Can You Drive the Morning After Drinking?

You raise a glass to your best friend, celebrating another birthday. Everyone cheers and downs tequila shots. The night becomes a blur of bars, rideshares, and "just one more" drinks. Sure, it's a Thursday—but it's your best friend's birthday. What else are you supposed to do?

The next morning, pounding club music has been replaced by a pounding headache. You groan and drag yourself through your morning routine, trying to get ready for work. Hours have passed since your last drink, but your head is still spinning. Then you remember: today is the big pitch meeting. You absolutely have to get to the office.

As you slide behind the wheel, you wonder: "Can I drive the morning after drinking?"

How Fast Does Your Body Process Alcohol?

First, it's important to understand that alcohol affects everyone differently. One friend might fall asleep after three cocktails, while another seems perfectly alert no matter how much they drink. The same goes for how our bodies process alcohol. Some people never get hangovers, while others feel sick all day. These differences come down to biological and environmental factors.

After a night out, your liver works to convert alcohol into carbon dioxide and water. How quickly this happens depends on several individual factors:

• Weight
• Age
• Sex
• Genetics
• Alcohol tolerance
• Metabolism
• Physical fitness

Your choices in the moment also matter—what you eat and how quickly you drink both affect how your liver processes alcohol. For example, eating fatty foods can slow down alcohol absorption by delaying stomach emptying. Certain medications can also intensify alcohol's effects, making you feel drunker faster.

How Quickly Does Alcohol Wear Off?

Let's talk timing. When responsibilities come calling, you might ask, "How many hours after drinking can I drive?" Your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) typically peaks 30 to 90 minutes after your last drink. After that, it decreases by about 0.015% per hour. A good rule of thumb: your body can only process about one standard drink per hour. One standard drink equals:

• 12 ounces of beer
• 5 ounces of wine
• 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor

When you drink multiple beverages in quick succession, excess alcohol circulates in your bloodstream. You'll feel intoxicated until your liver filters out enough alcohol—a process that can take up to 12 hours. Even after that, you might still be impaired by severe hangover symptoms.

Can You Drive the Morning After Drinking?

You did the right thing and took a rideshare home after drinking. Surely all that alcohol will be gone by morning, right? Maybe you'll feel better after a few hours of sleep? Not necessarily. Your liver follows the one-drink-per-hour rule regardless of what you're doing, so "sleeping it off" is a myth. Coffee won't help either.

Even after a full night's rest, you might still be intoxicated. Your body works hard to eliminate alcohol, but it can only do so much. If you drank until 3:00 a.m., for example, there's not enough time to process several beers before your morning commute. You could still be under the influence when your alarm goes off—with serious implications for your driving ability.

How Alcohol Affects Your Driving

Alcohol impairs both decision-making and physical coordination. Before driving after drinking, consider these effects:

• Lowered inhibitions: Alcohol gives you confidence, which isn't always good. Uninhibited drivers are more prone to recklessness and risk-taking.
• Reduced executive functioning: Alcohol weakens your ability to concentrate, multitask, and consider the consequences of your decisions.
• Vision changes: Alcohol alters depth perception and increases light sensitivity. You might experience blurred or double vision.
• Loss of coordination: Drinking slows communication between your brain and muscles, deteriorating motor skills. You might struggle with basic driving actions and react slowly to obstacles.

Simply waiting might not be enough to drive safely the morning after. Psychological studies show that hangover impairment can be just as bad as being drunk.

Is Driving Hungover the Same as Driving Drunk?

Yes, driving hungover can be very similar to driving drunk. Researchers studying hangover effects on simulated driving found that participants performed poorly the morning after drinking. Their attention lapsed more frequently and for longer periods. In another study, hungover participants broke traffic laws, lost control, and failed to pay attention—with impairment equivalent to a BAC of 0.05% to 0.08%.

If you're hungover, don't drive! Don't take the risk—give your body more time to recover.

How Long After Drinking Can You Drive?

So, how long should you wait? It depends on three factors:

• How much alcohol you consumed
• How quickly you drank
• What time you stopped drinking

The only way to get alcohol out of your system is to wait. You can't speed up the process with cold showers, coffee, or extra sleep. While intoxication typically passes within 12 hours, hangover effects can last 24 hours or longer.

Summing Up

You know your body better than anyone. Be honest with yourself: Are you truly ready to drive, or are you just trying to get somewhere on time? Always wait until you feel 100% before getting behind the wheel.

Alcohol doesn't run your life—you do. If you're tired of nights out affecting your work days, Quitemate can help. Our evidence-based platform has everything you need to cut back on alcohol or quit drinking altogether. Ready to experience world-class coaching, a caring community, and in-app accountability? Download Quitemate through the App Store or Google Play today!