speedsix wrote:
...I know this to be a fair way to look at it because if I came home from work and drank a beer, it would have a much stronger effect on my mind than if I drank one with supper...I could feel the difference...one person might drink three and feel no differently or act differently than when he/she was sober...under (A), it's specific to the person...under (B)...it applies to everyone...
Yes, as cops, you and I have both seen how different individuals react to different levels of alcohol alone. I have seen people who were 'tipsy' with .04 BAC, and I have seen the seasoned alcoholic who was driving fairly well and literally blew a .42 BAC. Everyone is different on what they can handle and function, and everyone will have differences from one day to the next due to physical condition (level of rest, amount of food intake, stress, etc. etc. The main reason for the discretion on the officer's part is the ability to determine someone is intoxicated from undetectable additives in the system and/or those other factors that may enhance the affect of a small amount of alcohol.
Bottom line, even one drop of alcohol DOES impede your system, as does anything else you put in it, but the effects are so minuscule that there will be no apparent degradation of faculties. The more you add, then more you are impacted.