Drinking and driving is a notoriously ugly crime. Not only is it severely irresponsible for your own life, but it also causes many innocent deaths every single year. While that should be reason enough for you to stay off the road when you’ve been hitting the bottle, here are a few additional, less-obvious consequences of the act.
Social Embarrassment
Getting into legal trouble is already embarrassing enough. Not only can breaking the law affect the way people view you as a person, but it can also deter peoples’ trust away from you. With drinking and driving, the consequences can be even more embarrassing.
In addition to being known as someone who broke the law, you also had to be careless enough to get that drunk in the first place. People will view you as someone who doesn’t think before they act. It can also hint that you have some problems with alcohol in general. At worst, according to Low Cost Interlock, it can make you appear that you don’t value other peoples’ lives.
Employment
Getting caught by police officers drinking and driving can also have other negative ramifications for your day-to-day life. According to the Law Offices of Lucy S. McAllister, having DUI charges brought against you can have a serious impact on your current employment. Most companies see DUI charges as a serious detriment to their company, as they want employees who work for them to have a solid reputation.
Even if you give up drinking entirely, receiving guaranteed employment is not a sure thing. At the end of the day, employers will choose the person who they feel is the most competent and lowest risk to the company. Having a DUI will be a scarlet letter you’ll have to carry for a certain amount of time.
Public Repayment
If you were caught by the police, social awkwardness and financial uncertainty aren’t the only two things you’ll have to deal with. According to the Alcohol Rehab Guide, you will most likely need to do some sort of community service or serve some jail time before you are let out. Rather than spending time doing something fun, you’ll have wasted months or years of your life.
Granted, you could spend this time evaluating your relationship with alcohol. While you don’t have to drop it cold turkey, you should probably stick to a modest amount of drink. This will keep you from making bad decisions that could hurt yourself and others.
All this to say: Do not drink and drive. It is not going to end well, and shouldn’t be something you even consider doing. In the era of Lyft and Uber, call yourself a ride and drink responsibly.
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