A gain — not a pain
As a high school student, Aidan Krainock admits she was “just a bit of a goody two-shoes” who wasn’t interested in drinking but still liked being social. She also had a car, no curfew and her parents’ trust. “I didn’t want to lose that,” says Krainock, now a 31-year-old art appraiser in Portland, Oregon, who still often assumes the role of designated driver among her friends. Here’s why Krainock and experts say it’s great to be the DD:
1. You’ll help save lives.
Every day, almost 30 people die in the U.S. from a car crash involving a drunk driver, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People who agree to DD before the night begins “are doing such a service to their friends and their loved ones,” says Colleen Sheehey-Church, national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. You’re also doing yourself a service, adds neuroscientist Aaron White, senior scientific advisor to the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “If you’re the designated driver, everyone — including you — gets home safely,” he says.
2. You’ll score friendship points.
Earlier this year, Krainock drove a friend home who drank more than expected at a wedding. “I just didn’t feel good about leaving her, so I stayed ’til the bitter end,” Krainock laughs, since the friend was determined to be one of the last guests standing. Stepping in for friends who’ve had too much — whether by being the designated driver or calling them a cab — is well worth it, Sheehy-Church says. “You’ll be thanked the next day, and friendships will actually strengthen … when you help someone get home safely,” she says.
3. You’ll feel great the next day.
You may miss out on tasting fancy Champagne or ordering a buzz-worthy cocktail, but late-night revelers might not appreciate the next day’s glorious sunshine or bold brunch menu. “You get to wake up the next morning without a hangover and enjoy the day,” White says. That’s a bonus for Krainock, who enjoys a good morning meal when her friends may still be recovering. “You can always make brunch the morning after if you’re not sick,” she says.
4. Your body will thank you.
In the longer term, abstaining from alcohol can help spare your body from a range of health consequences linked to excessive drinking. For example, drinking too much — over time or at once — can lead to high blood pressure, liver inflammation, a weakened immune system and even cancer, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
5. You’ll be in good company.
You might feel like you’re the only one at a party turning down cocktails, but research suggests you’re probably overestimating how much other people are downing, says Dolores Cimini, a University at Albany psychologist who studies risky drinking. “People have a misperception that everybody is drinking, and that’s not necessarily the case,” she says. You can also find fellow DDs by keeping your eye out for red ribbons on cars — and order one yourself through MADD — that alert others a designated driver is behind the wheel.
6. No one will care you’re not drinking.
Club soda with a splash of cranberry looks the same with and without vodka, Krainock’s found. “People just assume you’re drinking with them, and that works fine,” she says. If they know the truth — that Krainock doesn’t drink much because alcohol tends to make her feel sick — real friends won’t care. “If you feel like you need to drink to get comfortable, that should be a red flag,” she says. “Maybe you’re not hanging out with the right people.”
7. You’ll save cash and calories.
A couple cocktails at $10 a pop — plus tip and the drinks you bought for your friends — can add up. If you’re caught drinking and driving, your insurance rates will likely go up too, Cimini says. Those boozy beverages can also pack a caloric punch — accounting for 16 percent of drinkers’ daily caloric intake, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Save “hundreds of calories” by opting for seltzer water with lime or diet drinks instead of an alcoholic beverage, suggests Joy Dubost, a registered dietitian in the District of Columbia.
8. You’ll have just as much fun.
Research suggests that the positive effects of alcohol — say, feeling more relaxed or social — are felt with only about one drink an hour (or a blood alcohol concentration of about 0.05), Cimini says. Drink more and you may find yourself dealing with the negative effects, such as lapses in judgment or sickness. “There are diminishing returns,” Cimini says. For DDs, who are best off not drinking at all, simply expecting to have fun can be enough, since the positive effects of alcohol are often self-fulfilling, she adds.
9. … or maybe more fun.
Nothing spells buzzkill faster than a siren, an arrest, a confiscated license and potentially a lifetime of telling future employers about your history under the influence behind the wheel. “You could get put in jail when you were intending to have a good time,” Cimini says. By abstaining from drinking, you won’t only avoid the legal consequences of drunk driving, but you may also enjoy the party more. “[You] are about to take in everything around you,” Cimini says, “without having beer goggles.”
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9 Reasons It Rocks to Be the DD originally appeared on usnews.com
