Designated Drivers Need to Be Totally Sober

Recently a patient came into my office and told me she was going to be the designated driver for her friends this year. She then went on to tell me her plan. She was going to have three beers and stop three hours before she had to drive. I was stunned. She went on to explain that she knew one beer would be out of her system in an hour and so the three would be out in three hours. This made me curious and I asked the next five patients who came in if they thought it would be ok for a designated driver to have three drinks three hours before they had to drive. Every one of them said YES! So I decided to do some research to see what SAMHSA - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - had to say about this. I found nothing. Other then saying a designated driver plans to not drink before or during an event, there was no mention at all about how long before you drive would it be ok to drink. A further internet search also revealed not one comment about this.

LET'S SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Three hours after you have three drinks you will still have alcohol in your system. The point of being the designated driver is not that you are the least drunk, it is that you are the one who is totally sober. You will not be totally sober for at least 24 hours. In most states if you are given a breathalyzer test and blow .08 or under you are driving legally. But you are still experiencing changes in your judgment and awareness. If you agree to be the designated driver you are accepting the responsibility for the lives of everyone in the vehicle. You must be able to blow .00 if you take on this task.

Alcohol metabolism is affected by many things. Just because you feel that you are fully alert does not mean that you are. According to NHTSA - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - a person blowing a .02 will experience some loss of judgment, have increased body warmth, be very relaxed and have an altered mood. Don't make an assumption that because you aren't feeling the effects of alcohol that there are none.

EVAN WEBSTER MISSED THE MARK

In 1991 the term 'designated driver' was added to Random House Webster's College Dictionary. It reads 'a person who abstains from alcoholic beverages at a gathering in order to be fit to drive companions home safely.' This definition completely omits when a person should stop drinking. Apparently, according to Webster, you can drink until you get there.

MILLIONS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED DRIVERS

On their website www.designateddriver.com Anheuser-Busch states that over 83 million Americans have been a designated driver in the past year. No one questions the effectiveness of identifying one person to stay sober at a gathering so that friends and family get home safely.

BE THE BEST THAT YOU CAN BE - TAKE THE JOB SERIOUSLY

This year tell your designated driver not to drink for 24 hours before they drive. Make sure your designated driver is totally sober.

US Department of Transportation National Highway Safety Administration www.nhtsa.dot.gov

Anheuser-Busch www.designateddriver.com

US Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, www.samhsa.gov