You might think that drunk drivers are alcoholics but they aren’t always, sometimes they are alcohol abusers. Especially around the holidays when everyone is celebrating with parties we need to stop and think about the amount of alcohol that we are consuming. It takes the liver ABOUT one hour to metabolize one standard drink. Of course your gender, age, medications, weight, stage of brain development all influence how quickly alcohol is metabolized and how alcohol impairs one person’s brain vs another person’s. Therefore the one drink per hour is a very rough average. However, most people feel a drink is a drink and that is wrong! A single mixed drink made with hard liquor can contain the equivalent of 1 – 3 or more standard drinks, depending on the type of spirits and the recipe. Not all drinks contain the same amount of alcohol. For example a beer contains about 5% alcohol but a malt beer may contain 7% of alcohol and a shot of hard liquor has about 40% alcohol and a certain kind of 151 proof rum has a 75.5% alcohol content per volume. So as you can see, not all drinks are alike. Think before you drink is the key, be responsible and celebrate safely.
When you think about DUI/DWI most people think of alcohol but it’s not always alcohol. Did you know that you can receive a DUI/DWI for driving under the influence of drugs also? Yes, the Pennsylvania law includes controlled substances such as marijuana, cocaine, inhalants and other intoxicants such as prescription drugs. Of course if the charge is due to a controlled substance, the person would face other charges as well. It is important to know that prescription drugs affect everyone differently and it’s important to take them as directed and also to be aware that some are not to be taken when you are operating a motor vehicle. Keep everyone safe; don’t operate a vehicle while taking medications that can affect your ability to drive safely.
To learn more please visit http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/drugged-driving
