Recent research from Rhode Island reinforces important information that is likely to run contrary to what teens who abuse alcohol think about their ability to function. Even if you think you are not too drunk to drive, you may be wrong, according to a new study from the nonprofit healthcare organization Lifespan.

• Lead author Peter Snyder and his colleagues had young people drink until they were legally drunk with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.10%.
• Then participants tried to navigate a computer maze as their BACs slowly fell to normal levels.
• Although participants told researchers they felt less drunk, they still kept making mistakes on the maze that the vast majority of sober people do not.

"The subjective feeling that you are drunk does recover more quickly," Snyder said. "This explains why so many individuals feel subjectively that they are able to get into a car and be able to drive and feel safe. But that subjective impression does not mesh with the actual recovery in terms of higher order executive function."

The study appeared in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology.
 

Labels: alcohol_abuse, drinking_driving, effects

Posted By: Jane St. Clair