A breathalyzer is a device used to determine blood alcohol concentration (BAC) by measuring the amount of alcohol in a sample of your breath. Have you ever wondered whether it's possible to beat a breathalyzer test? There are several ideas that have been tried and tested and found to either not-help or even cause you to test higher and one way that has been shown to lower your breath alcohol level.Things That May Worsen Your Breathalyzer Test Results
Let's start with a list of things you can do to make your breath extra-alcoholic. Try these if you want to be ticketed or jailed or whatever.- Applying breath spray before the test. Many of these contain alcohol. In fact, if you spray Binaca into your mouth before the test, you could potentially achieve an apparent BAC of 0.8, which is above the lethal limit for alcohol. It's also worth noting some of these products will give you a false positive up to 20 minutes after using them.
- Using mouthwash. Again, many of these products contain alcohol. For example, Listerine is about 27% alcohol. Similarly, some breath mints contain sugar alcohols.
- Chasing your hardcore booze with a Zima. Apparently some people think Zima is non-alcoholic or somehow absorbs alcohol you have already imbibed. No, on both counts.
- Belching into the breathalyzer. Now this one is based on the idea that gas from your stomach will contain less alcohol than gas from your lungs. Although it sounds good in theory, in practice your burp will give you a similar or even higher breathalyzer test result than simply breathing into the device.
- Holding your breath. If you hold your breath you allow more time for alcohol to diffuse into your lungs, increasing the apparent BAC as measured by a breathalyzer by up to 15%.
Things That Will Not Help You Pass a Breathalyzer Test
While these actions won't worsen your test results, they won't lower your apparent BAC in a breathalyzer test.- Eating feces or your underwear. I have no idea why this is supposed to help, and yes, people have tried it.
- Chewing gum.
- Sucking on pennies. Apparently this myth has something to do with a purported reaction between copper and alcohol. Even if this were true, pennies consist primarily of zinc.
How to Beat a Breathalyzer Test
The one action you can take that will reduce your apparent BAC on the breathalyzer test is to hyperventilate before taking the test. What you are doing here is replacing the alcoholic gas in your lungs with as much fresh air as possible. While this will reduce your BAC test value by up to 10%, you'll still test positive for alcohol. If you're near a limit, you might be able to beat the test. If you're seriously drunk, all you're likely to do is make yourself dizzy so you can fail all of the other tests, such as walking a line or touching your finger to your nose.References
Still convinced eating your underwear or swishing around mouthwash will help you? Here are some references to check out:Mitchell, C. Ainsworth (March/April 1932). "Science and the Detective". The American Journal of Police Science (Northwestern University) 3 (2): 169-182.
Bogen E (June 1927). "The Diagnosis of Drunkenness--A Quantitative Study of Acute Alcoholic Intoxication". Cal West Med 26 (6): 778-83.
Comments
The best way to beat a breath test is not to drink and drive, works every time.
Mouthwashes are a waste of money , they kill the mouth bacteria that protect us from Heliobacta Pilori (stomach ulcers)
Heliobacter pylori, do you mean?
haha this is very funny:)
Dear Nurse Pauline did you ever consider that a corection between Y or I in a spelling is just pointless pedanicsm? all it does is spread bad feelings on a site that is primarily aimed at youg people wanting to learn. Seeing such pointlless ridicule will lower their chance of participating in all learning areas.
I never drink any way but I was wondering if smelling some acetic acid glacial ….. it smells really bad but beats being arrested
I can remember at school we worked out a bunch of chemicals (I forget what they were) that you could keep in a pouch in your mouth that would absorb the alcohol and thus enable you to pass the breath test regardless of how much you had to drink.
On the other hand, they would do so much damage to the inside of your mouth, an urgent and emergency rush to hospital would be required to repair the damage…
We decided that not drinking and driving (preferred) or a spell in jail would be the better option…
just played with the neighbors breathalizer and yes hyperventialation did work by at least 10%:-)
the best way to beat a test if you are not seriously not drunk, but had a couple, is to not blow, what i mean is, just puff a little, then pooch your cheeks out so it looks like you are blowing, this messes up their little machine, then if they say, do it again and blow hard, just wisp a little breathe and pooch your cheeks out as is you were blowing hard, but do not blow, only wisp, this really messes up their little machine and makes them feel as if it is defective!!!
