How has alcohol affected your life? We'd love to hear your story.

Why we care about your alcohol story

For many of us alcohol is no big deal. We love a cocktail with dinner or drinking beer with our boiled seafood, but we can't really say it affects our life much. But that's absolutely not true for everyone. As an installer and servicer of ignition interlock devices, we meet many people whose lives have been affected by alcohol. But getting a DWI isn't the only way your life can be affected by alcohol.

About Alcohol Awareness Month 2024

Alcohol Awareness Month will take place in April 2024. Started over thirty years ago, the main target of this program was originally college-aged students who might be drinking too much as part of their newfound freedom. It has since become a nation-wide movement to draw more attention to the causes and effects of alcoholism as well as how to help families and communities deal with drinking problems and other alcohol related issues.

What kind of stories are we looking for?

Were you required to have an ignition interlock device installed in your vehicle due to a DUI? Did you lose a job or friends because of alcohol? Or did someone else's alcohol use affect your life? Maybe a spouse, parent, child, or sibling used alcohol but it affected you in some way. Addiction isn't the only alcohol issue that affects our lives. Underage drinking, binge drinking, and drunk driving also impact so many lives in so many ways. There's no cookie cutter mold for stories of alcohol use and abuse, everyone has a different experience. We'd love to hear yours. Just email us at snichols@smartstartla.com or message us through Facebook.com/smartstartla to share your alcohol story.

What will we do with the stories?

Join us on our blog and social media pages during the month of April 2024 for weekly posts related to real life alcohol stories. We won't share names, and we'll only share details you're ok providing us with. 

About alcohol

Alcohol isn't always bad. Some people claim possible health benefits of consuming small amounts of alcohol. These may include reducing the risk of developing heart disease, ischemic stroke, and possibly even diabetes. The social and psychological benefits of alcohol also can't be ignored. But alcohol definitely isn't always good, either. Many Americans die because of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, and many more are admitted into hospitals, psychiatric facilities, jails, and prison. Alcohol places people at risk for things like divorce, unemployment, bankruptcy, and physical and emotional problems such as depression. Heavy drinking can damage the liver and heart, harm an unborn child, increase the chances of developing some cancers, contribute to depression and violence, and interfere with relationships. Alcohol is a toxic and addictive drug.

Who are we?

Smart Start of Louisiana offers tools to help with voluntary and mandated alcohol monitoring. We are here to help. Whether you need an ignition interlock device installed in your vehicle or a handheld breathalyzer, contact us to get started.