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Paul
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: New York City
 
2005-06-17, 10:35

I recently turned 21 and it has been a lot of fun. The one major change for me is not the ability to drink, as I have been doing that fairly easily for a while now, but the loss of the "zero tolerance" policy when driving. To be perfectly honest I'm new to the whole drinking and driving thing. I would never let myself get behind the wheel even after like a sip of wine, but since turning 21 this has changed. I'm obviously not driving drunk, but I have had like 2 beers or so over the evening and drove people home... How do you know when you are over the legal limit? There was this one time where I probably shouldn't have gotten behind the wheel, but luckily while parking in Brighton someone was kind enough to put a rock through my window which prevented me from leaving... (More on this story later. I have pictures.)

I figured I would ask the AN collective because we have a bunch of *ahem* "seasoned" veteran drinkers here and I'm sure there are quite a few hidden nuggets of wisdom (and humor ) on this topic...

So, this is an open thread. Please comment on your experiences with "legal" "drunk" driving. What is your routine when going out to see if you have had one too many? What about friends? Do you actively use DDs? When would you refuse to get into a car with someone who has been drinking?

This is a sensitive topic for a lot of people for a lot of very valid reasons. I want to be clear that I am in no way looking to endanger other people's lives. Driving is a very dangerous activity and drinking while doing so is stupid, but there is a legal limit for a reason and I just want to learn more about the whole procedure. If you have a particular story you would like to share, don't hesitate to do so-but I would also appreciate it if this thread doesn't devolve into "drinking and driving is evil and you should go to jail" type rants... I think for the most part we are all mature adults here and we should be able to discuss this without getting too hostile. I don't intend ANY disrespect to those who have lost loved ones due to drunk driving.

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AWR
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2005-06-17, 10:57

My first impression is that you way ahead of the curve in respect of drinking and driving, i.e., you sound like you approach it very responsibly, seriously. Good.

I don't have a routine to see if I've had one too many - I have a wife instead. No really, while I used to be less responsible than you at your age (it was a different generation, but just!), I've been quite responsible since the kids arrived. First, we don't go out like we used and when we do, one of us will agree to just have a couple and stop drinking a couple of hours before we leave. No one drives drunk. Single friends tend to take more risks; they also go out harder as they don't have to get up at 7:00 every day.

This last question -

When would you refuse to get into a car with someone who has been drinking?

That's a difficult one.
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ohara
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2005-06-17, 11:00

all that rigmarole for a little tipsy driving.. i've been fine and i rarely drive.. sober and in general, that is (combination of circumstances). I haven't hit any hit any designing women yet, however, i did drive through a soccer field with wet ground, hit a car at waffle house, and get a ticket (on different occasions)...
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psmith2.0
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2005-06-17, 11:03

At this point, it takes 4-5 beers for me to even begin feeling anything.

I will drive if I've had 1-2 (and I drink light beer). I just arrange it to one of the following:

1. If I'm alone, I simply limit myself to two beers. I may linger on them, or implement a "one beer an hour" rule.

2. If I'm with people and I'm "in the mood" to have at it some, I'll arrange not to be driving and it's understood that someone has to drive my silly butt home afterward.

I lost a friend to this years ago, and an old roommate got a DUI and it messed her up GOOD (financially and all), so I'm double-guarded about the whole "drinking and driving" thing. I don't want to GET hurt, I don't want hurt anyone else and I don't want to spend a night in jail, pay fines, have my insurance go up, etc.

I think it's always best to have a designated driver.

Short of that, do what I do: I keep a folded $20 bill ALWAYS in my wallet, behind my drivers licenese. That's my "oh shit...I'm alone and I've had too much" cab fare.

I won't risk it.

I shot pool with a co-worker and her husband last weekend, and I knew they'd get seven sheets to the wind. So I had three beers in the space of nearly five hours. I ate wings and alternated with Cokes. He was a bit of an ass and wanted to drive home, but I saw the look of worry/fear in the eyes of his wife/my friend, so I just stepped up, got into his face a bit and made it crystal-fucking-clear that he wasn't driving anywhere and that I'll physically separate him from his keys if it came to that.



