Scientists Find Easy Test to Determine How Drunk You Are

Police officers often rely on field sobriety tests when determining if someone should be arrested for drunk driving. These tests usually comprise of physical actions to see just how drunk someone seemingly is. A new study, however, found a way to determine people's intoxication levels without them lifting a finger.

The research published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs claims that reciting tongue-twisters can help observers determine just how many sheets to the wind a person is. Talking about Peter Piper's pickled peppers or Sally selling seashells by the seashore can already be a challenge sober, so it could be a good way to ascertain one's level of drunkenness.

Study author Dr. Brian Suffoletto believes it could be a good way to curb excessive drinking—and dangerous activities like getting behind the wheel—in the future. "The tongue-twister was used as a kind of vocal stress test to bring out changes that might not be detected when speaking routine prose," he said, per The Guardian.

"The most obvious [application] is as a form of ignition lock on cars which would not allow someone to start their car unless they could pass the 'voice challenge' which could be used in certain high-risk workplaces like school bus driver or heavy machine operator to ensure public safety," he noted. "Another application could be in restaurants or bars so a bartender can know when to cut someone off."

To conduct the study, scientists gave subjects large, weight-based doses of alcohol to intoxicate them and observed them reciting a different tongue-twister every hour. AI voice analysis examined their speech to predict intoxication with 98 percent accuracy. However, more research is necessary to find better results, as the study only dealt with white participants and didn't look into other parts of speech like volume.

Of course, if you're unsure of your intoxication level you should never get behind the wheel or participate in activities that could be dangerous while drunk. But this test could at least let you know if you should be asking the bartender for another drink or not.