My opinion on drunk driving idiots (including me).

2 things:
I think people who drive drunk are complete idiots!
And I've done it before. Once.

It was stupid. Absolutely stupid! I'd had a few drinks. Felt fine but knew I was over the limit. I lived just around the corner (literally 2 minutes drive) in a small country town (a village really), and it was 2am (so not likely to see any cars). In the car, were my boyfriend, my brother and his friend.

And the police stopped us.
What were they doing there?? They are never there! And I mean never! I was shaking like a leaf. Trying to look cool and relaxed.

Oh gosh! It's my mom's car, she is going to kill me!

The policeman asked for my license and had a look at the car. And then... let me go.

I could not believe it! No breathalyzer!

I think the fact that a woman was driving three men around suggested that I was the designated driver so they didn't bother.

That was the first and last time I drove "under the influence".

When patients come to see me and admit to drunk driving, I put on my psych, non-judgemental voice and we talk about how they feel about it and what the potential consequences are.

But what I really feel like saying is: "you blimin' idiot!!" And that's still putting it mildly!

What an incredibly stupid thing to do! Never mind the fact that you are putting your life and others at risk, what about the risk of losing your license? Going to jail? The embarrassment? Possibly losing your job? Is it really worth it?

An aspect of drunk driving that we don't always think about is the impact it has on both the victim's and the perpetrator's families. Before writing this post I asked for stories about drunk driving and that was the common thread: the impact on the family left behind. With jail time comes loss of income as well as embarrassment for the rest of the family.

I personally know someone who was killed by a drunk driver. She was 16. He too thought he was fine to drive. They all do. And he killed someone. She was someone's daughter and sister. She played the guitar.

Could you live with yourself if you killed someone? Take a minute to really think about that. Imagine being responsible for the death of someone. Being the one who actually caused someone to stop breathing. If it was out of your control it would be hard enough, never mind if you had been drinking.

So next time you go out drinking, don't be an idiot! Grab a cab home. Call someone. Sleep in the gutter if you have to. It may not be pleasant, but it beats killing someone.