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.