You stop over at your brother’s house for a bite to eat and indulge in a couple of beers while you’re there. Or, you’re out with your friends and you have a few drinks with dinner. You drank slowly, had a full meal and you certainly don’t feel drunk — but are you really sober enough to drive?

Here are some of the ways people use to tell if they’re actually as sober as they think they are:

• A blood alcohol estimation chart: These charts are broken down by gender, weight and the number of drinks that you’ve had in a given period.
• An app that tracks your eye movements: These apps work similar to the roadside sobriety testing that police officers use to look for horizontal gaze nystagmus — a condition that’s often caused by drinking — and gives you an approximation of how high your blood alcohol content (BAC) may be.
• A pocket Breathalyzer: Like the larger units that police officers use, pocket units are designed to measure your BAC by detecting traces of alcohol on your breath.

The only problem is that none of these methods are 100% accurate. No chart can totally predict how you will personally react to the alcohol in your system. No pocket Breathalyzer or app is guaranteed to give you accurate results — especially if there’s “user error” involved.

Frankly, you should get a ride home if you’ve been drinking at all or stay where you are until all of the effects of the alcohol have clearly worn off. If you make a mistake, however, and overestimate your sobriety, don’t let a drunk driving charge ruin your life. An experienced defense attorney can protect your rights.