Holiday Office Party: How To Avoid The DWI After

It’s that time of year again – no, not time to put up the tree and sing carols – it’s time to get your drink on at the office holiday party! If you work in an office that throws a holiday party, you probably already know that there will be plenty of good food and lots of booze sitting around, all just waiting for you to indulge in, but have you thought about how you’re going to get home afterward? If your answer is to drive, you’re wrong – and you might be dead wrong.

Dangers of Office Party Alcohol
Anyone knows that drinking and driving is dangerous, but as our DWI lawyer source suggests, holiday office parties tend to make people forget the dangers of drinking and driving. When you go out to a bar and drink, you’re often surrounded by strangers, but at the office, you’re surrounded by people you know. This can cause you to let your guard down and drink more than you usually would, and in many cases, this can lead to poor decisions, including drunk driving.

How to Prevent a DWI After the Party
There are plenty of ways to avoid a DWI after having a few too many drinks at the holiday office party, but perhaps the best one is to have a designated driver with you. A designated driver can be a coworker who agrees to abstain from alcohol, a friend or family member whom you bring with you or really anybody, as long as he or she agrees to stay sober. If you can’t find a teetotaler to hang out with for the night, bring along some extra cash for bus fare or for a taxi to get back home safely. Likewise, sneak into your office or cubicle and catch some Z’s under your desk once the party dies down – your boss will never know because he or she will probably be doing the same thing at his or her desk.

DWI Consequences
Keep in mind that a DWI is a serious criminal offense, and despite what you may have heard, being convicted of a DWI can wreak havoc on your personal and professional life. The vast majority of people detained for drunk driving end up losing their licenses to drive for at least a year, and if you depend on your ability to drive to get back and forth to work, you might find your job in jeopardy as well after being convicted. Additionally, you’ll likely have to pay fines and fees that could be hundreds of dollars or more, and then once you get your driver’s license back, you’ll have to take on special, expensive auto insurance in order to operate your vehicle. When you add in the fact that you’ll have to pay for and attend alcohol education classes as prescribed by your state, getting a DUI can become a nightmare.

Whether you’re going to be celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus or just good times with your boss and coworkers, be smart and be safe – don’t drink and drive. If you have to leave your car at the office, do it. If you have to give someone your keys at the beginning of the party, do it. Find some way, any way, to keep yourself from not only risking a DWI, but also the potential for accidents and injuries – oh, and have a drink for me. Happy holidays!