Enter how much beer, vodka, moonshine or wine you drank, your weight and when you started. The calculator estimates your blood alcohol and shows the earliest time your body should be sober (0.0‰). We calculate cautiously – but it is only an estimate, not permission to drive.
How does the BAC calculator work?
We use the Widmark formula: the amount of pure alcohol in grams is divided by body weight multiplied by the body water factor (0.7 for men, 0.6 for women). The liver burns on average 0.1–0.2‰ per hour – to estimate the time to sobriety we use the lower, safer value of 0.1‰/h.
How much alcohol is in beer, vodka and moonshine?
A 0.5 l beer at 5.5% contains about 22 g of alcohol, a 50 ml shot of 40% vodka about 16 g, a 150 ml glass of 12% wine about 14 g, and a 50 ml shot of 50% moonshine about 20 g. Home distillates are often much stronger than vodka, so always enter their real strength – measure it with an alcoholmeter.
Drink-driving limits in Poland
From 0.2 to 0.5‰ is 'after alcohol use' – driving is a petty offence (art. 87 of the Polish Code of Petty Offences). Above 0.5‰ is intoxication – driving is a crime (art. 178a of the Criminal Code). It is safest to drive only at 0.0‰.
Drink-driving limits in Europe and worldwide
0.0‰ (zero tolerance): Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Brazil, United Arab Emirates. 0.2‰: Poland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Ukraine, China. 0.3‰: Japan, South Korea. 0.4‰: Lithuania. 0.5‰: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Scotland, Turkey, Australia. 0.8‰: England, Wales and Northern Ireland, most US states and Canada (federal level).
In many countries young and novice drivers have a lower limit – in Germany, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and Lithuania it is 0.0‰, in France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Greece, Ireland and Latvia 0.2‰, in Spain 0.3‰, and in Austria and Switzerland 0.1‰. The calculator takes these limits into account – choose the country and say whether you are a novice driver.
Why is the result only approximate?
Blood alcohol depends on what and when you ate, drinking pace, hydration, medication, liver disease, tiredness and individual metabolism. The morning after a party many people still have alcohol in their blood although they feel sober. The calculator does not replace a breathalyser or a blood test.
How we calculate
Widmark formula: ‰ = alcohol (g) ÷ (body weight × r), where r = 0.7 for men and 0.6 for women. Grams of alcohol = ml × strength × 0.789. The body burns on average 0.1–0.2‰ per hour – to estimate when you can drive we cautiously assume 0.1‰/h. The result is only an estimate: real concentration depends on food, health, medication, tiredness and drinking pace. The only safe answer is: don't drink and drive.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours after a beer can I drive?
One 0.5 l beer at 5.5% is about 22 g of alcohol. For an 80 kg man this gives about 0.4‰, which the body removes in 2–4 hours. It is safer to wait the full 4 hours and check yourself with a breathalyser.
BAC after 2 beers?
For an 80 kg man two 0.5 l beers at 5.5% (about 43 g of alcohol) give about 0.8‰ at peak, for a 60 kg woman about 1.2‰. Full sobriety usually takes 6–8 hours or more.
BAC after 100 ml of vodka?
100 ml of 40% vodka is about 32 g of alcohol – about 0.56‰ for an 80 kg man, which is already intoxication in Poland. Reaching 0.0‰ takes about 4–6 hours.
Do coffee, a cold shower or sleep speed up sobering up?
No. The liver burns alcohol at a steady rate – coffee or a shower can make you feel better but won't lower your BAC. Sleep only helps because time passes.
Can I drive the morning after a party?
Often not. After an evening with several beers or several shots of vodka you may still be above 0.2‰ in the morning. Check the result in the calculator and preferably test yourself with a breathalyser.
What is the BAC limit in Germany?
In Germany the general limit is 0.5‰, and for drivers who have held a licence for less than 2 years or are under 21 it is 0.0‰. From 0.3‰ you can already be penalised if you drive unsafely or cause danger.
Which countries have a zero alcohol limit?
Zero tolerance applies e.g. in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, and outside Europe e.g. in Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.
Is moonshine stronger in effect than vodka?
What counts is the amount of pure alcohol. 60% moonshine has half as much alcohol again as the same amount of 40% vodka, so it raises BAC faster. Enter the real strength of the distillate in the calculator.