On any Friday or Saturday night across the nation, you can go out and see numerous examples of people that like to party and do not know their limitations.  Do you fall in to that category?  Overindulging in alcohol is not horrible in and of itself, although it isn't very good for your health and generally results in a rough morning the next day.  However, where people get in to the most trouble is when they combine drinking and driving.  Every year an astronomical number of people are killed in alcohol related car accidents - it is simply not a good thing to do.

The problem is that a number of people have a hard time making that judgement while they're "in the moment."  It is often difficult to tell exactly how drunk you are and people are arrested every night who thought they were "fine" to drive home.  Alcohol impairs your judgement, which makes driving dangerous for you and other motorists.  However, a contributing factor to the high number of DUI arrests and drunk driving accidents is that people's impaired judgement negatively affects their ability to determine if they can/should be driving.  They might think they can, but if they've been drinking, there is not way to tell how accurate those thoughts are.  This is why it is best to never drive after drinking.  

Another thing that a lot of people do not realize is that you can still be arrested for driving while impaired even if you are under the "legal" drunk driving limit.  Again, this is why you should never drive after drinking - even 1 or 2 drinks.  Taking this risk may result in you having to talk to police officers, hire a DUI lawyer, and pay out of pocket fees even though you were not legally intoxicated.  A small cab fee or an extra 10 minutes added to your trip to take public transportation are always going to be better for you in the long run compared to a DUI conviction.

If you go out without planning to drink, or planning to drink very little, it is still important to have a plan for getting home should you decide to have a few drinks while out.  Bring some extra cash that you set aside for a cab fare or plan to spend the night at a friend's house to avoid driving home.  The key is to make these plans before you are intoxicated - chances are you will not make the best decision when your judgement is clouded by alcohol.  If you really do not trust yourself to stick to the plan, leave your keys at home or take a cab or bus to your location so that it is literally impossible for you to drive home.  In other words, don't give yourself the option.

Drinking and driving will eventually catch up to you and result in some serious consequences that go beyond fines.  One study found that over one third of all traffic-related fatalities were caused by drunk drivers meaning that you could kill yourself or somebody else.  DUI convictions are rough as well.  The fines are steep, your drivers license is usually suspended, you could end up in jail, and a conviction might impact your ability to get a job or keep your current job.  Avoiding these penalties after an arrest is difficult and requires you to hire a DUI lawyer, which will cost you more money in addition to court fees.  So is the risk really worth it?