Always Have A Designated Driver

We have been told this for as long as we could understand. Beer and other alcohol companies make commercials promoting this. Yet not enough of us listen. How hard is it to get a designated driver? Bars actually promote it. In my state of California there is even a law stating that bars may not charge designated drivers for their drinks. Even in states where no such law exists, bars promote that.
It’s not just about safe driving; it’s for your own protection inside a bar.
A year ago this week, my friend, “Mary” and I went to a local bar to have a little bit of fun. We watched the Men’s Olympic Swim team cream the rest of the world in the 4X400m Freestyle along with some nice beach volleyball. Since I don’t drink, I was the designated driver for the evening. I won’t get into details but my Mary got REALLY drunk that night. I’ll leave it at a $40 bar tab. At midnight I took her home and then I got settled for the evening.
At around 2am my cell phone is ringing off the hook. It was Mary’s sister asking me what happened? I told her, the drinks Mary had and all the weird secrets she told me. Mary’s sister told that that she was screaming incoherent things and just acting weird. She told me that they were taking Mary to the emergency room and would call me back in the morning.
The next morning I get a call from Mary’s mom that someone had slipped a Valium into Mary’s drink last night. As we’re filing a police report I recalled a redheaded stranger from the previous night offering to give Mary a ride home. He had a friend, he was bald, and both of them told her that she was extremely drunk, in no shape to drive, and offered to take her home. When Mary finally recovered, she remembered that the first thing she felt was her legs feeling like jelly and being unable to walk. Obviously whoever drugged her drink had the intention to kidnap and rape her. Although the police have never caught the guy who drugged Mary’s drink we still feel that it was the red headed stranger and his bald friend who had a plan to rape someone.
Now I know what you’re thinking. Mary did not follow the basic rules of going out for a drink. Never leave a drink unattended, always cover your drink, and when you do leave a drink unattended, order a new one. Well think about, when you’re at a bar, you’re there to drink. We all know that the more you drink the more impaired your judgment becomes. Plus, when we’re out for a night of fun, we don’t consider what “bad things” might happen, so the ideas of consequences are not exactly on our minds.
So here’s my point. Your designated driver will not only prevent you from getting into a car accident, you’ll be safe just incase you become the victim of someone’s cruel intentions. Mary had a few days of nausea and drowsiness but at least she wasn’t raped. Go drinking, go have fun, life’s short, enjoy it!! Just take some precautions. As for my night, I had a non-alcoholic Daiquiri, Cape Cod, and Margarita all free of charge. Plus I embarrassed a drunk who thought he was on his 16th rum and coke. (It was really his 13th rum and coke and his 3rd coke) I had a blast!