It might make you feel a little better but it won’t do anything whatsoever for the alcohol still in your system – in fact, it might even slow down your recovery! The liver processes alcohol at a fixed rate of roughly one unit per hour, and this process cannot be accelerated by sleep, food, coffee, or fresh air. It can, however, often be slowed down if your body is having to digest food at the same time.

A driver who consumed significant alcohol the night before may still be over the legal limit the following morning, even after a full night’s sleep and feeling completely alert. The only reliable approach is to stop drinking early enough that sufficient time has elapsed before driving. Employers should address morning-after risk explicitly in their drug and alcohol policies, and drivers need to understand that feeling fine is not the same as being under the limit.

Make sure you know how many units are in your favourite drinks –  a single shot of a spirit such as gin or whisky (typically 40% ABV) will contain 1 unit of alcohol, a double will contain 2 units,  a strong lager (typically 5% ABV) will contain 2.8 units and a large glass of wine will typically contain between 2.5 – 3.7 units depending on strength (10-15% ABV).