Someone told me carry mustard packs or a thing of vinegar to help and I’m free yo
I have experimented with a fuel cell breath tester and have found reductions up to 40%
You cannot scam a breath testers by faking it as Tina said. breath testers have flow sensors that tell when you are not putting enough air through them. Playing games with the tester is a good way to piss off the cop your are dealing with who might have otherwise been inclined to cut you a break. I know, since I’ve seen hundreds of breath tests done in my employment at the Sheriff’s Office I work for.
Yes, you can beat a breathalyser by simply NOT drinking and driving.
To all those who’s answer is “dont drink and drive…”i say…”no sh*t sherlock!!!
Nurse Pauline,
Helicobacter pylori, do you mean? Stupid head.
It is amusing that these sites/posts on the internet actually focus more on avoiding the subject rather than speaking it clearly. Yes there are ways to beat a breathalyzer and yes there are ways breathalyzer tests will become unreliable. Regarding the title of this page and your knowledge, a simple “I don’t know of any, move on to the next reference” would’ve sufficed.
The breathalyzer test is a deterrent, driving and drinking
is a serious flaw in thinking, The attitude is safety first
always. Your worth the price of a cab ride home safely
pretty sure that .08 is not the LETHAL limit….
You guys cans say what you want but i had to breathalyze the day after new years and i got hammered the night before, used mustard and passed with flying colors…p.s if your gonna act all high and mighty learn to articulate your thoughs dipsh*t
The way to beat it is to smoke prior to blowing into it, make sure you dont entirely breath out all smoke, then blow smoke into the machine thus poisoning the electrodes – source – electrochemist
What if you shot the alchohol in the butt. Supposed ti get you messed up quick.
my
mate drunk a bottle of vodka,and he berped then blew and it worked.
There is only one proven way that you don’t see around much. It’s painfull and will give you a bad hurtburn. Always carry a bottle of pure white vinegar in the car, the stuff they sell at WM for 99c. The moment you see cops, grab your vinegar, drink as much as you can and hide the bottle. You will stink like hell so make sure the cops dont notice. By the time you blow there will be so much acetic acid fume in your breath that should convert all the alcohol into esters that cannot be measured by the typical testers
Attention, not everybody can drink straight vinegar, it will hit you in the head like a hammer, but if your are in deep shit, it’s worth the pain. Worked for me down to zero reading. Good luck.
Wow lol this article (and comments) is just idiotic. I might make an article titled “How to avoid getting pregnant” then list myths that don’t work followed by a bunch of retarded comments saying “Simple, just don’t have sex” or “Simple, just be a male”.
*facepalm*
I think you should not drink or drive it works both ways
This is how you beat it chew on a bounty laundry fabric softner keep in between the teeth an blow if the cop see it in your mouth your going to jail if not your going home it works without it I blew .333 with it I blew 0.04
It’s not always about drink driving. Some work places have regular test and require zero reading. Sometimes this is hard if you’ve been celebrating. It happened to me today and I nearly lost my job!
Breathalyser measures alcohol levels deep in your lungs, hence the requirement to blow for an extended period. If you breathe deeply for a while while awaiting the test this should reduce the alcohol/Blood ratio.
IF YOU ARE NEAR THE LIMIT, I.E. 2 PINTS IN A ONE PINT LIMIT JURISDICTION, this may help’ it would not help anyone who was too far gone to remember. Two or three minutes before the test hold your breath and then breathe out, do not breathe in, hold it for ten seconds then breathe out again, repeat one more time, as far as possible. When you can’t stand it anymore breathe in again, with luck you should have replaced a lot of the alcohol soaked air in your lower lung and pass the test.
WONT WORK for serious offenders! but may help people on the borderline!