Cecilia

With the Holidays coming up it occured to me that some of us will be festivating until we pass out and fall face first in our eggnog. So how DOES our A's right to run around snookered balance with other peoples rights not to be RUN OVER.

I see a continuing thread running thru our posts. Lots of People post about their A's driving and wrecking their and anybody elses car they can get their hands on.


Mine managed to kill several people and injure several more and now hes been in jail for a long time. It never occured to me that he was an accident waiting to happen. Truthfully a lot of times I was just glad he was gone and not bugging me.


To his buds Elvis was the Big Kahuna. Able to consume mass quanties and still be coherent. Dont you know all "Manly Men" are able to hold their liquor. I dont drink so I just assumed his behavior was "normal" .

Now that my conciousness has been raised I wish I had turned Elvis in for drinking and driving. II dont really have any answers. Just thought Id cause trouble and get a discussion going. And Im trying to post more and lurk less.

GlassPrisoner

I agree one should not drink and drive. If and when caught, punishment should be administered. It is truly sad how many die because of drunk drivers.

That said, I think I see some definite resentment and anger in you post. Doesn't our program teach us that those character defects are dangerous to us, and that we should work towards eliminating them ?

Cecilia

Its been awhile Im past being angry. Just wondering how DO we strike a balance. If its not okay to drink and drive they why can you drive some place and drink.

prodigal

Yes, I think some anger is evident in your post, but I personally consider it simply your regret for not having called the police, given them his license plate number, and requested they keep an eye out for his vehicle swerving along the road.

You don't mention it, but I would like to assume that after he took several people's lives, he felt remorse. Did he hit bottom and realize he's a drunk? I guess it doesn't matter right now ... prisons don't have cocktail lounges.

My AH got a DUI in Maryland back in '01 and an OUI (operating watercraft under the influence) in Arizona this past summer. Both times he was thrown in jail overnight. Neither incident slowed him down, although now he stockpiles the booze at home before starting his weekend binges so at least he isn't out on the roads.

prodigal

As far as the rest of us non-A's are concerned; yes, I drive to a bar once in awhile. I also stopped drinking entirely 12 days ago in order to diet. I'll have something to drink, I suppose on Christmas and New Year's Eves, but I'll do so at home.

Liquor is BIG business, and this time of year, lots of social drinkers gather in restaurants/pubs/bars to party a bit. Personally, I have had past experiences drinking and driving and there is no way I'm going back there. For me, going out with the girls means having a couple beers over the course of several hours. I have never been pulled over by the police or been in an accident when I've been drinking and driving but I avoid getting myself into that type of situation nowadays.

Personally, I'd rather drink at home, if I drink at all - it costs a LOT less!

Cecilia

Well I WASNT angry until everybody told me I was. LOL. When we type its hard for people to "see" us. I have a warped sense of humour. So I guess I need to use more smilies .

Seriously Ive gotten thru that stage of my grief for the iife I used to have. I do regret that someone didnt call. I didnt find out until afterwards. I just find it curious how much of a part alcohol plays in the way we celebrate. The number of things we toast. The number of people who think youre strange when you say you dont drink.


Elvis was on parole for 8 months while the various trials went on. He was devastated by what he had done. I was afraid he might take his life for a while. He never touched another drop. He is trying to make amends in his own way. He works in the GED program and he gives talks on why you shouldnt drink.

Cecilia

Opps . Sorry heres your smilie.

findmyself

It's truly amazing, this whole conversation. My AH has been drinking and driving for 20 years. He will come home sooooooo drunk, he sleeps in his truck because he can't make it into the house. He is bearly able to speak on most occasions. I have alerted the police to this a number of times, not to save him, but those on the streets (including myself). He has never gotten caught. I have been thru 5 or 6 alcohol check points in the last couple of years and I am always amazed they check me (dont drink) but never, ever get him. I swear hes being protected by alcohol demons. I want to scream every time a cops says "had anything to drink tonight ma'am?" NO, BUT WHY DON'T YOU ASK MY AH? HERES HIS LICENSE PLATE #. There's no justice.

mallowcup

No one should drink and drive, if you are drunk and run over me, the particulars are a nonissue. There is one ticket I will never get, a DWI. I hate alcohol.There is nothing festive about it.

prodigal

Well, here's an amazing drinking-and-driving story. My former AH could back his car into our driveway perfectly right beside my car and be falling down drunk. He got pulled over once and passed the sobriety test after having something like 11 VO's (Canadian whiskey) and water!!!! I used to watch out the front window when he backed his big, expensive Audi into our driveway. Never ceased to amaze me! Go figure.

StandingStrong

The truth (IMO) is there is no balance. No one should drink and drive. I also believe that the punishment for doing so should be much higher than it is. There again, though, I could argue the differences in other circumstances if I were trying to make a point (such as the whole smoking ban of states, but yet one can work in dangerous health-related businesses).

If it makes you feel better, I had to almost laugh at the above posts as I remember one time that I posted about something and was accussed of being angry when I wasn't. As you said, it's hard to tell in text sometimes how a person really feels. So I do understand that.

My xAH drank and drove for many years. I often thought of turning him in myself but never did so. When he finally got a DUI this past spring, he commented about how stupid it was and he shouldn't have gotten it cuz he'd only had 4 beers but he'd drank and drove ********* for all those years.
In my book - he should have been pulled over many many years ago and he deserved to get one much sooner.

Regardless of this long post, as I said before in answer to your post, I don't believe there is a balance. One shouldn't drink and drive - period.

robina

Even after one glass of beer, I find my reaction times considerably slowed when I am driving. It's probably best not to drive at all when drinking.

Cecilia

Well maybe I am a little peevish. But not because of him. I get that way in December. Family stuff and Outlaw stuff. LOL. And I cant get the DANG smilies to work so youll just have to imagine that Im smilin.

Like I said I dont drink so I never really associated his behavior with being an alkie. Just normal social drinking that guys do. I realize now that he was still in his early stages. Worked everyday. No drunkin binges. Didnt get ********* and pee on himself and pass out in the petunias. When I read some of the other posts I say WOW I had it easy.

A lot of people that Im exposed to seem to feel that its their right to smoke or drink or whatever. Ive always felt that a nonsmoking section is like a no peeing section in the pool. Truthfully right now Im totally against drinking and driving but I also realize its not up to me to tell people whether they can drink or not. After all its not the booze its how you use it. <insert smilie>

And I still dont know how we can tell who should be driving. Elvis could drink enuf to pickle a small wildebeast and still look stone cold sober. When all this happened he had never even had a speeding ticket. I wish he had had a regular DUI. It might have jarred some sense into him. Me too.