‘‘No Tomorrow’’ is the title of the school tour that MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is taking across Saskatchewan. And the title could ring true for anyone of the hundreds of students at Thom Collegiate on Mar. 25 if they choose to get behind the wheel while impaired.

‘‘No Tomorrow’’ also happens to be the title of the short film that was shown to the student body to educate them on the risks and consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol, cannabis or other drugs.

The film tells the story of band mates Marcus, Corey, Trevor and Lee. After winning a contest to record a demo, they get an incredible chance to audition for a music school.  Shortly before their audition though, bass player Trevor gets intoxicated and it affects his performance as he plays several wrong notes.

The talent scout for the school pulls only Marcus into her office and offers him a spot point-blank, while Corey and Lee are given an opportunity to re-apply next year.  Trevor is not offered a spot or a chance to re-apply, as the school has a zero tolerance policy for alcohol and drugs.

This causes Trevor to storm off to his car in his inebriated state. Marcus attempts to stop him from driving, to no avail.  So instead of stopping Trevor, Marcus decides to instead get in the car to make sure he gets home safe.  What happens next changes all of their lives forever.

Lynnisa Pasap, a current student at Thom says she would have handled the situation differently if one of her friends were about to drive drunk.

“I would have taken away the keys, even though they might get mad,” Pasap said.

“You wouldn’t only be saving yourself but your friends as well. If it ruins a friendship you’re saving their life as well as your own.”

Pasap’s message to anyone who considers driving impaired is that it not only affects the person behind the wheel. It affects the families and loved ones of everyone involved, whether the driver loses their own life or causes the death of another, there are a large number of people negatively affected.

Alisha Tymo, another current student at Thom, had a different takeaway from the video. She says what captured her attention the most was the fact that innocent bystanders who have no connection to the drunk driver are affected by said driver’s poor choices.

For instance, in the second part of the ‘’No Tomorrow’’ film, it shows examples of real-life victims of impaired driving:

Colby Duffenais was walking home from a party on Christmas Day and was struck by an impaired driver on a quad.  He suffered a serious brain injury, is now in a wheelchair and can no longer feed himself.

Another example included William Harris riding a dirtbike home with a group of his friends when he was hit from behind by an impaired driver in a truck going upwards of 136 kilometres per hour. He was killed instantly.

“If someone was thinking about driving while impaired my message to them would be: to be rational and think about the other people it might affect, not just yourself,” Tymo said. “There’s no tolerance for it and you shouldn’t be getting behind the wheel.”

The Honourable Gene Makowsky, representative for the SLGA (Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority) was a guest speaker at the event and shared a few of his thoughts on the dangers of impaired driving.

“The more we talk about impaired driving and its consequences the more it will lead to positive actions,” Makowsky stated.  Makowsky went on to reiterate the fact that those affected by impaired driving are often innocent bystanders.

“That could be your loved ones, your parents, your brothers and sisters, your friends, your teammates,” he explained to the students. “Those are people who tomorrow was just going to be another regular day.”