The night was great. Good friends, good food, good times. As you finish this thought your car is suddenly lit up with blue and red lights. A quick glance in the mirror confirms what you already knew. It’s the cops. You pull over to the right and wait as the officer approaches. The officer asks how much you had to drink. You answer, “Just two beers officer”.

Right, “just two beers”. That’s an original. Never used before. Every officer believes you. Right. But is there some truth behind the “just two beers”?

I think there is. So, bear with me as I attempt to explain this…

Just think about your favorite restaurant. Imagine sitting down and ordering a drink. The wait staff brings your drink and sets it on the table near you. You place your food order and wait. As you wait for your food, of course, you partake in the beverage. Now, as you drink the wait staff comes around and refills your water or tea, warms up your coffee, or brings another glass of coke taking away the empty. You drink some more, your food arrives, and the wait staff refreshes your drink. As you finish your meal the ever-attentive wait staff continues to refresh your beverage. Which is what we expect, right?

With the exception of the urgent need to use the bathroom, do you really know how much you’ve had to drink? How many actual cups of coffee did you have?

Now, lets use the same scenario with beer. You sit and make a drink order. The wait staff brings your drink – you’ve ordered the first. Maybe you order food, maybe not. But that’s another topic. So, as you sit and enjoy your company or watch the game, you drink your beer. When you finish or get close, the wait staff asks if you want another. Enjoying your time, you order another. The new beer comes. The empty is taken away. This continues until you’re nearing ready to leave. You order one more – the second.

How many did you have? Every time you ordered another beer, the empty was taken away, effectively removing your ability to keep count. So when asked, most people don’t want to lie, but can only remember the first and the last – effectively “just 2 beers”.

Okay, this isn’t to make light of impaired driving or blame the service industry. It’s an anecdote to not having a plan when going out.

• Have a designated driver
• Offer to be a designated driver
• Call a taxi
• Be responsible