Public Service Announcement

After sitting in the bar of Point Bowl Thursday night, (thank you NFL for the blackout) in order to watch my beloved Packers be completely mistreated by the referees yet again (Redskins game anyone?) which caused them to lose to Dallas, my even more beloved Brett Farve suffer a elbow injury causing him to sit our for the rest of the game, all the while trying not aggravate an already inflamed asthma attack, I realized that even more shocking than all the football events playing out around me was this:

Most of the people around me were drinking way too much alcohol and still planning on driving themselves home.

This really upset me. Because the drunk person behind the wheel probably won't take out themselves in a fatal accident. Chances are they will take out a family of four. Or six. Or my family. Or my friends. And that is tragic. And completely, 100% preventable. I don't care how long they have been drinking and driving. I don't care how "good" or how much "practice" they think they have had. The fact of the matter is, up until now they have just been lucky that they haven't been caught or caused a fatal accident. Every time they get behind the wheel intoxicated, above the legal limit, they are endangering my friends and my family. And I like my friends. Most days I even like my family.

Even in college where I was no choir angel, my friends and I always had a designated driver. I will even tell you why we did, or at least my reason. Fear. Pure, abject, and total fear of my mother. My parents couldn't pay my tuition, but they could and did, generously pay for my truck when I was in college. I was cold-stone terrified by the prospect of ever having to tell my mother that I had been pulled over for a DUI. Not only would it have been the end of my truck privileges, but probably much of life as I knew it, so I never put myself in a situation to discover the alternatives. I walked, crawled, stumbled, and staggered home. I took my turn as the designated driver. I did not drink and drive even in college.

So, as your friend, your relative, the person your friend forwards this too, or your random blogger, please do not get the behind the wheel if you are intoxicated. Even if you think you are borderline intoxicated and unsure if you should drive, call a cab, give your keys to a sober person, or call someone to come and pick you up. The benefits of not paying $6000.00 for your first DUI, the embarrassment of it, and the potential injuries you may incur, far outweigh any inconveniences you may face in the next morning.

I love my husband, my kids, my friends, and my family. All of them deserve to live their lives to fullest and not have them cut short because of poor decision making. Accidents are avoidable. So is driving drunk. So, for my families sake, for your families sake, make the smart choice and please, please, stop driving drunk.