DOCSLIB.ORG

The Limits of Tolerance: Convicted Alcohol-Impaired Drivers Share Experiences Driving Under the Influence

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Limits of Tolerance: Convicted Alcohol-Impaired Drivers Share Experiences Driving Under the Influence Original rESEarCH & COnTriBUTiOnS Special Report The Limits of Tolerance: Convicted Alcohol-Impaired Drivers Share Experiences Driving Under the Influence Sandra C Lapham, MD, MPH, FASAM vorite hobby, biking—he owns a The National Institute on Alcohol Abstract Harley—keeps him amused on his Abuse and Alcoholism estimates Most people are aware that reg- days off. During his weekend for- that consuming five or more drinks ular alcohol drinkers can become ays, B stops at bars or parks along in about two hours (four or more tolerant to the effects of alcohol. the way to drink beer. B says his drinks for adult females) brings the Tolerance can lessen the outward risky behavior has lessened since BAC to 0.08% or above, the legal manifestations of intoxication, his younger days. Now he doesn’t limit for driving in all 50 states.1 and this poses challenges for drink “hard stuff” on days he rides The estimated BACs for children the drinker and other observers, his motorcycle. are different. With five drinks within including law enforcement of- two hours (the level used to define ficers. On the basis of a National Blood Alcohol Content binge drinking among college stu- Institutes of Health-funded longi- Apparently, B assumes beer dents), children, ages 9 to 13 years, tudinal study examining a cohort is more benign than rum. In my may have BACs two to three times of convicted alcohol-impaired experience, this is a common mis- the adult legal limit for intoxication.2 drivers, this article presents com- conception among convicted drunk Several factors moderate the ab- mentary regarding this phenom- drivers. A number of offenders have sorption, distribution, and metabo- enon in offenders convicted of told me flat out that they can’t be lism of beverage alcohol. The pres- driving under the influence and alcoholics because they only drink ence of food in the stomach slows the implications for traffic safety. beer. Beer does contain less alcohol absorption. Drinking slowly and per ounce than hard liquor, and drinking more diluted alcohol al- B’s Story perhaps people mistakenly equate lows the body to metabolize it while The arrest for driving under the liquor’s quick high with addiction at the same time absorbing an in- influence (DUI) came as a surprise predilection. Beer is by far the pre- coming dose. Most people eliminate to B. Still, he took it pretty well. On ferred drink among convicted DUI about one drink each hour from one hand, he had known that he offenders, but a standard drink of a their system. An enzyme produced was breaking the law; on the other, 12-oz can of beer, a 1 ½ oz “shot” of in the stomach, glutathione-depen- he had concluded long ago that the 80-proof distilled spirits, or a 5-oz dent formaldehyde dehydrogenase, law did not apply to him. B, age 47 glass of wine all contain the same breaks down alcohol, decreasing years, is divorced, employed, and, amount of pure alcohol, 13.7 gr (0.6 its bioavailability. Alcohol is dis- unless sick, drinks a fifth of rum oz). The total amount of alcohol tributed in tissues according to most days. Drinking is important to consumed, plus other moderating water content. A person’s weight B. It calms his nerves and lifts his factors, not the type of alcoholic and sex determine the total vol- mood. Besides, he is often bored. drink, determines the blood alcohol ume of body water and, therefore, Drinking, combined with his fa- concentration (BAC). the BAC after drinking a certain Sandra C lapham, MD, MPh, fASAM, is a Board-Certified Specialist in Internal and Addiction Medicine. She is Director of the Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest, a center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation and Principal Investigator for an NIH-funded longitudinal study examining a cohort of convicted alcohol-impaired drivers. E-mail: [email protected]. 26 The Permanente Journal/ Summer 2010/ Volume 14 No. 2 Original rESEarCH & COnTriBUTiOnS The Limits of Tolerance: Convicted Alcohol-Impaired Drivers Share Experiences Driving Under the Influence amount of alcohol. In general, the ing than the descending portion of obesity, iron overload, infection, more a person weighs, the larger the BAC curve.8 Most experienced and genetic factors.12 The drinker the volume of body water and the drinkers develop some form of ac- typically is unaware of this process, lower the BAC. Alcohol pharmaco- quired or chronic tolerance. Chronic but when liver function declines kinetics differ by gender.3,4 Women tolerance is a bodily adaptation that below a certain threshold, tolerance have lower glutathione-dependent makes a person need to drink more declines. If the drinking continues, formaldehyde dehydrogenase ac- and more alcohol to get the same the drinker begins to realize that tivity, leading to increased alcohol effect, or inversely, an adaptation they can