We do not have alcohol in our home and neither my husband or I drink. We have had the alcohol discussion with our boys often, especially now that they are driving too. Drugs have devastating effects too, especially if teens get involved, it is best to recognize the problem before it’s too late and send them to drug rehab tallahassee.

Even though the lines of communication in our house are wide open, they aren’t in all houses and unfortunately a lot of parents don’t talk to their kids about the serious issues.  Nearly three out of four kids say their parents are the leading influence on their decisions about drinking, so what does being silent say to your kids? Mothers Against Drunk Driving has programs and activities to prevent underage drinking, starting with the Power of Parents program sponsored by Nationwide Insurance.

To help you get started, they have designated April 21st as PowerTalk 21® day. It’s a day for parents, kids and communities can take positive steps to open communications using the Power of Parents program and work together to end underage drinking. Click on the Power of Parents Link above and download the handbook to help you talk to your teens about under age drinking. Other solutions such as online therapy can also be utilized for situations like this one.

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However, have you recently been in a fender bender? Did someone hit your car at the grocery store and drive off without so much as a note? A good services like Madison auto collision will gladly assess your car’s damage and offer you repair options that will save you money!

When you are “just buzzed” your vision and reflexes are impaired thus making a buzzed driver a hazard on the road. Last year in fresno, more than 250 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday periods. I don’t want you to be one of them. Personally, I choose not to drink alcohol at all but I know that many of you do. Please, if you are going to drink make a plan. Take the pledge, designate a non-drinking driver or plan for alternative transportation.

If you are hosting a holiday party, be a responsible host. Again….plan ahead to keep your guests safe. Here are a few things you can do to to plan a safe party,

• Don’t drink. As host, you need to be sober so that you can monitor your guest’s alcohol consumption.
• Offer plenty of non-alcoholic beverages. Here are some great drink recipes.
• Monitor the door. Make sure none of you guests who are buzzed or drunk get behind the wheel to prevent car accidents.
• Have phone numbers for the local taxi company handy so that you can call if a friend or family member needs a ride.

As we celebrate Christmas and ring in the New Year, please plan ahead to stay safe.

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Are you headed out with friends after work this Wednesday to celebrate the holiday? No? Well when you and your family are on the road headed to choir practice, a t-ball game, or coming home from school, you may be sharing the road with those returning from a fun St. Patrick?s Day event. It’s time to spread the word about the dangers of buzzed driving and to remind people that Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving, and the best way to stay safe is to plan ahead.

Let’s remind everyone about the importance of remembering to:

• Designate a sober driver before you leave for your event.
• Be ready to take alternate transportation such as a bus or taxi. Have the phone number of a taxi service stored in your phone before you leave for the party.

Even if you will not be celebrating this St. Patrick’s Day, keep in mind that in 2008, 1,179 people in other vehicles were killed in crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers. And for those who don’t plan on over-indulging a buzzed driving crash looks the same as a drunk driving crash.

Global Influence is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Ad Council as they continue their efforts with the “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving”  PSA campaign. Buzzed drivers drink and drive, but do not consider themselves a hazard on the roadway because they have had “only a few” drinks. The campaign hopes to educate people that consuming even a few drinks can impair driving and that “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.”

We need your help in keeping the roads safe for everyone this St. Patrick’s Day by spreading the word that buzzed driving IS drunk driving.

To learn more about the impact buzzed driving can have on a life, please watch this important video about the financial and personal repercussions of getting a DUI: http://buzzeddriving.adcouncil.org/sign.php#video

Remember: Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving. Plan ahead and ask your loved ones to do the same.

For more information, visit Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving on Facebook and Twitter @Buzzeddriving.

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Please designate a sober driver before you head out.

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Social Responsibility

This phrase encompasses everything from planning the party menu to assessing how guests will get home safely once the party is over. Your role as a responsible party host can keep your friends and loved ones safe.
What Every Host Needs to Know

• Don’t rely on coffee to sober up your guests. Only time can make someone sober.
• Beer and wine are just as intoxicating as hard liquor. A 12-ounce can of beer, a five-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce wine cooler and an ounce and a half of liquor contain the same amount of alcohol.
• Don’t rely on someone’s physical appearance to determine if he or she has had too much to drink.
• Mixers won’t help dilute alcohol. Carbonated mixers like club soda or tonic water cause alcohol to be absorbed into a person’s system more quickly. Fruit juice and other sweet mixers mask the taste of alcohol and may cause people to drink more.

Office Parties

• Arrange for discounted or complimentary rooms when a party is held at a hotel so employees won’t drive home impaired.
• Hire a shuttle or limousine service to provide transportation for those that have been drinking. Promote the designated driver concept in party invitations.
• Do not push drinks!
• If you provide an open bar, be sure the bartender has had server training to prevent over-serving and serving guests under the legal drinking age.
• Hold a contest for employees to create non-alcoholic drink recipes.

Having a ball-Planning A Party with Polish:

There’s a reason it’s called throwing a party– a host has to be ready to catch some curve balls and juggle the unexpected when it comes to staging an event that’s fun, entertaining and safe for everyone. Responsible hosts know that part of showing guests a great time is making sure they get home safely. Dealing with safe driving is an important hosting duty so we’ve compiled some quick tips to help you throw a memorably successful party without tossing caution to the wind.

