Ireland drink drive calculator: How long to wait if you've had beer, gin or wine over bank holiday

Dublin Live

05-05-2025

Ireland's May bank holiday is in full swing, with loads of people taking advantage of the extra day off.
But amidst all the fun, there's a serious message for drivers - beware of driving the morning after a night of drinking. Morning time can be risky for those who've had a few drinks the night before, and An Garda Síochána's increase in early-morning checkpoints across the country reflects this danger.
The guards are making their presence known this bank holiday, cracking down hard on the big four "lifesaver offences" - being under the influence at the wheel, speeding, not wearing seatbelts, and using mobile phones while driving. Drinkaware - Ireland's leading charity tackling alcohol misuse - warns that only time will sober you up, reports the Irish Mirror.
No amount of food, coffee or sleep will speed up the process of alcohol leaving your body.
The charity's CEO, Dearbhla O'Brien, notes that boozing at home, which has spiked because it's cheaper given the cost-of-living crisis, could make it tougher to judge how much you're necking. She explains: "As the cost of living rises, consumer habits are changing and more of us are drinking at home than in pubs and restaurants, and this comes with additional challenges in moderating our drinking. When drinking at home, it becomes easier to over-pour and lose track of how much we're drinking. At home, there's less restraint, and people may not be as aware of the quantity of alcohol they're consuming, leading to overconsumption."
Drinkaware is issuing a call to action for increased awareness around the dangers of drink-driving. Dearbhla emphasised: "Just because you've stayed in doesn't mean you're safe to drive the next morning. Alcohol can stay in your system longer than you might think. Drinkaware's online drink-driving calculator can help you assess when it's safe to drive after drinking."
Based on Drinkaware data, processing one standard drink takes no less than an hour. A half pint of beer, a 100ml glass of wine, or a standard shot of spirits are each considered one standard drink.
Notably, a typical pint of beer counts as two standard drinks, meaning the body requires approximately two hours to metabolise a single pint.
The calculation begins the moment you have your last drink. So, should someone down three pints of beer by midnight – that's six standard drinks – they must wait six hours from that point before sobering up sufficiently to drive, making 6am the earliest advisable time to hop into the driver's seat.
If you're concerned about potentially being over the limit post-May bank holiday, look no further because Drinkaware offers an alcohol calculator designed to estimate the necessary duration for your body to clear the drinks you've had.
6 pints of lager/stout
If you end up having 6 pints of Guinness, Heineken, Carlsberg or some other lager or stout in and around 4.5%, according to Drinkaware you can't drive for 12 hours after you finish your last drink. So if you head to bed at midnight, you can't drive until noon the following day.
1 bottle of wine
If you polish off one bottle of red or white wine you will have to stay off the road for eight hours after you finish, according to Drinkaware.
8 gin and tonics
Drinking eight gin and tonics would mean no driving for 8 hours after your final drink.
5 pints and 5 vodkas with mixers
Some people going for a proper wild night could be drinking pints in the house for the day before going to the pub and switching to vodka. This one could have you feeling particularly bad the next day and that is reflected in how long you have to stay off the road.
According to Drinkaware, you will have to avoid driving for 15 hours after your last drink.
Calculate your own
Some of the examples above involve very harmful levels of drinking. These figures above are estimates. The only way to remove alcohol from your system is time, no amount of food or water will speed up the process, say Drinkaware. If you want to calculate your own, head over to this drinkaware.ie page.
Binge drinking is defined as consuming 60 grams of pure alcohol - six or more standard drinks - in one sitting. This is the equivalent of three pints of cider (568ml), six bottles of lager (330ml) or four glasses of prosecco (150ml).
You can find further information, advice and useful resources on drinkaware.ie.
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