no longer continue to absorption. They also generally that causes less and less response “hold their liquor.” have a higher fat content and less to a recurring dose. There is a correlation between total body water, where ethanol The degree of tolerance, how- BAC and the drug’s behavioral and is distributed. This contributes to ever, varies both within and among emotional effects, but there is also higher BACs, an enhanced rate of individuals. How and why different considerable variability. For exam- … I was the alcohol oxidation in the liver, a people develop different manifes- ple, tolerance enables some very designated driver slower rate of gastric emptying of tations of tolerance are perplex- heavy drinkers to survive BAC lev- because my alcohol, and higher vulnerability ing.6 Metabolic tolerance refers to els considered lethal (in the range friends say I can to the toxic effects of alcohol.5 But changes in the absorption, distri- of 0.40% to 0.50%).10,13 Memorable drive better than another phenomenon, “tolerance,” bution, metabolism, and excretion patients with BACs this high have anybody when affects not only the BAC, but also of alcohol.9 These changes lead to been reported as conscious and I’m intoxicated. the body’s capacity to cope with a more rapid clearance of alcohol able to carry on conversations.10 high levels of this toxic chemical. from the body. Tolerance also oc- One report from Sweden describes curs at a cellular level in the brain a woman arrested for drunken driv- Tolerance itself (called functional tolerance), ing with a BAC of 0.55%.14 It is well known that regular which reduces signs of intoxica- drinkers, like B, develop tolerance, tion, even at high BACs. Because of T’s Story broadly defined as the ability to re- tolerance, habitual users may show It is commonly believed that peo- sist the action of a drug.6 Most peo- minimal effects of a dose that would ple who are alcohol dependent are ple, including B, are familiar with cause an intense reaction in a naïve tolerant to all the effects of alcohol, the term, “tolerance.” “I have real drinker. Whereas social drinkers and that tolerance protects a person high tolerance,” he bragged during may show clear signs of intoxication from impairment caused by alcohol his interview. “I can drive fine after at a BAC of 0.10%, such as nausea, intoxication.10 T, another person a few drinks; actually pretty good slurred speech, and lack of coordi- interviewed for my study on the even after drinking a lot.” nation, heavy drinkers at that BAC drinking and driving experiences of In effect, drink for drink, B feels may not show these signs.10 Added DUI offenders, fits this description. less drunk and may have less alco- to this, some drinkers are simply “Usually I was the designated hol-induced impairment in speech, less sensitive, by nature, to alcohol’s driver because my friends say I gait, and fine and gross coordina- effects.11 This is characteristic of can drive better than anybody tion than his light-drinking coun- people with alcohol dependence. when I’m intoxicated. Other terparts. The biologic mechanisms Learned expectancies and Pavlovian people, five beers and they’re of tolerance are complex. Different conditioning also influence toler- slurring their words or some- forms of tolerance have different ance to alcohol’s effects.10 thing, but five beers is nothing mechanisms of action. Far from be- Still, tolerance has its own limi- to me. Even when I first started ing a simple homeostatic response tations, for as the drinking career drinking, I could drink a 12- to the presence of alcohol in the progresses, over days, years and pack before I felt much effect brain, tolerance can develop within decades, so does liver damage from from the alcohol.” various time frames.7 Acute toler- alcohol’s toxic effects. Factors that ance, also called “tachyphylaxis,” may affect the development of liver Driving Under happens within a single drinking injury include the dose, duration, the Influence episode. In acute tolerance, signs and type of alcohol consumed, Both B and T fail to grasp the of intoxication at the same BAC are drinking patterns, gender, ethnic- limitations of their alcohol toler- more pronounced on the ascend- ity, and other risk factors, such as ance. Alcohol’s detrimental effects The Permanente Journal/ Summer 2010/ Volume 14 No. 2 27 Original rESEarCH & COnTriBUTiOnS The Limits of Tolerance: Convicted Alcohol-Impaired Drivers Share Experiences Driving Under the Influence on vision, vigilance, hand-eye co- nice guy, well thought of by friends with judges and prosecutors who ordination, anticipatory judgments, and relatives. On a warm Sunday are trained in adjudicating DUI balance, gait, mental alertness, afternoon, O enjoyed a backyard cases; community-based health problem-solving ability, estimates barbecue with friends and their care interventions for alcohol-use of distance, and quick reaction families in Santa Fe, NM.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Designated Driver Brochure
