How you could 'drive drunk' without a drink
I know you'd never dream of driving drunk.
Yet every day, millions of Americans hit the road just as impaired as someone who's had one too many.
And most of them don't even realize it!
Many common medications can leave you so out-of-whack that you're a risk when you're out on the roads, and new research shows how many drivers don't know... are never warned... or have been warned, but don't seem to care.
Nearly 20 percent of drivers say that they've taken a med that can lead to impairment -- not at some point in their lives, and not even over the past year.
This was over the past TWO DAYS!
Some of the drugs are obvious.
We all know how loopy prescription pain pills can make you. Some people can't even walk right, much less drive.
Of course, sedatives such as sleep drugs and relaxants will do just what their names say -- and leave you too drowsy to drive.
Yet the study finds that many people who take those drugs drive anyway, even though most are warned by their pharmacists.
Those aren't the only drugs that can lead to driving dangers. And the risks with some of the others are much less obvious.
Antidepressant drugs taken by some 30 million Americans can also lead to impaired driving, and nearly 40 percent of the folks who take the meds say they haven't been warned of that risk.
Other common drugs, including meds taken by seniors (such as blood pressure pills), can lead to impaired thinking, poor judgement, and so much dizziness that you could feel as if you've knocked back a shot of Jack Daniels.
What makes this even more frightening is that at least a shot of JD wears off. The effects of meds can linger... and linger... and linger. Some studies have found that taking a sleep med at night can make you too impaired to drive the next morning!
Of course, KNOWING the risk is quite different from realizing how BIG that risk is. I don't think any of these people truly believe they're impaired, otherwise they'd never get behind the wheel.
They think the risk is exaggerated. Or maybe just like some people think they can "handle" their booze, some folks are convinced they can "handle" their meds.
But they can't.
By definition, being impaired means that you're not exactly the best judge of your own state.
OF COURSE, you should pay attention to drug warnings, but let me give you another option.
Many times, natural therapies can deliver all of the same benefits of drugs but without the risks. Work closely with a holistic medical doctor to see if anything you're taking can be swapped with something safer -- so you can keep driving.