Controlled drinking and the MPU – is it possible?

In the following section you will find details on the points blood alcohol level, repeat offences, age and potential for change, and drinking pattern, which you can use for orientation.

The blood alcohol level

There is no absolutely binding limit, only a rough guideline: from around 2.5 ‰ BAC, controlled drinking may be advised against. Under certain conditions, controlled drinking can still be considered for levels well above 2 per mille. We are happy to check your individual case.

Age

The MPU assessor generally attributes considerably more potential for change to a younger person, because a lot usually still changes at this stage of life (career, training, starting a family, etc.). The chances for controlled drinking are higher in this case.

The average 50-year-old, on the other hand, usually lives in fairly entrenched patterns. Against this background, habits and routine often play a much more important role at this age. Statistical studies show that with increasing age, the way people handle alcohol is usually quite entrenched and has been practised for many years. Switching to controlled drinking is therefore rather uncertain and much more difficult than for younger people. Complete abstinence from alcohol is therefore the more promising alternative.

Time of day and day of the week

This information is regarded as a very significant indicator of the extent to which alcohol may already be an essential part of your life. Someone who drinks a lot at the weekend does not necessarily have problems at work or in other areas of life.

However, anyone who has been caught driving under the influence during the day and/or on weekdays is very likely to have been unable to fully meet their professional obligations, for example, or to have alcohol-related problems in other areas of life. That would be a clear sign of an advanced alcohol problem. Controlled drinking would then definitely no longer be possible.

Am I a repeat offender?

Anyone who has been caught with alcohol in road traffic several times is considered a repeat offender. In such cases, it is much less likely that controlled drinking will be accepted. Often – and also according to the official assessment guidelines – assessors do not accept controlled drinking here, but require complete abstinence from alcohol.

The four criteria allow a fairly reliable assessment of whether controlled drinking can still be accepted. However, a clear decision is rarely possible, as the overall picture counts: the more unfavourable factors there are, the less likely controlled drinking becomes.

If abstinence is required, binding proof must be provided in accordance with the CTU criteria (e.g. 4 urine samples in 6 months, 6 urine samples in 12 months or hair analyses every 3 months). There may be no more than 4 months between the end of the proofs and the MPU – longer gaps must be plausibly explained.

Controlled drinking in the MPU is not a self-experiment

Drinking rules alone are not enough. In the MPU, what counts is whether your approach is psychologically coherent, consistent and realistically explainable. This is exactly where many fail – despite supposedly correct rules.