    Know The Limit Safety Tips Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration • Designate your sober driver before the party Subtract .015 for each hour after drinking begins. • Give your car keys to your designated driver, along MEN with appreciation for making sure you get home Be Safe safely. KNOW YOUR LIMIT • Find unique ways to recognize the designated drivers when you are out at a bar or restaurant. Approximate Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) In One Hour Tonight • Offer to be the designated driver the next time you Drinks Body Weight In Pounds go out. 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 • Cover the cost for parking or pay for a tank of gas. 1 .04 .03 .03 .02 .02 .02 .02 .02 • Pick up the tab for the designated driver’s food Possibly and drink. ...always use a 2 .08 .06 .05 .05 .04 .04 .03 .03 • Before you go out, program the numbers for local 3 .11 .09 .08 .07 .06 .06 .05 .05 Impaired cab companies in your cell phone. If you find designated driver. 4 .15 .12 .11 .09 .08 .08 .07 .06 yourself in need of a ride, help is just one call away. 5 .19 .16 .13 .12 .11 .09 .09 .08 • Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace 6 .23 .19 .16 .14 .13 .11 .10 .09 yourself—eat enough food, take breaks and 7 .26 .22 .19 .16 .15 .13 .12 .11 Legally alternate with non-alcoholic drinks. Intoxicated 8 .30 .25 .21 .19 .17 .15 .14 .13 • Never let a friend leave your sight if you think they Come home with the same smile on your face.
    [Show full text]
  • Alcoholedu for Parents
    FOR PARENTS Parents’ Role in the Transition to College Your student’s transition into college is a time of excitement and opportunity. Here are some suggestions for supporting your student while he or she is adapting to the college environment. Connect consistently. Your student may feel a mix of emotions about beginning the college experience – enthusiastic, anxious, confused, and/or optimistic. By being consistently available to your student, you will reassure them that they can talk to you as they experience new challenges and raise new questions. Support your student in making informed decisions and taking independent action. Your guidance and insight provides an important foundation for your student as he or she grows and matures. It is important to balance your advice with a reminder that you trust and support your student’s ability to make his or her own decisions. This will provide the support your student needs while developing his or her own identity. Encourage your student to seek help and access supportive resources. Facing new challenges, your student may feel overwhelmed or alone. Remind your student that asking questions and seeking answers is a proactive way of making decisions, and that there are campus resources available to help them, including student organizations, counselors, resident assistants, or members of the faculty and staff. Finally, you may want to learn more about what your student’s campus does to promote healthy growth and personal maturity and what you can do to support those efforts. Many of these resources can be found under the college’s Student Affairs section of the website.
    [Show full text]
  • If You Have Issues Viewing Or Accessing This File Contact Us at NCJRS.Gov
    If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. • \. ,-'-';'. ,-c·· -,- • JOHN ASHCROFT JOHN TWIEHAUS, DIRECTOR GOVERNOR DIVISION OF COMPREHENSIVE KEITH SCHAFER, Ed.l.l. PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES DIRECTOR GARY V. SLUYTER, Ph.D., M.P.H., DIRECTOR DIVISION OF MENTAL RETARDATION AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES LOIS OLSON, DIRECTOR DIVISION OF ALCOHOL AND STATE OF MISSOURI DRUG ABUSE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH 1915 SOUTHRIDGE DRIVE P.O. BOX 687 JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI 65102 (314) 751-4122 June 1988 Dear ARTOP Administrators, Professionals, and Instructors: The Missouri Legislature enacted a law in 1982 establishing educational programs for drinking and driving offenses. At that time the Governor mandated that the Department of Mental Health develop standards for the operation of Alcohol or Drug Related Traffic Offenders' Programs (ARTOPs). Based upon these standards, the original ARTOP Curriculum Guide was developed in 1984. The laws concerning drinking and driving have been changed twice since the original guide; once in 1984 with the addition of Administrative Revocation and again in 1987 with the "Abuse and Lose" law. The following is a second edition of the ARTOP Curriculum Guide. This Guide was developed in consultation with a task force of the largest ARTOP providers and reflects changes in statutes, program standards, and knowledge gained since the first edition in 1984. The choice of binding was made to facilitate easy insertion of additional material or any future revisions that may be made. The Division hopes that this Curriculum Guide will prove to be an easy document to use and welcomes your suggestions. Sincerely, 8D~~ Lois Olson LO:DTP:ldh , "':.-'., ./ An Eoual Opportunity Employer - A Non-Discriminatory Service 102749 U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Alcohol Commercials Bowl Over Responsibility Ads
