Habitual Drinking and Driving: Is Alcohol the Problem?

There is no doubt that drinking and driving is a risky behavior, especially considering the devastation that occurs from any drunk driving accident. A person who drinks may be looking for a way to unwind after the end of a day or for an escape from the struggles of life. Drinking and driving results from a person’s overall bad judgment after consuming alcohol, and for a person with an alcohol addiction, the likelihood of several incidents of drinking and driving even before a first DUI arrest or conviction is extremely high.

Habitual drinking and driving is common among those with an alcohol addiction. When a person is unable to stop drinking, even after a DUI conviction, ignition interlock installation or alcohol treatment program, the need for alcohol overrides any issues of personal safety. Studies about drinking and driving show that a first-time DUI offender has evaded previous arrests an estimated 80 times. That adds up to 80 different incidents of drunk driving, indicating a problem with alcohol addiction plus an inflated confidence about the person’s own driving abilities after consuming alcohol. Because of these statistics, ignition interlock programs, increased sobriety monitoring, license revocation and more have become the most aggressive ways to keep habitual drunk drivers off the road.

As alcohol reduces feelings of inhibition, it also reduces a person’s ability to judge their own sobriety and can even cause a person to feel “above the law” in many cases of drunk driving. If a person has a problem with alcohol, devices like an ignition interlock can help eliminate the chances of subsequent drinking and driving incidents and teach behavior modification to an offender who has demonstrated an inability to remain sober behind the wheel. The difference between a safe ride home, and another DUI statistic can be attributed to the addiction and abuse of alcohol that continues to encourage risky behaviors and bad judgment.