Is alcohol really that unavoidable for those who work in showbiz?

Artie Lange, The Howard Stern Show veteran, MADTV cast member, who has appeared in various comedy films was arrested after his 2009 Nissan Sentra rear-ended a 2004 Pontiac in Toms River, New Jersey.

Lange was reportedly in New Jersey to promote his new book, “Too Fat To Fish”. But apparently, Lange is not too fat to net charges of driving under the influence of an intoxicant and careless driving.

Although the Police said that the comedian was cooperative, the state of New Jersey can sentence first-time offenders to as long as to 30 days in jail, require as much as 48 hours in community service, levy fines as high as $1,000 and can strip a person of his or her driver’s license for as long as one year.

Considering his celebrity status, Lange should really have known better than to drink and drive. So many other celebrities have suffered the same fate and notoriety but he, unlike some of them, may not get scot free. Perhaps the fact that he’s a first time DUI offender may help?

According to the DUI Foundation, on average, a first time drunk driving offender has been drunk 87 times prior to being arrested. It’s scary to imagine that there are so many drunk drivers on the road but you don’t know because they just don’t get caught.

Some people would argue (as Lange probably did), that a few drinks would be fine and that it won’t affect their driving skills. Unfortunately, that is a sad misconception that even a lot of good, law-abiding citizens share.

But alcohol is an anti-depressant, it slows down the functions of the central nervous system and yes, that’s basically where your brain is. Thus, when alcohol is consumed, a person’s judgment, concentration, comprehension, coordination, visual acuity, and reaction time–become impaired.

Having a few drinks is still no excuse for driving after drinking. People also have different absorption capacities for alcohol so even a few drinks can be deadly. Consuming alcohol before getting behind the wheel greatly increases the risk of car accidents, highway injuries, and vehicular deaths.