    News Release Contact: For Immediate Release [email protected] February 3, 2003 Alcohol Commercials Bowl Over Responsibility Ads Youth 60 times more likely to see TV ads promoting alcohol than industry-funded responsibility ads Washington, DC - America's youth were 60 times more likely to see a commercial for an alcoholic beverage in 2001 than they were to see a responsibility ad purchased by the alcohol industry, according to a new study released today by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University. Responsibility advertising includes any ads that warn against driving after drinking or encourage use of a designated driver, that advise viewers to drink responsibly, or that inform about the legal drinking age of 21. "For two weeks the water-cooler conversation around the country has been who won and who lost the Ad Bowl at the Super Bowl," said the Center's executive director Jim O'Hara. "When it comes to alcohol advertising our research shows that America's families aren't even in the game. "The facts show the alcohol industry's responsibility ad effort is meager and doesn't get the job done," O'Hara added. "The bottom line is that parents' messages of caution and responsibility are being undermined on television." The Center is a public health group established to monitor and analyze the industry's marketing and its impact on youth. In analyzing the specific responsibility ads, the Center found that: • Youth were 170 times more likely to see an ad promoting alcohol than an industry ad discouraging drunk driving. Alcohol companies placed 172 product promotion ads for every drinking and driving prevention ad in 2001.
    [Show full text]
  • Alcohol Limits for Drivers: U.S
    Q Alcohol Limits for Drivers: U.S. Department of Transportation A Report on the Effects of National Highway Alcohol and Expected Institutional Traffic Safety Administration Responses to New Limits a Report To Congress February 1991 Prepared in Response to: Section 9003 _f, P.L. 100-690, November 18, 1988 Drug Abuse Act of 1988 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1 Preface 1 Study Approach 3 Expert Panel 5 Scope of Report 6 SECTION I LITERATURE REVIEW CHAPTER II THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ON BEHAVIOR 8 Background 8 Physiological Effects 11 Laboratory Studies of Driving-Related Skills 12 Neuromuscular 13 Vision 13 Tracking 14 Time-sharing and Attention 14 Attitude and Mood 14 Low BACs 15 Laboratory Studies 15 Simulator Studies 17 Closed Course Studies 21 Summary 26 CHAPTER III ALCOHOL CRASH PROBLEM 28 Epidemiological Research 28 Crash Outcome 34 Crash Characteristics 34 Driver Characteristics 34 Confidence Limits and Statistical Significance 39 Estimated Risk Using Similar Drivers as Controls 40 Crash Responsibility 41 Summary 43 CHAPTER IV CONCLUSIONS 45 EXECUTIVE SUN1VIARY This is the first of two reports in response to a congressional mandate to study the alcohol concentration at which a driver should be considered under the influence. Relevant findings from the work to date, as well as initial conclusions and recommendations, are presented. This report is based on a review of scientific literature on the influence of BAC' on driver performance and crashes, a review of existing legislation on BAC limits, and data collected on expected institutional response to alternative BAC limits - 0.08, 0.04, and 0.00 for the general driving public.
    [Show full text]
  • CONTROL STATE NEWS He Acknowledged the Majority of Arrests Were Well Above .08
    2900 S. Quincy St., Suite 800 Arlington, VA 22206 Tuesday, December 31, 2019 www.nabca.org | [email protected] NABCA would like to wish you a Happy New Year and thank you for all your support throughout the year. We look forward to providing you more news in 2020. Happy New Year! • New whiskeys, rye (and a hurricane relief rum) coming to Virginia’s state-run liquor stores • TABC has a message for those crossing alcohol TODAY’S • Health warning issued over fake booze HIGHLIGHTS • Some Solid Advice on New Year's Resolutions That Might Stick • Who Wins Wine's Trade War? • Are Liquor Stores Open On New Year's Eve 2019: State Opening Hours For Buying Alcohol (excerpt) CONTROL STATE NEWS He acknowledged the majority of arrests were well above .08. UT: Utah marks one year with .05, the nation’s toughest "Absolutely. In fact, I think looking at last year’s numbers, anti-drunk driving law the 2018 numbers, about 7% were below .08," Col. FOX 13 Now Rapich added. "The numbers we’re tracking right now the By Ben Winslow percentage is lower." December 30, 2019 The final numbers will be made public in late January. SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Highway Patrol is compiling Lawmakers, industry groups and policy watchdogs have data from the first year of the nation's toughest anti- been eagerly anticipating them. drunk driving law. For David Morris, the president of the Utah Hospitality But so far, the state has not recorded a significant Association, a group that represents bar owners number of DUIs at the new blood alcohol level of .05.
