Drinking is a social activity that can very easily get out of hand so it is important to be honest about your abilities. It is nothing to be ashamed of if you feel impaired to make calculated decisions – everybody is a potential candidate for causing an accident when they are under the influence of alcohol.

Did you know that a single DUI is all it takes to get a breathalyzer in a car? Well, this device is expensive plus the process of going through the courts earns you a criminal record you could very easily have avoided.

The issue is not so much in being convicted for a DUI for the first time – it is in how much alcohol is in your breathing at the time of the arrest. The police officer who arrests you and the judge will act in accordance with the potential risk you pose to yourself and others as a result of your elevated blood alcohol levels. So what can you do to stay clear of a DUI conviction?

Plan ahead – you are going out with your friends and there is a chance that you might get drunk. Is there a teetotaler in the group who you can count on to drive the rest home after a night drinking? Speak about transport logistics before you start drinking – you can either decide to go in one car with a designated driver or take a cab. Alternatively, you can request a sober friend who remains behind to come to pick you up when you are done with the outing.

Acknowledge that you need help – sometimes drinking just happens. You meet a longtime friend or acquaintance and decide to catch up over drinks or a colleague invites you for a surprise party. It is not polite to turn down any of these invites except that you will be totally incapable of driving yourself home. When it is time to leave, leave your car and use alternative means to get home or call cab services. With the current market penetration of taxi apps, it is a lot easier and cheaper to find arranged transport regardless of the time.

Monitor your friends – closely keep an eye on the people you are drinking with. Is there one or some among them that came with their cars but seem to be too drunk to drive? Asking them in most cases just results in an endless argument about them not being drunk or the car ‘knowing’ its way home. You need to step up in such instances to offer them a ride home, find them a taxi or arrange overnight accommodation.

Before you start thinking about how unfair the law is for slapping a breathalyzer requirement on the first DUI conviction, think of it this way; drunk driving is the leading cause of accidents in many states in the United States. You will either get killed, get maimed or cause irreversible body harm to someone else. It is simply not worth the risk.