lordsummerisle,
I see the point you are trying to make, and would not condone excessive drinking before flying, however, I think the example you give is inaccurate. No one is going to guzzle 4 pints of Stella, in the 5 minutes prior to the 8 hour ban, which is what they would have to do, in order to have only 8 hours to metabolise the 12 units consumed. Realistically, you would be more likely to have a drink 12 hours before report, say, finishing before the 8 hour ban. Of course, the 12 units you consume will start to be metabolised as soon as as you start drinking, which rather conveneintly means that you will have zero in your system the next day!
I am not recommending that any of my colleagues take this as "gospel", but it is fairly obvious, that as you drink, your body processes the alcohol. I would also take issue with the statement that everyone metabolises at the same rate. A lot of what I've read would seem to contradict that. Some peoples' bodies do process the alcohol faster, just as some people are 3 sheets to the wind after only one shandy.
The fuss that is kicked up by these stories is unreal, and I'm glad that there is such an eloquent voice of reason, in the form of FL. Of course we shouldn't be over the limit before we fly. But.....even if this guy was, it's a long way from 100s of passengers dying in a smoking wreck! Let's get some perspective!
Oh, and can people stop saying that I can't have a beer within 24 hours of flying, and that I've got some kind of problem if I feel like settling in front of the TV with a beer after a 4 sector day.
