Drinking alcohol is one of those milestones that many young people look forward to. For more than two decades drinking is out of legal reach in this country, so the day we are allowed at the bar is a big one. Unfortunately, drinking alcohol comes with its own set of problems, and too many crimes are committed when people are under the influence of even a small amount of alcohol.
Chris Janson’s song Drunk Girl reads like an instruction manual for a real-life hero.
Obvious crimes like drunk driving make the top of the list of alcohol-impaired behaviors, but so does sexual assault. While we are in the throes of the #MeToo movement, remember that you can be both a designated driver and another kind of hero, anytime you see a “Drunk Girl” or guy who needs a little help.
The CDC reports that alcohol is a factor in 40% of violent crimes, including sexual assault, and DUI fatalities.
What you need to know is that an impaired person is a vulnerable person. They can just as easily make a decision to go home with someone they just met as they can to try to drive themselves home… both while impaired by alcohol. Neither of those situations has a happy outcome, and that Drunk Girl you saw could easily become the victim of a crime, or a victim of their own impaired judgment.
We’ve spent a lot of time learning how to be a designated driver, how to take away the keys of a person who is clearly too impaired to drive, and that consequences like an ignition interlock are in our future if we choose that same path. Ending other alcohol-related crimes is just as easy to do. You offer a ride home, you put the person in their house, you lock up, and you leave. You are a hero and a game-changer and not a person who was hurt by your heroics.