By Martha A. Simpson, D.O., M.B.A.
Associate Professor of Family Medicine
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

YOU’RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RESULTS OF DRINKING AT YOUR PARTY

Question: A friend says that when he drinks a pitcher of beer he’s actually a better driver. The car “just glides down the highway” and he feels more in control. Could this possibly be true? Are regular drinkers more immune to the effects of alcohol? How should I handle him at my New Year’s party?

Answer: While moderate drinking is acceptable in our society, your friend’s behavior is not. Polishing off a pitcher of beer by yourself would make you legally drunk. And, when a person is drunk, there's absolutely no excuse for trying to drive a car.

It takes the average person one to two hours to eliminate the alcohol from an ounce of distilled liquor, a bottle of beer (not a pitcher!) or a glass of wine. Each of these is defined as one drink. Given these facts, a good “rule of thumb” is not to drive if you have had more than one drink for each two hours that you’ve been at a party. Also, remember that inebriation is generally brought on quicker if you drink on an empty stomach.

Regular consumption of alcohol doesn’t change the effect of this drug; however, the frequent drinker does develop a sense that he or she is less impaired by it. Numerous studies have shown that this “sense of control” is actually imaginary. The time required to make a decision and then react to a driving situation goes up with each drink, regardless of how accustomed the person is to drinking. So, when your friend has violated the rule of thumb I gave earlier, don’t allow him to drive home regardless of how sober, or in control, he thinks he is.

Statistics from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration show that alcohol-related deaths among younger drivers have decreased significantly since 1993. That’s good news. Concerned people like you are part of the reason for this positive trend. Let’s continue the trend and make this New Year’s Eve the safest ever. Here are a few tips that will help:

• Suggest your guests come in groups and that each group select a “designated driver.”
• Make non-alcoholic beverages available, preferably served in the same type of glasses as the alcohol, for the designated driver and for anyone else who chooses not to consume alcohol.
• Guests should not be persuaded to drink, nor ridiculed if they choose not to.
• Snacking should be encouraged.
• Coffee should be served in the last hour or so of the party.

On the last point, let me make it clear that coffee does not counteract the alcohol as some people believe. However, it does offset drowsiness, and a lengthy period of socializing over coffee provides guests time to sober up before heading home.
Anybody -- including your problem friend -- who is obviously drunk should not be allowed to drive under ANY circumstances.

Instead, insist they stay overnight, go home with somebody else or take a taxi. This isn’t just for their safety and that of other motorists, but also for your protection. In some states you may now be held legally responsible for any injury the intoxicated person causes after leaving your party drunk.

On behalf of all of us at the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, I'd like to wish all my readers and their families a very happy, peaceful New Year.

Family Medicine® is a weekly column. To submit questions, write to Martha A. Simpson, D.O., M.B.A., Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, P.O. Box 110, Athens, Ohio 45701, or via e-mail to readerquestions@familymedicinenews.org. Medical information in this column is provided as an educational service only. It does not replace the judgment of your personal physician, who should be relied on to diagnose and recommend treatment for any medical conditions. Past columns are available online at www.familymedicinenews.org.