People shouldn't need National Drugged and Drunk Driving Prevention Month to remind them that it's not all right to get behind the wheel after a festive night of alcohol consumption.

Sadly, though, many still ignore the deadly statistics and warnings involved before driving while under the influence of alcohol, or even marijuana or another illegal drug.

The holiday season is truly upon us. But while the majority of Americans will utilize the season to fellowship with family and friends, other irresponsible adults see this time of the year as reason for uninhibited celebration, which may or may not involve illicit behavior. There is nothing wrong with wanting to enjoy Christmas and the dawning of a New Year. However, when that enjoyment translates into a consequential game of Russian roulette behind the steering wheel of an automobile, that enjoyment becomes an unlawful attack on society. A person high on drugs or alcohol who chooses to drive shows little regard for his or her life, as well as the lives of their families and their fellow human beings.

Each year, the nation revels in Christmas cheer, yet underlying that revelry is a line of sadness, evident by the mothers and fathers who've lost children to drunk drivers. Or children coping with the loss of a parent because someone decided to drive after having a few too many drinks at the company Christmas party.

This holiday season, before you make the ill-fated decision to drink and drive, think of those people and what they've lost. And think if the consequences of driving drunk are worth what you could lose as well.