When you are young, dumb and full of umm piss and vinegar you often have that “It won’t happen to me attitude” or the whole “lack of a foreseeable consequence for your actions” kind of attitude. The reality of the situation is that A. It will happen to you and B. for every action there is an equal reaction…i.e Consequence. Unless you live under a rock then you are well aware of all of the issues surrounding drunk driving. Many a campaign have been launched to try to decrease the amount of incidences per year. The harsh reality is this: if there is alcohol someone is going to drink it. Alcohol tends exemplify the above listed attitudes in the form of Liquid Courage.
If you have ever been around anyone suffering from a case of Liquid Courage you are well aware of just how hard headed they can be. Stating over an over “I’m fine, I’m fine” while bobbing and weaving is enough to frustrate the soberest of friends. Wouldn’t you just love a way to prove to them that they are too intoxicated to drive that didn’t involve blue lights and orange jump suits?? Well, the folks over at Breathometer have a little something for you. Combining our love of alcohol and our smartphones, they have developed a product that will “make the world a smarter place while having fun”..
I had my doubts about this product but Acadia Einstein convinced my to try it one Friday night in the comfort of my own home. We set up a Google hangout session where there could be people to remind me to blow at the necessary intervals (it states that you should wait 20 minutes after your last drink before you blow). I picked my poison- vodka and whatever juice was on sale- and poured the standard 2 ounce pour. I wanted it to be as realistic as possible. The App was quick to download (be sure to check compatibility prior to purchasing device…ahem) and the instructions for the actual device were quite easy. I am assuming they were written at a certain educational level given the fact that a potential drunk person needs to get through it…well played Breathometer…well played.
After my second drink we decided it was time to blow this Popsicle stand (pun totally intended) so I plugged the device into my phone and loaded the app. It takes a few seconds to calibrate (the device does not make any noise so you have pay attention to the screen) and then a blue light lights up. This is spot you blown into for 5 seconds (again pay attention to the screen). After the 5 seconds are up it analyzes and gives you the results. We tried several different scenarios. I blew into it immediately after my second drink (did not wait the 20 minutes) and I blew a .11… I am a small in stature person and if I was truly that intoxicated I think I would have felt that intoxicated. I waited the full 20 minutes and it was down to a .05. When it shows your analysis it comes with a piece of advice.. such as “you are good to go” or “call a cab’ and there is a button you can push that will pull up local cab companies which I think is pretty cool. After consuming my final drink (I believe it was my fourth) I waited the proper amount of time and then blew….results below..
Did I feel .09 drunk?….Yes I did. All in all I think that the Breathometer is a good product…would I pay $49 for it? If I was someone that engaged in multiple social outings per week…yes….how I am now? probably not. It would be a great product for graduates…yes high school graduates because let’s face it…. they all have smartphones and when you are legal it is no longer fun to drink. If they use it as a novelty then it will at least show them the numbers and how “white girl wasted” they get and they may actually stay out of the car. Just a thought. I give it the Choo seal of approval and think that with some good marketing it could be successful. Happy (and responsible) drinking everyone!
Choo
I miss all the great parties
We can always do it again!!
That picture of you may be the best thing I’ve ever seen.