{"id":779,"date":"2025-12-11T17:58:56","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T17:58:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maddorgstg.wpengine.com\/texas\/?p=779"},"modified":"2025-12-11T18:06:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T18:06:44","slug":"the-true-cost-of-drunk-driving-during-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madd.org\/texas\/the-true-cost-of-drunk-driving-during-the-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"The True Cost of Drunk Driving During the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"

Driving Sober Is an Act of Love by Mahi a Texas Teen Influencer<\/strong><\/p>\n

One reckless choice changed everything for my family. Now, I speak up so no one else must go through the pain we live with every day.<\/p>\n

The holidays are supposed to be about light and laughter, friends singing in cars, families reuniting, everyone just happy to be together. But for too many people, those moments are replaced by flashing lights, sirens, and silence.<\/p>\n

My family\u2019s story changed in an instant.<\/p>\n

A drunk driver hit my dad, and our world flipped upside down. He survived, but he\u2019s now paralyzed. Every day, especially during the holidays, we feel the emptiness of what we\u2019ve lost, the kind of ambiguous loss that never fully goes away because the person you love is still here, but life will never be the same.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t share this for pity. I share it because I don\u2019t want you or anyone to feel this kind of pain.<\/p>\n

We all have the power to stop it.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going out, make a plan before you drive. Hand over the keys. Call a ride. Don\u2019t risk it.<\/p>\n

If your friend is about to drive drunk, speak up. It\u2019s not overreacting, it\u2019s saving a life.<\/p>\n

And if you ever think, \u201cI\u2019ll just check one text,\u201d don\u2019t. One second of distraction can ruin so many futures.<\/p>\n

Driving sober and focused isn\u2019t just about following rules. It\u2019s about love.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about your parents waiting for you to come home safe.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about your friends needing you here.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about giving the people who care about you what they truly want, you alive.<\/p>\n

This holiday season, be the one who changes the story.<\/p>\n

Be the friend who speaks up.<\/p>\n

Be the driver who waits to text.<\/p>\n

Be the reason your family gets to celebrate, not grieve.<\/p>\n

Safe choices don\u2019t make you boring; they make you strong. They make you someone\u2019s miracle.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s make this the year we choose safety, compassion, and courage over regret.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be the generation that ends drunk and distracted driving for good.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Driving Sober Is an Act of Love by Mahi a Texas Teen Influencer One reckless choice changed everything for my family. 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