It Happened To Me Julia Beatty Analysis

Don’t Be the One

While out late with a bunch of friends on a Friday night, David is ready to leave. He is starting to see double of everything and can’t interpret others speaking. His mind is jumbled. The only thought still lingering in David’s mind after having 12 Budweiser’s and 20 shots of liquor, was his bed. David only wanted to go home to his nice cozy bed where his pregnant wife would be waiting up for his 1 a.m. arrival. As David stumbles through his crowd of friends, many of them stop him and offer rides, but he refuses. With only 7 miles to drive home, David hops in his Dodge. Step by step he takes five minutes to get his car prepared for the trip. The car is started, the lights are on, and his seat belt is fastened. David gradually
Alcohol directly affects brain chemistry by altering levels of neurotransmitters, completely changing the behavior of one’s moral state. People have a tendency to feel like they are able to function the same way they would if they were sober, not thinking about the consequences. People are lucky if all they are facing is a totaled car and a few scrapes and bruises. In Julia Beatty’s article, “It Happened To Me: I Crashed My Car And Got A DUI,” it tells her story of the time she totaled her car after leaving a party on the fourth of July. She was trying to find the exit to get back home, but none of the roads looked right. Then when she thought she found the right road, she swerved over three lanes. After almost hitting two cars head on, she flipped her car in the ditch. Julia concludes her story by saying, “Every single punishment that I got I wholeheartedly deserved. I’m not asking for pity when I tell you I spent the entire day after the accident sobbing over what I could have caused. I’m just admitting that I made a terrible mistake and am truly lucky that it didn’t end someone’s life, especially that wonderful woman who held me while I cried” (Beatty 1). Julia learned a lot from that drunken night. Julia is considered lucky; she was able to walk away from the wreck. She not only received a DUI and totaled her car, but she also created the
In an article called from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration called, “Impaired Driving: Get the Facts” it states, “Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 51 minutes. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $59 billion” (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1). The fact that so many people die every day in the United States from alcohol related accidents is absolutely ridiculous. The stories are endless. In Steve Schmadeke’s article, “Man gets 15 years in DUI accident that killed mother, son” He talks about the terrible tragedy that ended two innocent lives. Schmadeke states, “A speeding, unlicensed driver who crashed into another car on the Northwest Side, killing a mother and her teenage son and injuring three other children, was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison” (Schmadeke 1). Because 37 year old, Richard Strum decided to drive while intoxicated, he took two innocent lives and injured three others. He not only took a mother, but he also took a daughter, sister, and wife. He not only took a son, but he also took a brother, cousin, best friend, student, and ultimately someone who didn’t even have a chance at real life before it was taken away. Drunken driving accidents are far too