Taking the Job Home

Do you take your job home with you at night? I was just thinking about this the other night and realized when you work in a job like this one, it is nearly impossible to not take your job home. Every time there is a car crash in the news, I hope and pray there isn’t alcohol involved, I read articles in the paper on underage drinking, special enforcement efforts and liquor licenses and I seem to always be able to find a way to discuss designating a sober driver or positive parenting no matter where I am at.

It took me awhile to realize why. It is not because alcohol is so prevalent in our culture as I initially thought it was. It is because when you meet and work with people who have been impacted by alcohol-related crashes, it is impossible not to be consumed with a passion for ending drunk driving. These victims are the reason all of us working in this business don’t just go home at night and leave our jobs behind. Because they can’t leave their grief or their loss behind. And while we can never bring loved ones back, or magically heal an injured person, we can work to change the world so someday it won’t happen to anyone else.

So, I guess I will keep on taking my work home and thinking about my job even on my days off, because if all this work we are doing makes a difference in even just one life, it is worth it. I hope you might think about taking my job home with you too, and the next time you have the chance to talk about designating a sober driver or why underage drinking is dangerous, I hope you do. And know, I will be too!

Would This Stop You?

As long as there have been organizations like MADD, there have been public service announcements that are working to encourage people to make the decision not to drink and drive. Some of them have catchy taglines we remember for years to come, who can forget, “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.” Some of them are filled with sad music and photos of young lives that have been taken too soon. And then, there are the ones like this recent PSA, the ones I refer to as the shock and awe campaigns. (Warning: The following link could be considered graphic)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/07/pub-loo-shocker-psa-anti-drunk-driving-video_n_3405193.html

So, the question is? What works? With all of the different approaches taken, which one is the one that makes you stop and think before you drive home after drinking. Does shock and awe help people to make a better decision, maybe? Some of these creative campaigns focus on reaching people, where they are making the decision, like a bar restroom. The in the moment effect could very well be, the decision to not drink and drive that night. We may never know if the impact stays with people, if the change made in that moment translates into a long term behavior change. But, we do know that these things make you think. Whether the ad is sad, scary our just catchy, if it is generating conversation then it is doing its job.

Do you think that one ad, the one decision, could be the one thing that saves one life? I don’t know for sure, but I do think it is sure worth trying. So keep on sharing and keep on talking, it could end up changing the way someone thinks about drinking and driving.