MOODY AIR FORCE BASE -- MOODY AIR FORCE BASE— Members from the Valdosta Police Department shared their knowledge and experiences with alcohol related incidents during a lunch and learn, April 8, here.
With April being Alcohol Awareness Month, the Alcohol Drug and Prevention Treatment team invited the VPD to speak to Airmen about the importance of responsible drinking and the effects of prescription drugs when mixed with alcohol.
“The main thing we do is teach [people] how to drink responsibly, and it’s important that local police officers speak to Airmen because it lets them know the consequences of substance related mishaps in the civilian sector, ” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ronnie Lyman, 23d Medical Operations Squadron NCO in charge of the ADAPT program.
“They came in to update [Airmen] with the current driving under the influence [laws] for Georgia and were also able to answer all questions and [debunk] common myths,” said Lyman.
The policemen explained that responsible drinking involves knowing your own limitations.
“I’m not going to sit here and tell you to never have a drink,” said Patrolman Alvin May, VPD traffic unit. “Probably not a case [of beer], but maybe two or three [drinks] while you’re eating a meal would be sufficient.”
Responsible drinking involves more than just maintaining the safety of the individuals consuming alcohol, but also the ones around them.
More than 7 million children live in a household where at least one parent is dependent on or has abused alcohol, according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.
“[Situations might occur where] mom and dad get drunk at home, and decide they need to go to the grocery store,” said May. “So they load little Johnny up in the back of the car and they take off, not thinking about that half a case [of beer] they just drank. We see that quite regularly.
“Here, for every child that you have in the vehicle, is a separate [charge similar to DUI], called child endangerment,” said May.
In Georgia, the legal blood-alcohol content limit for drivers 21 or older is .08, provided they aren’t displaying any less-safe factors.
“If we stop you for running a red light or [driving] off the side of the road, those are less-safe factors,” said May. “[Therefore], you do not have to meet that .08 requirement to be found DUI.”
Paired with these factors, anyone above a BAC of .048 can be considered driving under the influence. Additionally, anyone under the age of 21 can receive a DUI charge with a BAC above .019 regardless of less-safe factors.
While alcohol related incidents have always been a concern, DUIs involving drugs have been on the rise. According to the NCADD, in an average year, 30 million Americans drive drunk, and 10 million Americans drive impaired by drugs.
“I’m not just talking about cocaine or marijuana,” said May. “I’m talking about proscription pills [too].”
Risks rise when drugs and alcohol are mixed.
“Your BAC level might not be there, but your impairment level is going to be and the test that we do on the side of the road is going to show us,” said May.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunken driving, on average, takes the lives of more than 10,000 people each year.
For more information, individuals can contact the ADAPT program at 229-257-3898.