonishes you to you never drink and drive and always have a designated driver whenever ANY alcohol is being consumed. You will be safer by doing so, and so will those who share the roads with you. If you have been arrested for DUI or a similar charge, you need to find the best DUI lawyer you can find to help defend you.

However, to answer the question, we'll offer some thoughts here. Remember, this is certainly not an exact science, but there are some rules of thumb that might aid you in determining whether you are likely to be over the limit.

In all states, the legal limit is.08 BAC. In general, a 100 lb. person can ingest ONE serving of alcohol (a 12 oz beer, 1oz of 100 proof liquor, etc) before reaching this legal limit. Some will be over the limit with just one, and others will go over the limit (and even over the.1 limit of other states) with only two servings of alcohol.

While this may seem pretty steep, remember that most people are not 100 lbs, and the math changes for those who weigh more. For example, a man weighing approximately 160-165 pounds can generally have about three servings of alcohol before going over the legal BAC level. Most people at this weight are still under the legal limit and can drive. The rule of thumb that is easiest to remember if you are an average sized adult is that if you have had three drinks within a short period of time, you are probably still under the limit, but fast approaching it.

But this is still simply a rule of thumb. Other factors such as medications, general fatigue, health conditions, and amount and kind of food ingested recently can all have significant effects on BAC. Again, this article is not meant to endorse drinking and driving of any kind, even when under the legally permissible BAC limit. Having a designated driver is always the safest and best alternative.