DR. WALLACE: I'm what society would call a social drinker and I'm currently 21, so you don't have to scold me for being underage and consuming alcohol. My girlfriend is 20 but she's also soon to be 21, so she only drinks with me in private.

I usually only have one or two drinks a day; occasionally, I will have three, but that's only on rare occasions like a special celebration or a huge sporting event that we watch over many hours.

I usually drive myself to and from several places that I drink, but since I don't drink much, it's been no problem for me, and I plan to keep it that way. My girlfriend is always trying to get me to use a ride-hailing service, but those are expensive. I tell her that they are only for people who plan to go out and get really drunk, so they know they can't drive anyway. Why do you and many other people frown on social drinkers who drive themselves to and from various events? We social drinkers are not the "problem drivers" on the roads these days. — Social Drinker, via email

SOCIAL DRINKER: All alcohol affects the human body's motor skills and therefore the ability to drive a vehicle safely. By consuming one or two drinks your body is slowing down its reaction time and when driving a vehicle even a fraction of a second can at times be the difference between being involved in an accident and avoiding one.

I therefore always recommend that anyone who consumes any alcohol at all should not be driving a motor vehicle until enough time has passed for that alcohol to be completely out of their system.

Don't be fooled: Consuming two or three drinks makes a huge difference, and you are then driving impaired. And depending on the state in which you live, two or three drinks could put you past the legal limit and subject you to an impaired driving arrest, which would change your life in many unpleasant ways. Listen to your girlfriend and when you plan to drink even one drop, use a ride service.

CAN I TEACH WITH NO DEGREE?

DR. WALLACE: I just realized that I might be interested in becoming a teacher, but I don't have a college degree yet. I live on the Southeast coast and have heard rumors that some people can become high school teachers even if they have not earned a college degree yet.

I'm sure I could pass college classes to become a teacher, but it would take me two more years to become a teacher if I have to go back to college first. I spent two years in college before I left to join the military.

Is there any hope for me to teach based on my work experience and my willingness to teach any subject a school might need? — Would Like to Try Teaching, via email

WOULD LIKE TO TRY TEACHING: Not many states allow this anymore. In the past, there were opportunities for certain types of teachers to become qualified solely based on a long duration of work experience in a field that correlated to certain types of high school classes.

But there are a few remaining possibilities these days, like an opportunity that exists in certain parts of the state of Arizona. In Arizona, teachers can be hired in some instances with an "emergency teacher certificate," which is usually issued when a school district can't fill a teaching vacancy with a candidate who has a college degree. But since you're on the East Coast, Arizona is a long way away from you.

If you are in or near Florida, that might be another possibility since in 2022 that state created a "Veterans Certification Pathway" to teaching.

The State Board of Education in Florida will allow military veterans to obtain a five-year temporary teaching certificate without a bachelor's degree, provided the following criteria are met:

—Minimum of 48 months of military service with an honorable/medical discharge

—Minimum of 60 college credits with a 2.5 grade point average

—Passing score on a Florida subject area examination

—Employment in a Florida school district, including charter schools

—Cleared background screening

I'm not sure how long your military service duration was, but if it was 48 months or longer, you might be able to qualify to begin teaching in the state of Florida if you meet the other criteria via your prior college attendance.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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