• Plan activities like party games, door prize drawings or amateur fortune-telling. Planned activities engage people, make for less active consumption of alcohol and ensure that your friends remember the great event long after the last piece of confetti has settled.
• As guests RSVP, confirm that at least one person in each group is prepared to be the non-drinking designated driver.
• Provide plenty of food to keep your guests from drinking on an empty stomach.
• Avoid too many salty snacks, which tend to make people thirsty and drink more.
• Offer non-alcoholic beverages or mocktails for designated drivers and others who prefer not to drink alcohol.
• If preparing an alcoholic punch, use a non-carbonated base, like fruit juice. Alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream faster with a carbonated base.
• Be prepared by having the number of a taxi service on hand for those who need a ride. Also, be ready with some clean linens so you can turn your sofa into a hotel for guests who need to sleep it off.

During Your Party-party food:

• Never serve alcohol to someone under the legal drinking age, and never ask children to serve alcohol at parties.
• Don’t let guests mix their own drinks. Choosing a reliable “bartender” will help you keep track of the size and number of drinks that guests consume.
• If a guest appears to be drinking a bit much, offer to freshen his or her drink with a virgin version.
• Do not push drinks! Drinking at a party is not mandatory for having a good time.
• Have fun – but not too much fun. To be a good host, you should stay within your limits in order to make sure your guests stay within theirs.
• Close the bar 90 minutes before the party ends and serve a great dessert treat with coffee. Remember, only time sobers someone who has been drinking.
• If, despite your efforts, some of your guests have had too much to drink, drive them home, arrange for a ride with another guest who is sober, call a taxi, or invite them to stay over.

If a Guest is Drinking Too Much

How do I approach one of my guests who has had too much to drink? I mean, I don’t want to lose a friend.

The first time is the hardest, but your actions could save your friends life or that you cannot let them drive home because you care. Offer to let the guest spend the night, call a cab, or ask a sober guest to drive the intoxicated person home.

• Engage him/her in a conversation to slow down the drinking.
• Offer high protein food.
• Offer to make the next drink and use less alcohol.
• Don’t be afraid to insist that they sit out the sipping for awhile or switch to beverages of the non-alcoholic variety– sparkling cider makes a great substitute for a glass of champagne.

How will I be held responsible if one of my guests is involved in a crash?

The laws vary from state to state, but you could be held responsible for the costs associated with the crash, including medical bills and property damage and be sued for emotional pain and suffering.
Drunk Driving Statistics

• Overall, in 2007, 12,998 people were killed by drunk drivers with a BAC of .08 or greater.
• On average someone is killed by a drunk driver every 40 minutes.
• During the holidays, the percentage of drunk-driving incidents typically increases.
• Find more drunk driving statistics.

What can I do to help stop drunk driving?

• Be a responsible party host by following the tips in this brochure.
• Tie a MADD ribbon to a visible location on your vehicle as a symbol of your commitment to drive safe, sober and buckled up during the holidays.
• Write letters to the editor of local newspapers expressing your concern over the drunk driving problem in your community.
• Get involved – become a volunteer for your local MADD chapter.

Myths and Facts About Drinking and Driving

Myth: Coffee can sober up someone who has had too much to drink.
Fact: Only time sobers. It takes about one hour to oxidize each drink.

Myth: Hard liquor is more intoxicating than beer or wine.
Fact: A 12-ounce can of beer, a five-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce wine cooler contain the same amount of alcohol and the same intoxication potential as 1 1/2 oz. of liquor.

Myth: Someone who has had too much to drink will look intoxicated.
Fact: Someone’s physical appearance can be misleading. One drink can impair someone’s ability to drive. Judgment is the first thing affected when someone has been drinking and important motor skills are next.

How to Spot a Drunk Driver

These warning signs should be your signal to take down a license plate number, a description of the vehicle and the direction in which it was traveling to report to the proper authorities. Do not attempt to stop the vehicle.

* Straddling lanes or driving on the center line
* Drifting or moving in a straight line at a slight angle to the roadway
* Driving with headlights off at night
* Erratic braking or stopping without cause
* Driving below the speed limit
* Slow response to traffic signals (sudden stop, delayed start)
* Nearly striking an object, curb, etc
* Weaving or zigzagging across the road
* Driving on the wrong side of the road or completely off the road way
* Tailgating

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It’s holiday party season – time to celebrate all of the exciting winter holidays with our friends and loved ones. Our mailboxes are flooded with invitations to parties and dinners and other holiday get-togethers. With these parties come food, fellowship, gifts, and in many cases, festive alcoholic drinks.

In 2008, nearly 12,000 people in the U.S. were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes – and during the periods around Christmas and New Year’s, this number was particularly high, with 316 people killed in alchol-impaired driving crashes. In 2007, 162,493 women were arrested for a DUI, an increase of almost 29% since 1998. You can’t help but wonder if lives could have been saved if people thought twice before getting behind the wheel. With the holidays approaching, it’s important that drivers be reminded about the dangers of buzzed driving. Who knows…it could save a life.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) and the Ad Council are asking everyone to drive smart this holiday season and to pledge not to drive buzzed. To learn more about what you can do to prevent Buzzed Driving follow Buzzed Driving on Twitter and Facebook. You can also visit the Buzzed Driving website where you can sign a pledge to not drive buzzed, play an interactive game which demonstrates the difference between buzzed and drunk, and hear personal stories from people who have driven buzzed.

Join us Tuesday, December 15th from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST for a sobering discussion about #BuzzedDriving on Twitter.

While at holiday events, it’s easy to lose track of a drink here or there – but this can be fatal. This holiday season, keep you and your family safe by spreading this message. I don’t drink alcohol so I know I won’t be driving buzzed this holiday season. I hope you won’t either. Have a safe and happy holiday and remember that buzzed driving IS drunk driving.

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