Getting home safely after a night at a brewpub

Decide before the first sip

Judgement is the first thing alcohol takes away. At 7 pm, sober, everyone agrees that driving home is a bad idea. At 11 pm, after three pints, "I feel fine" sounds reasonable. So the decision has to be made at 7 pm and left alone.

Before you leave home, settle one of these: a cab both ways, a named sober driver, public transport or a place to stay nearby. If you drove to the brewpub for some reason, decide now that the car stays there overnight and work out how you will collect it.

The legal limit is lower than most people think

In India the legal limit for driving is 30 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. That is stricter than the UK limit in England and Wales, which is 80 mg. Police checks use a breath analyser. Penalties include fines, licence suspension and possible imprisonment. Rules and enforcement vary by state and change over time, so do not treat any number as a target.

How much beer gets you to 30 mg varies with body weight, sex, food and how fast you drink. For some people a single 650 ml bottle of strong beer can be enough. The only safe amount to drink before driving is none.

Two wheelers are not the exception

Many people who would never drive a car after drinking will happily ride a scooter home "because it is only five minutes". The legal limit is the same for two wheelers. The risk is higher. Balance, reaction time and judgement of distance are exactly the skills alcohol impairs first. A rider has no crumple zone.

Leave the scooter. Lock it at the brewpub if the staff allow it, or do not bring it at all.

Make the sober driver's evening worth it

A designated driver is the most reliable plan for a group, but only if that person actually stays sober. Make it easy for them:

• Agree who it is before you set off, not at the table.
• Rotate the job so the same friend is not always stuck with it.
• Buy their food and soft drinks. Ask whether the brewpub has alcohol free beer, house sodas or hop water.
• Leave when the driver wants to leave.

If the driver has "just one", the plan has failed. Switch to a cab.

Cabs and late nights

App cabs make getting home easy in most Indian cities, but late at night surge pricing and long waits are common. Book 15 to 20 minutes before you want to leave. Share the trip details with a friend. If you are travelling alone late, sit in the back and keep your phone charged. Whatever the fare, it is a small part of the evening's bill.

Ask the staff to call a cab or to let you wait inside until it arrives. They would much rather do that than watch a guest walk to a parked car.

The morning after still counts

Your liver clears alcohol at roughly one UK unit an hour. Nothing speeds it up. Three 500 ml glasses of 6% IPA add up to 9 units. If you finished at midnight, a fair share of that may still be in your blood at 7 am. People who would never drive at night drive to work the next morning while still over the limit.

Coffee, a shower, a big breakfast and sleep do not lower blood alcohol faster. Count back from when you finished. Our guide to standard drinks shows how to do the sum.

Look after the people you came with

Getting yourself home is half the job. Make sure everyone in your group has a plan too. If a friend insists on driving, take the keys, call a cab for them or arrange for someone to drive their car home. It is an awkward moment that lasts a minute.

If you are hosting at home instead, our guide to hosting a beer party where nobody drives covers the same ground from the host's side.

Set it up tonight

Before your next brewpub visit, message the people you are going with and agree how each of you is getting home. Put the cab app on your home screen and save the brewpub's phone number. That two minute message is the whole plan.

Common questions

What is the drink driving limit in India?

30 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. Rules and penalties can change, so the safe approach is not to drive at all after drinking.

How long after drinking can I drive?

It depends on how much you drank. The liver clears roughly one UK unit an hour, so several beers can keep you over the limit into the next morning.

Is it safe to ride a scooter after one beer?

The legal limit is the same as for cars and riding needs balance and fast reactions. Do not ride after drinking.

Does coffee help me sober up to drive?

No. Coffee may make you feel more alert but your blood alcohol stays the same.