I’m pretty lucky. Well. At least. I’ve been lucky, I should say. In many ways.
But here is one way that stands out. You see, I’ve never stood before a judge and gavel, despite the fact that I have broken the law on several occasions.
I’m sure I’m not alone in this. All of us have broken the speed limit laws while driving in our cars. Or turned left on a light that already turned red. Jaywalked. Not coming to a full stop at the stop sign on the corner. Or. Perhaps our crimes were (or are) more serious.
I hate to say it. But I have driven drunk. On several occasions. It has been 20 years since it last happened. I’ll tell you that. Regardless, it happened. It was a paler, more awful part of my life. I was over the legal limit when I got behind the wheel. On more than one instance.
Here are some things we should know about this. Driving drunk causes death.
In 2022, 13,524 people died in drunk-driving crashes, which is about one person every 39 minutes. This is about 32% of all traffic-related fatalities.
It is also very expensive. In many ways.
In 2020, the estimated cost of drunk-driving crashes was $123.3 billion, which includes medical costs and the cost of lost lives.
It escapes no certain age, however, younger people seem to do it more often.
In 2022, the 21- to 24-year-old age group had the highest percentage of drunk drivers.
And while it is not always guys, it is almost always the guys.
Men are more likely to be involved in drunk-driving crashes, with four male drunk drivers for every female drunk driver.
It happens all the year round. But.
Drunk-driving accidents are most likely to occur in the summer, especially in July. They also occur more frequently on urban roads, at night, and on residential streets.
So. What is the legal limit?
A driver is considered legally impaired when their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) measures 0.08 or higher. That’s about four drinks for some weighing 180 pounds. Two drinks if you weigh 120 pounds. This can be over several hours.
Anyway. Back to my awful ways.
Eventually, and thankfully, I met a camel named Hazel. And I made the decision not to drink any more alcohol for the rest of my life. I planned on doing this just one day at a time. So far, so good. Twenty years, like I said.
As such? The painting on my easel looks a lot better than it did in those days. Then, it only knew one color. The color of addiction. Since that time, all sorts of little color splashes have filled that space.
These days, I still break the law. I didn’t come to a full stop at the end of our street. I’ll try to do better.
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“I drink to make other people more interesting.” – Ernest Hemingway
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“First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
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“Alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life.” – George Bernard Shaw
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We are all outlaws, I bet you.
