Beer is less impairing than hard liquor It doesn't matter what you drink. One bottle of beer, a glass of wine, or a single serving of hard liquor all contain roughly the same amount of alcohol. You feel OK, so you're OK to drive You might not feel  impaired, but you are. Everyone reacts differently to alcohol. Body mass, drinking experience, and age all affect how you handle alcohol. You may look and feel 'sober' even after several drinks. But the alcohol is still in your system and you are still impaired. You can have a coffee and get some fresh air before you drive home Coffee, food, or fresh air may make you feel better and 'look' sober, but you're still impaired. The alcohol is still in your body, and you are still impaired. Energy drinks like Red Bull mixed with your alcohol will keep you sober Wrong! They make you feel sober. They keep you from feeling the full effects of the alcohol. You might feel sober, but you're still impaired. Moreover, feeling OK might lead you to drink even more ... a recent study has shown that mixing energy drinks containing caffeine with alcohol causes an increase in alcohol consumption of up to 100%! You only had a few drinks, so you're OK to drive Just one drink causes impairment. You may not be legally impaired, but one drink will affect your reaction time and judgement, both critical to driving safely. The roads between where you are and home are empty. Life is a gamble ... but don't gamble with someone else's! Impairment may cause you to have an accident when you least expect it. A pothole that would easily be navigated around, or a sudden deer, or someone pulling onto the road right in front of you, are all situations you may normally be able to handle easily. But alcohol in your system, even one drink, will impair your ability to deal with these hazards safely. You eat a lot while drinking, to 'soak up' the alcohol and avoid becoming drunk. What you drink alcohol with, or how you drink it, won't affect your impairment. Unless you drink at the rate of one just drink per hour, (which is the rate at which your body breaks down the poison), the alcohol in your system will increase. The only way to get sober is to wait one hour for every drink you've had. Whether I drink and drive or not is my own business, and no-one else's Driving after consuming alcohol is not just your own business, it affects everyone. The damage you cause to your vehicle or others' will cause everyone's insurance rates to go up. (Young male adults already pay huge insurance premiums because of their inexperience and their use of alcohol). Even worse, when you take a vehicle on the road after drinking, you are endangering the life of everyone else on the road. Drinking and driving is no longer socially acceptable. Help us to get this message the the idiots out there who haven't 'got it' yet! The life you save could be your own! SADD Main Page