    [Show full text]
  • Background Paper 6.14 Harmful Use of Alcohol Alcohol Use Disorders and Alcoholic Liver Diseases
    Priority Medicines for Europe and the World "A Public Health Approach to Innovation" Update on 2004 Background Paper Written by Warren Kaplan, Ph.D, JD, MPH Background Paper 6.14 Harmful use of Alcohol Alcohol Use Disorders and Alcoholic Liver Diseases By Rene Soria Saucedo (MD, MPH, PhDc) January 2013 Update on 2004 Background Paper, BP 6.14 Alcohol Use Disorders Table of Contents Abbreviations: ..................................................................................................................................................... 5 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Burden of Disease ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Treatment Options ........................................................................................................................................... 7 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 8 1.1 Alcohol Consumption (ACo) and its relationship with Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) ........... 8 1.2 Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) .......................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Alcoholic Liver Diseases (ALD) .....................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Alcohol Awareness
    Alcohol Awareness Does alcohol abuse cause the same In this issue: problems as alcoholism? While the problem drinker or alcohol abuser may not be addicted to alcohol, he or she shares many of the same risks to health and life. Quality of life, • What is in particular, is severely diminished. In addition, Alcoholism? alcoholics and alcohol abusers alike may bring Page 1 havoc on the lives of their loved ones, and on others around them. • Getting Help The NIAAA reports that alcoholism and alcohol and Treatment abuse are not only a leading cause of death, but also a significant factor in violent crime, teen for a Drug pregnancy, date rape and certain other types Program of crime. Page 2 What are the effects of alcohol? What Is Alcoholism? • Impulsivity Short-term physical effects of alcohol use include: Raises Differences between dependence • Distorted vision, hearing, and coordination Alcoholism and abuse. • Altered perceptions and emotions Risk • Impaired judgment According to the National Institute on Alcohol • Hangovers Page 2 Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), alcoholism is “a disease that includes alcohol craving and Long-term physical effects of heavy alcohol • When Your an continued drinking despite repeated alcohol- use include: Adult Child of related problems, such as losing a job or getting • Loss of appetite an Alcoholic into trouble with the law.” It includes the • Vitamin deficiencies Parent following symptoms: • Esophagus/Stomach ailments Page 3 1. Craving: A strong need, or compulsion, to drink. • Pancreatitis 2. Impaired control: The inability to limit one’s • Liver cancer drinking on any given occasion. • Skin problems • Risk Factors for 3.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of a Contingency Program on Designated Drivers at a College Bar
    JOURNAL OF APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS 2010, 43, 273–277 NUMBER 2(SUMMER 2010) AN ANALYSIS OF A CONTINGENCY PROGRAM ON DESIGNATED DRIVERS AT A COLLEGE BAR RICHARD R. KAZBOUR AND JON S. BAILEY FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY The present study evaluated the effects of prompts and incentives on designated drivers in a bar. We defined the dependent variable as the percentage of customers either functioning as or riding with a designated driver. We used an ABCA design to evaluate the effectiveness of prompts and incentives on the dependent variable. Results indicated that the intervention was successful at increasing the ratio of safe to unsafe passengers in a bar. Key words: designated driver, incentives, prompts _______________________________________________________________________________ In 2007, there were 3,221 traffic fatalities bar, using visual prompts inside the bar and reported in the state of Florida, 38.6% of which nonalcoholic beverages as incentives for any were alcohol related, and a total 64,410 arrests participating DD. The authors validated a self- were made for driving under the influence identified DD by following the DD to his or (DUI; Florida Department of Highway Safety her car and counted DDs as an individual who and Motor Vehicles [DHSMV], 2008, n.d.). In got into the car and drove away. Elwood, Lloyd, the state, mandatory penalties for a conviction Morris, Tofte, and Zandecki (2005) used verbal of DUI consist of a minimum 50 hr of praise as an additional contingency for self- community service, up to 1 year probation, identified DDs. Saksefski, Kazbour, Deller, and license revocation for a minimum of 180 days, Aboul (2008) used a portable breathalyzer and 12 hr of DUI school (Florida DHSMV, device to ensure a more accurate measure of 2009; Florida Department of Motor Vehicles, participants’ blood alcohol concentration 2009).
