Q: Where did the idea for the Know Your AQ program come from?

A: Sherry Colbourne, the CEO and co-founder of Know Your AQ, recognized a need to pass along fact-based information about responsible drinking – not just warnings – to young adults. She developed a program around two key elements:

1. enforcement-quality technology
2. a little-known science called BAC (blood alcohol concentration) discrimination

Q: You’re doing something interesting with Conestoga College?

A: Yes, we’re offering the Know Your AQ (alcohol quotient) 4-hour training program through the continuing education program there. The sessions are listed on the website at www.knowyouraq.ca

Q: What does the training program involve?

A: The program offered at Conestoga College, called Know Your AQ (alcohol quotient) is a 4 hour program that can help people adjust better to the lower limits that will be coming into effect. The program involves completing a consumption map survey, breath alcohol testing and small motor skills testing.

Q: What is the consumption map survey?

A: The consumption map survey is available at www.learnyourlimits.com. It is free and will provide you with a profile of your attitudes and behaviours around drinking.

Q: What are the current laws about drinking and driving in Canada?

A: Under Canada’s Criminal Code,

• a driver who has a BAC level between 0.05% and 0.08% can have his or her license suspended for 12 hours
• a driver who has a BAC level of 0.08% or greater can be charged with DWI (driving while intoxicated)

Q: Is it true that the drinking and driving laws in Canada are changing?

A: Yes, Ontario has new short-term suspension laws coming into effect in November 2008.

Q: How will the laws change?

A: Bill 203 will increase sanctions for short-term suspension recipients. At 0.05% your first offence will be a 3 day license suspension, a second offence will be a 7 day license suspension, a third offence will be a 30 day license suspension – with fines attached to all punishments.

Q: As part of Know Your AQ, people are asked to estimate their BAC (breath alcohol concentration) level. How does a person go about guessing what his/her BAC level is? What does 0.05% or 0.08% look like to an individual?

A: This is the reason we developed the Know Your AQ program. Every time someone has a drink or two and gets behind the wheel, that person has made a judgment about their BAC level. We are trying to help people understand that their best guess is still just a guess. Without a frame of reference for such seemingly arbitrary numbers as 0.05% and 0.08%, how can anyone make any kind of an intelligent determination as to their level? We want to help prevent people from making an honest mistake by giving them that essential frame of reference.

Q: So, to the average person, what does 0.05% BAC (blood alcohol concentration) or 0.08% BAC mean in tangible terms?

A: The fact is that, without having the technology (a breathalyzer) or the Know Your AQ teaching, percentage BAC levels – upon which all of our drinking and driving laws are based – mean nothing to the average individual because they’ve never been given a baseline from which to judge.

Q: Is it still possible to blow over the legal limit when you drive yourself home the morning after you’ve been drinking?

A: Yes, it is possible and, unfortunately, quite common. The notion that sleep can help a person “sober up” is a myth. The only thing that will help a person sober up is the passage of time and that is a direct reflection of the amount of alcohol consumed. Every person, regardless of age, weight or sex, eliminates alcohol at the same rate of approximately 0.015% per hour.

Q: Over time, does your body change or become immune to alcohol?

A: No. Alcohol is a poison. This means that the toxicity of alcohol in the bloodstream will never change, no matter how “accustomed” one might get to the presence of alcohol in the bloodstream.

Q: Are there any effective drinking strategies to minimize absorption, such as drinking milk to coat your stomach?

A: Milk does coat your stomach, but it has no bearing on alcohol consumption. Alcohol is absorbed directly into the bloodstream and once it has entered there, travels directly to the brain. That is why we feel the effects of alcohol consumption almost immediately.

Q: I’ve heard some people say that different kinds of alcohol affect them differently. ie. “I can drink vodka, but I get angry when I drink rye.” Is there any basis for that?

A: Such reactions to alcohol can be the result of an allergic reaction.

Q: My friends always say, “I can handle it. I drink a lot all the time, so my tolerance is high. And whereas you don’t drink a lot, your tolerance is less than mine.”

A: Tolerance is about how you feel – if you’re used to feeling drunk, your ability to judge impairment is not as great.

Q: How soon after you consume alcohol does it get into your system and how much alcohol do you eliminate per hour?

A: Alcohol is immediately and directly absorbed into the bloodstream, but it takes approximately 30 minutes for your BAC level to peak.

Alcohol is eliminated from the body at a rate of 0.015% BAC per hour.

Q: How effective is the breathalyzer technology that is on the market today?

A: There are essentially 2 kinds of technology on the market today: oxide-semi conductor technology and fuel cell technology.

The ones that range in price from $20-$200 utilize what is known as oxide-semi conductor technology, which is great for electronic devices but not for breath alcohol testing.

In our Know Your AQ program, we use breathalyzers that utilize fuel cell technology – which is what the police use. We believe that if you’re going to use a tool, you should use what they do. We also sell this technology to the general public. If you consider how much an error in judgment can cost personally, professionally and financially, the investment in accurate, professional quality technology is the best insurance you can buy for a lifetime of protection. For more information about purchasing a fuel cell breathalyzer, visit www.ladybugteknologies.com/pub/company/request/ or call 519-653-3117.

Ampoules are also based on fuel cell technology, but they can only be used once and they do not give a precise BAC reading. Rather, they will indicate if you are above or below a predetermined limit.

Q: Can you fool the technology you use in the Know Your AQ program?

A: No, the breathalyzer we use in the program and sell to the general public is absolutely specific to ethanol – which is what the body converts alcohol to once it enters the body.

Q: Do you offer the Know Your AQ program as a service?

A: Yes, we have an event service for those who would like to make breath testing stations available to guests at any social function at which alcohol will be served. The service is particularly popular for those who recognize that they have a social host responsibility to protect their guests.