Alcohol and Drunk Driving Glossary

Glossary of Alcohol-Related Terms

• Alcohol: a liquid (C2H2OH) found in intoxicating drinks.
• Alcoholics Anonymous: (AA) An organization for alcoholics-with the intent to cure the addiction.
• Alcohol Detector: Any device designed and used to detect the presence of alcohol.
• Alcoholic: Someone addicted to alcohol.
• Alcoholism: Addiction to alcohol
• Abuse: Improper use of, as in excessive drinking of alcohol.
• Arrest: The taking of someone into police custody.
• BAC: Acronym for Blood Alcohol Concentration used as a means to determine the alcohol level in a drinkers blood system.
• Beer: An alcohol drink brewed from malts and hops.
• Bender: A drinking spree.
• Binge Drinking: A heavy drinking session normally associated with alcohol.
• Blood Alcohol Test: A test given to determine if a drinker’s blood alcohol level is within legal limits to drive a vehicle.
• Booze: Slang for alcohol
• Boozer: One who over indulges in alcohol.
• Breath Alcohol Test: A test given to determine if a drinker’s blood alcohol level is within legal limits by testing lung air samples.
• Breathscan: A scan designed to measure the amount of alcohol in a drinkers system.
• Breathalyzer: A trademark name that has become a generic term for an apparatus that tests a person’s blood alcohol level.
• Calibration: Test and adjust the accuracy of a measuring device.
• Cocktail: A drink consisting of a mixture of other drinks, usually alcohol and a soft drink or juice.
• Coin Operated Breath Alcohol Testing: A vending machine installed at facilities serving alcohol drinks to measure a driver’s blood alcohol concentration.
• Delirium Tremens: A symptom of alcohol withdrawal, typically caused by stopping consumption quickly, marked by agitations, tremors, and hallucinations.
• Detoxification: (Detox) To rid somebody or yourself of toxic, especially addictive substances.
• DOT: (Department of Transportation) Acronym for the agency mandated to maintain and police state highways.
• Driving Under the Influence: (DUI) a descriptive statement meaning the driver of a vehicle has been drinking alcohol.
• Drunk: Someone who drinks alcohol to excess.
• Drunk Driving: The act of operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
• DUI: Acronym for “Driving Under the Influence.”
• DWI: Acronym for “Driving While Intoxicated.”
• Enabler: One who enables another to do something.
• Evidentiary: Pertaining to or constituting legal evidence.
• Hangover: The unpleasant after effects of drinking too much alcohol.
• Ignition Interlock: Device integrated into a vehicle’s ignition system that prevents operation if the driver’s blood alcohol level is above legal limits.
• Inebriate: To make drunk.
• Intoxicated: A state of being drunk.
• Libation: An alcoholic drink.
• Liquor: An alcoholic beverage produced by distillation instead of fermentation.
• MADD: Acronym for “Mothers Against Drunk Drivers”
• NHTSA : Acronym for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• OUI: Acronym for (Operating Under the Influence) meaning a driver of a vehicle is operating under the influence of alcohol.
• SADD: Acronym for Students Against Destructive Decisions
• Sober: Not drunk, tending not to drink alcohol.
• Sobriety: The state of not being drunk.
• Social Drinker: One who drinks on occasion but not to excess.
• SR-22 Insurance: Insurance certification to the Motor Vehicle Department that the driver has liability coverage and that the Department will be notified if the policy is cancelled.
• Substance abuse: Excessive consumption or misuse of any substance especially drugs or alcohol.
• Zero-Tolerance Laws: Laws in affect aimed specifically at young drivers or those involved in alcohol related accidents.