    [Show full text]
  • Table of Contents
    AL-ANON FAMILY GROUPS 1993 WORLD SERVICE CONFERENCE THEME: LET IT BEGIN WITH ME IN '93 (Sharing Experience, Strength and Hope) STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT APRIL 25-28,1993 TABLE OF CONTENTS Admissions/Handbook ................................................ 8 International Coordination ......................................... 14 Alateen ........................................................................ 6 Literature ................................................................... 15 Approval of Annual Reports ...................................... ~. 5 Long-Range Study Panel (LRSP) ............................. 16 Archives ...................................................................... 6 Motions ..................................................................... 41 Ask-It-Basket ............................................................. 37 National Public Information Canada (NPIC) ................ 9 Board of Trustees Open Discussion ....................................................... 16 Conference Committee on Trustees (CCT) .......... 23 Open Time- Nom1riating Committee ......................................... 23 Unanswered Questions/Unfinished Business ....... 19 Board Report ............................................................. 24 Opening Session-The WSC: AFG Service Plan ................................................. 25 What Can I Expect? What Can I Offer? ................. 3 Gender -Specific Language .................................. 26 Policy .......................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Impaired Driving Resource Paper
    Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center Impaired Driving 1 in a series of 8 resource papers: . Child Abuse and Neglect . Elder Abuse . Homicide . Human Trafficking . Identity Theft . Impaired Driving . Intimate Partner Violence . Sexual Assault Impaired Driving* The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the trends and issues service providers should consider when assisting survivors of impaired driving crimes. Adults 21 and over who drink alcohol are not committing a crime (unless refraining from alcohol is a condition of probation or parole), and alcohol, although a dangerous drug, is still acceptable in many social settings. This was not always the case. The history of the United States includes tensions between those who were proponents of the sale and use of alcohol, and those who were opposed. Ultimately, during the years 1920–1933, after passage of the 18th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, the U. S. enacted the National Prohibition (Volstead) Act, prohibiting the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors.”1 Legal prohibition against alcohol was based on both practical and religious foundations, as many advocates of temperance believed that the use of alcohol was immoral. During the years between the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 and the early 1970s, society and government struggled to find the balance between freedom of choice and the damage to society by alcohol problems.2 During that time, as the highway and roadway system expanded and more individuals purchased automobiles and began to drive, the problems of impaired driving increased. Since the early 1970s, impaired driving has been taken seriously.
    [Show full text]
  • The Essential Guide to Enjoying Being the Designated Driver
    The Essential Guide to Enjoying Being The Designated Driver “Changing general perceptions about being the designated driver and making it actually fun to be the ‘Double D VIP’ is one of the most important cultural shifts that must happen in order to ultimately eliminate drunk driving.” -Mischelle Davis Copyright © 2013 by Davis Law Group Davis Law Group, P.S. 2101 Fourth Avenue All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, Suite 630 or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other- Seattle, WA 98121 wise, without written permission from the author. Phone: 206-727-4000 Printed in the United States of America. Fax: 206-727-4001 [email protected] www.InjuryTrialLawyer.com Double D VIP Double D VIP: The Essential Guide to Enjoying Being the Designated Driver INTRODUCTION There is a perception that being the designated driver is no fun. The view is that drinking non-alcoholic drinks while your friends are having cool cocktails, drink- ing up and throwing down makes you an anti-social nerd, an outsider. Changing this perception can help save thousands of lives each year. In ancient times it was thought that drinking the blood of a virgin would prolong life. Today, being the designated driver and sticking to ‘virgin cocktails’ or ‘mocktails’ may ultimately save your life, and/or the lives of your friends and loved ones. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), ap- proximately 28 people are killed each day in the United States as a result of traf- fic collisions involving an alcohol-impaired driver.
    [Show full text]