For example, mouthwashes and medicines like asthma medication, oral gels, over the counter medications, and breath sprays may have alcoholic ingredients that could procure an inaccurate reading. Another reason why certain foods can set off a breathalyzer is because of fermentation.
However, you cannot beat a breathalyzer test, or bypass a breathalyzer device without being reported. The most common tip to beath a breathalyzer is to use mouthwash or a breath mint. However most mouthwashes or mints result in testing positive for a higher level of BrAC as they contain alcohol among their ingredients.
If you've used a product that contains alcohol, the Breathalyzer might detect the alcohol concentration and report a false positive. Products that contain alcohol include toothpaste, aftershave, hand sanitizer, bleach, mouthwash, perfume and cologne. Even spraying bug repellent on yourself can produce a false positive.
The study found that artificially sweetened drinks, such as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, provided an average breath alcohol concentration of 0.065%. Comparatively, conventional sugary carbohydrate-laden drinks, such as Coke and Pepsi, yielded a concentration of 0.045%.
Specifically, hyperventilation and drinking water before using the breathalyzer were shown to significantly lower the BrAC readings. Breath analyzer operators should be cognizant of these methods that may lead to falsely lower BrAC readings.
Generally, a breathalyzer test can test positive for alcohol for up to 12 hours after consuming one alcoholic drink. The average urine test can also detect alcohol 12-48 hours later. If your BAC is 0.08, it will take approximately 5 hours to metabolize the alcohol completely before you can become “sober” again.
There's no fast way to sober up once alcohol is in the bloodstream. The only way to sober up is to wait for the alcohol to metabolize. However, the body can only process a limited amount of alcohol per hour.
Vinegar – Some types of vinegar are made from wine and contain trace amounts of alcohol. Not nearly enough to cause impairment, but possibly enough to lead to a false positive.
If you vape alcohol, it goes directly to your lungs. Since you're breathing in the alcohol vapor, naturally, it's going to show up on a Breathalyzer. The same is true if you're using an ignition interlock device (IID) to start your car. IIDs work the same way as Breathalyzers do.
While it might come as a surprise, the over-consumption of caffeine could trigger a false positive on a breathalyzer test.
Ethanol and Energy Drinks
The alcohol concentration in these beverages is negligible; nowhere near high enough to classify them as an alcoholic beverage. However, reports of false positives in DWI breath-testing have been common since these drinks' popularity has skyrocketed.
Products such as mouthwash or breath sprays can cause significantly high readings on a breathalyzer because many of these products contain alcohol. For example, Listerine mouthwash contains 27% alcohol.
For every one drink, your BAC goes up by about 0.02 percent, so reaching a BAC of 0.08 percent takes about four to five drinks.
After a night of consuming alcohol, many people ask: “If I drank the night before a breathalyzer test, will I get in trouble?”. Yes, you could get in trouble because alcohol could stay in your breath for up to 12 hours.
Alcohol detection tests can measure alcohol in the blood for up to 6 hours, on the breath for 12 to 24 hours, urine for 12 to 24 hours (72 or more hours with more advanced detection methods), saliva for 12 to 24 hours, and hair for up to 90 days. The half-life of alcohol is between 4-5 hours.
It is important to note that common strategies used to “sober up,” such as taking a cold shower, sleeping, drinking water and consuming caffeine, do not work to lower BAC. The only thing that can help alcohol leave your bloodstream is time.
Eating and drinking
Eating before, during, and after drinking can help slow the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. Drinking plenty of water can also assist with dehydration and flushing toxins from the body.
Food and beverages other than alcohol: Many foods contain alcohol in low enough content to not cause intoxication but high enough to throw off a breathalyzer reading. These include fermented drinks, like kombucha, ripe fruits, energy drinks, protein bars, nonalcoholic wine and beer, hot sauce, some nuts, and cinnamon.
Unless you're washing your lungs out with a peanut butter sandwich, it won't help you beat a breathalyzer test. So, when it comes to beating breathalyzer tests, there's only one solution: don't drink and drive. Even a small amount of alcohol can cause impairment.
Studies show that the acetaldehyde concentrations in the lungs of smokers are far greater than for non-smokers. Hence, it can easily appear in a breathalyzer test. Hence, if you are a smoker, your breathalyzer results can show that you have been drinking, even if you have not been.