Beer-loving Brazilians adapt to the 'dry law'

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The Washington Post

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On the toll bridge between Rio de Janeiro and the city of Niteroi one recent night, the police were intent on changing that. Seven federal highway policemen with bulletproof vests and machine guns had funneled traffic into one lane and were pulling people over for random sobriety tests. But the "blitz," as they call it, was off to a slow start.

When police asked Luciano Soares, a computer graphics professor, to step out of his Fiat for a test, he was less than enthusiastic. "You have in Brazil an expression: 'For the English to see,' " he said. "This law is just a show."

Soares blew into the breathalyzer, which failed to work.

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"Breathe deeply and blow really slowly," said Castro, the police officer.

Again, nothing. Castro flipped the machine over, trying to figure out the problem. The professor blew a third time. Finally it registered a reading.

"It's zero," Castro said. "He didn't drink anything."

The next victim showed more potential. Marcos Viera, 36, fumbled his documents and dropped his license on the ground as he stepped from his Chevrolet minivan. A nervous drunk, perhaps? No such luck. Viera blew a zero.

"I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't have sex. I do nothing," Viera said.

Maybe the problem was timing. It was Wednesday night, approaching midnight. "The best time to come here is Sunday morning. All the drunk people are coming back from Rio," said Marisa Dreys, a police inspector at the checkpoint.

'It can't be zero. It's a lie.'
Then Chaves and Mendes drove up. Two young men out for a night on the town. This could be fruitful. The police moved in. But Mendes seemed confident.

"I think this is an excellent law. It makes things safer. There are fewer car crashes. And it's really changed my behavior," he said. "I would normally have a beer or two after work, but tonight I didn't, because I knew I was driving."

Could that all be true?

Chaves, 15 beers deep, wasn't convinced. As the breathalyzer came out, he leaned toward Mendes unsteadily, a cigarette dangling from his fingers. "You really didn't drink anything tonight?" Chaves asked.

"No, I didn't."

"I drank a lot," Chaves said.

Mendes blew a zero. Chaves erupted. "It's a lie. It can't be zero. It's a lie," he shouted to the police with glee. Some friend.

"Brazilians are the biggest beer drinkers in the world!" he said.

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The young men headed off for the rest of their evening. They didn't know where they were going.

"Anywhere with beer," Mendes surmised.

And they now knew which highway to avoid, because Mendes might not be so abstemious all evening. "Hopefully we won't see these cops on our way back," he said.