The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Many people believe that if you have consumed too much alcohol, coffee sobers you up. The fact is that neither coffee nor anything else will sober you up if you are impaired. The only way to get sober is to decrease the amount of alcohol in your blood, which travels through your brain and slows down its functions. Alcohol reduction in the blood stream is performed by the liver at a certain rate, and the only factor that affects this action is time. So wait it out, or sleep it off, before attempting to drive. The coffee will not improve your driving or cause a breathalyzer to register a lower alcohol reading. Eating something before you drink, or while you are drinking, will slow down the absorption rate of alcohol from the stomach to the bloodstream. The alcohol, however, will eventually become part of your bloodstream and affect your brain. Did you know Maurice and Nancy Wilhelm, owners of Freezerland Foods in Brampton, Ontario, have a Newfoundland map hanging in their store on which customers mark where they're originally from. Today, at least 285 names and their various hometowns are noted on the map. Something to Ponder: A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a unicorn.
