Drinking & Driving

Season’s Greetings. It’s that time of the year again, for friends, family, and Christmas parties.  This is the worst time of year for drinking and driving accidents. In fact, people who drink and drive are responsible for about 23,000 deaths a year.

When we drink, alcohol goes to the stomach where it is absorbed by the blood stream. The alcohol is then carried to our brain. When it reaches the brain, alcohol affects our driving in three ways. It impairs our judgment and our decision making ability. It affects our coordination, and our ability to handle a vehicle. And it affects our vision–our ability to see things clearly.

Here are a few suggestions on how to help your guests be responsible drinkers.

• Make it very clear that if they drink, they are not going to drive (collect their keys if they plan to drink, have a designated driver available, etc.)
• Give your guests a choice. Have nonalcoholic beverages available (coffee, soft drinks, juice)
• If you’re going to tend bar, don’t push drinks on people. (Let them come to you)
• Don’t make drinks excessively strong (you won’t impress them by serving drinks that make their eyes water)
• If you’re going to push anything, push food (crackers and cheese, chips and dip, or hors d’oeuvres)
• Serve coffee. It won’t sober up a guest, but at least it takes the place of another alcoholic drink

`Tis the season for giving and caring, not for attending a funeral. Please Remember, friends don’t let friends drive drunk!