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Holidays Increase the Risk for Drunk Driving

2011-11-30T10:51:00.001-07:00

December is Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, which is a national effort hoping to raise awareness about the consequences of driving under the influence. The National Commission Against Drunk Driving reports 41% of all traffic crashes are alcohol-related. It is estimated that 30% of Americans are at risk for being involved in alcohol-related traffic crash over their lifetime. Drinking and driving affects everyone; because the costs of alcohol-related crashes ($51 billion) gets passed on to taxpayers, employers, families as well as to the drunk driver.
Most of these accidents and deaths are related to binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined for males as five or more drinks per occasion and for females, four or more drinks per occasion. Since alcohol becomes more available in social settings during the holidays, the risk of drunk driving and being a victim of a drunk driver, increase dramatically. There are some things you can do to help reduce the numbers of impaired drivers the during the holiday season:

If you are going to drink , get a designated driver, either a friend, or a cab.
If you serve alcohol at your home, check ID’s. Provide alcohol to people of legal age (21 years of age and older). The risk of being in a crash is much greater for minors( under 21) than for adults (21 and older).
If you host at home, make sure to offer non-alcoholic beverages for those who chose not to drink.
Check on friends and family, make them aware about the consequences of their decisions, and don’t be afraid to get them a cab. They will appreciate it the next day, even though they may try to assure they were “okay to drive.”

By using these tips, you can make the Holidays a safer and more enjoyable season for your family, your friends and yourself.

Register for online DUI and Alcohol Awareness Classes at http://www.tomwilsoncounseling.com/.

Teens Don't Drink Normally - Parents Beware

2011-10-03T16:03:00.001-06:00

Adolescents drink for different reasons than adults. Adults drink to socialize and may have a few glasses of wine or beer while attending a social event, watching sports or sitting on the patio enjoying the summer.

Adolescents tend to "binge drink," that is they drink for effect and to get drunk quickly. This can also be accompanied by mixing alcohol with energy drinks, a dangerous concoction that energizes and removes inhibitions at the same time. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 90% of teens who drink engage in binge drinking, defined as 4 drinks or more per occasion for women, and 5 drinks or more per occasion for men.

Emergency room physicians routinely find that teens admitted to the ER have extremely high Blood Alcohol Levels, many times the legal limit for driving (.08). For example, over 200,000 adolescents are admitted to emergency rooms every year for alcohol related reasons.

Colleges and a few private substance abuse counselors now offer alcohol awareness classes online to help reduce the consequences of binge drinking. One online site offers a series alcohol awareness classes that allows the adolescents to compare their drinking to the general public. This has proven to be a promising approach because the adolescent is not confronted, but rather, provided with useful feedback about his or her drinking and where it fits in with others.

Colleges are starting to see improvements in their student's drinking patterns, as measured by frequency, amount and consequences of alcohol use once they complete online alcohol awareness classes.

Colleges make Alcohol Awareness Classes Mandatory for Freshmen

2011-10-02T09:41:00.000-06:00

College freshman are just starting their first semester all over the US. They face the pressure of new classes, living in the dorm or on their own, and navigating a new social network. College administration knows that means some students will use - and sometimes abuse - alcohol and other illegal substances. The UW Marathon County want their students to make the right choice. This year Campus Coordinators focus on reducing the number of high risk activities related to alcohol abuse and other substance abuse. The university will also help students with problem gambling and prescription drug use.

The alcohol awareness class for the University of Oregon class of 2015 is already under way. It's part of an online course designed to discourage underage and binge drinking. The first part of the class takes about two hours. Students complete a series of online lessons that help them evaluate their alcohol use and and compare it to other students their age. After students have been on campus for a week or two, they complete a short follow-up module. The university signed a four-year contract with a private company at a total cost of $80,080, so students do not pay to take the course.

For non-students who receive a minor in possession of alcohol or drug charge, private online alcohol awareness classes are available.

Take an Online DUI Class to Resolve an Out of State DUI

2011-09-30T13:24:00.000-06:00

by Tom Wilson

Suppose you live in Arizona and drive to Los Angeles see a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. When the concert ends, you decide to stop off and have a few beers before driving back to your hotel. On the way to your hotel, a police officer stops you for a traffic infraction.

The officer asks if you have been drinking, and you admit to one beer (actually 3). The officer looks at your Arizona driver's license and then asks you step out of the vehicle to do some field sobriety tests. You are confidant that you will pass the tests, but the officer informs you that he is taking you in for suspicion of driving under the influence. At the jail your breathalyzer results put you over the legal limit. You are charged with DUI. You have to go court, hire an attorney and enter a plea.

California now notifies Arizona that your license has been suspended and Arizona honors the suspension under an interstate compact agreement. As part of your agreement with the court, you agree to complete a 3 month DUI class for first offenders in your home state. You arrive back home and begin to search for a 3 month DUI class, but no luck. You are unable to find the exact 3 month, 30 hour DUI class required by California.

You decided to call the court in California and ask for help. The court clerk then tells you "why don't you take the DUI class online?"

Online?

You wonder why the court or attorney mention that to begin with? Then, politely and happily you ask the clerk for the contact information. The clerk tells you that they use a provider of online DUI classes for out of state residents. After you find the center online, you enroll, complete the class and request a copy of your certificate of completion to send the court.

A few days later, you learn that your license has been reinstated in your home state. This example illustrates how a growing number of overloaded and understaffed courts are embracing web technology to solve the problems of offenders who live hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the court.

Visit www.tomwilsoncounseling.com for online DUI, Alcohol, Drug, Anger, Traffic and Parenting Classes.