Question: I still can't believe that I got a DUI charge in DeKalb County. Yes, I was drinking pretty heavily but I know how to handle myself around booze and I know how to cover-up my drinking. I drank at school and never got caught and I drink at work all the time and I've never been caught, so I don't know how a DeKalb cop could tell I'd been drinking.

I was drinking in a bar and I only had a little bit of food and then I drove home. I wasn't in a great mood because I had lost some basketball bets when I bet on Georgia State University and on Georgia Tech. I like to drink and gamble.

I was driving home when a cop got me for speeding. The first thing he said was how much did I drink. I said nothing, but then I admitted to 3 beers. He had me get out of the car and I did those tests where I walk and he looks into my eyes. He kept asking me how much I drank. He said I smelled of booze.

But before I left the bar I had a candy and I thought that would prevent him from ever smelling the drinks. How did that cop know I was drinking? How do people not smell like liquor or beer when they've been drinking?

D.K. in DeKalb County, GA

Answer: The cop may not have known that you were drinking. He may have just guessed and tried to “trick” you into an admission, which they can legally do. Or he may have smelled something and was just trying to get you to state that you had been drinking. Frankly, we will likely never know why the cop thought you had been drinking. Of course, if you are pulled over by a police officer, it's usually best not to admit that you were drinking anything; just provide the law enforcement official with the documents he asks for and state your name and address.

As for how people hide the odor of alcohol, that is an ancient topic of discussion. For centuries, and maybe even longer, people have tried to disguise the scent of alcohol so as to not be detected by friends, family members or employers. Here are some interesting ways that some folks have tried to hide their drinking:

• Using deodorant, cologne and perfume
• Chewing gum or using other types of candy
• Smoking cigars or cigarettes
• Eating pungent foods like garlic
• Covering themselves with scented body lotion

We're sure there are many other ways people have tried to hide their imbibing, but these are several of the ways that seem the most prevalent.   

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