It is no secret that alcohol is a big part of the holiday traditions in Sweden for most people. Not all of course, but most. We’ve documented the crayfish tradition in August, replete with alcohol. We’ve even included a few drinking songs. And while this blog does not speak for all of Sweden, we do try to touch on the cultural mainstays of the Swedish way of life. And that includes drinking. For better or worse.

The insurance company Salus Ansvar seems to understand the prevalence of alcohol at the holidays and has created a mobile app to monitor your state of drunkenness. The app has one main goal. To keep people from driving drunk. The main concern is actually not getting into the car right after a party, but instead getting into a car the next morning with alcohol still in your system. A large percentage of Swedes according to Salus Ansvar are unsure whether or not the alcohol has cleared out their system by the time they are ready to drive in the morning. And that can have serious consequences. Especially in Sweden.

Drunk driving laws in Sweden differ quite a bit from those in the US. The legal limit differs from state to state, but I am from Colorado where the legal limit is .08%. That ends up being a couple of drinks. In Sweden though, the laws are much stricter. In fact, four times as strict. The legal limit is .02%. That essentially means one drink and you are done. No more driving. And if you decide to ignore that and pour a few more drinks into your gullet, you can reach what is considered a higher level of drunkenness. With higher penalties.  That level is .10%.

Salus Ansvars app, titled Körklar? (essentially asking you whether you are safe to drive or not and available at the Apple store if you’re interested in checking it out), takes into consideration factors such as your sex, your weight, the amount of drinks, and the time of consumption. All of these factors are computed to give an idea as to how long it takes your body to clear the effects of alcohol from your system.

Of course, this is not perfect. Each person burns alcohol at a different rate, but it is an interesting solution to a problem many Swedes deal with around the holidays. With apps like these though, the fear is always that you get the occasional idiot who instead of using it to safely monitor themselves, tries to reach a new level of drunkenness. Best advice? Be careful. Don’t drive if you’re drinking, no matter what country you’re in, and if you are going to drink, do so in moderation.

With all that said, god jul och gott nytt år!