He eventually got a clue, realized I was right and just wanting to help (he was HAMMERED) and I drove them home in my car and they returned the next day in her car to pick his truck up. He actually called that afternoon to say thanks because he realized he was really in no condition...

Don't go down that road of "I've only had seven or so...and my house is only a couple of miles away...".



Famous last words. All it takes is not using a turn signal or screwing with the radio and swerving a bit for a cop to see it, pull you over and then it all goes to hell from there.

That's bad enough (a DUI), but what if you actually hurt (or worse) someone? That's the thing that keeps me smart and grounded. I simply think how my life would change, and how I'd never live that down, and it's enough for me to stop after two, call a cab or go with friends.

Don't be an idiot on this kind of stuff...it's REALLY not worth it. There are always options and alternatives: friends, cabs, designated drivers, sleep in your car, take a bus, stop drinking, etc.



The first time I get into a wreck and it's because of a drunken driver, I will beat the living piss out of him, then and there.


Last edited by psmith2.0 : 2005-06-17 at 11:08.
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hyperb0le
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2005-06-17, 11:06

I don't know any little tricks to determining BAC (since I'm not legal, and don't plan to drink when I am), but I'm guessing that one of these would do the trick.

"I understand small business growth. I was one." - George W. Bush
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Moogs
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2005-06-17, 11:06

Quote:
How do you know when you are over the legal limit?
Short of drinking so much that you just know you will be over, there is no way to gauge such things. Everyone's metabolism and reaction to alcohol is different. Depends on your body weight and a host of other factors, and even then there's no formula for any given body type.

If you have a few beers and drive, you are taking chances on a variety of levels, that's all there is to it. How much of a chance depends on the circumstances that day.

Quote:
I figured I would ask the AN collective because we have a bunch of *ahem* "seasoned" veteran drinkers here and I'm sure there are quite a few hidden nuggets of wisdom (and humor ) on this topic...
Humor I'm sure of, wisdom... I guess it all depends on your definition. People who tell you stories about how they "got away with it" one more time are probably more lucky than wise (myself included). I'm sure among the "older" crowd we all have stories about it.

Quote:
What is your routine when going out to see if you have had one too many? What about friends? Do you actively use DDs? When would you refuse to get into a car with someone who has been drinking?
There's no routine to "see" if you've had one too many IMHO. I suppose you could try to do the police sobriety tests as you leave the bar (assuming there are no cops around) and see how you do but that's of limited value, realistically.

As for friends, my closest ones I can tell when they've had too much just because I've been around them for 20 years and I know when they've crossed the line. With people you've only known a little while that will be hard to do unless they just can't handle their alcohol and are acting the part.

Basically, if I think there's a decent chance I might be driving after a few hours of spirits, I do the following:

1) Eat some food with my alcohol. Bread is best, but pasta dishes and finger foods (fries, quesadillas, etc) are OK to. Anything to slow the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream a bit. Also kills the alcohol breath somewhat if you get pulled over.

2) I don't drink wine. I could drink beer or liquor all night and not get sleepy. Two glasses of wine and I'm ready for a hammock. I also notice my motor functions deteriorate much more quickly with wine. This is true for many people IME.

3) I don't do shots. I may have several beers or several mixed drinks and still be functional behind the wheel (though it's still a stupid idea, even with a lot of experience). Shots OTOH while, they won't make you tired necessarily, they will trash your motor functions pretty quickly unless you have a very high tolerance for liquor. Watch someone who's throwing darts and then watch them after two or three shots. If you can't hit the board after a couple how are you going to stay in your lane at 50 or 70 mph?

If someone else is driving from the start, I watch the way they walk back to the car very carefully. If I see feet sort of shuffling in random steps or swaying as they move, I take the keys.

The sad reality is most groups do not have designated drivers when they leave for the bar. Everyone wants to have a few and enjoy themselves. And no one wants to leave their car at the bar unless it's very close to home. So in the presence of "group drink" you have to just put 'em down at a measured pace and take other steps to make sure you have the best chance of operating a vehicle with relative safety.

...into the light of a dark black night.

Last edited by Moogs : 2005-06-17 at 11:13.
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murbot
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2005-06-17, 11:08

I pretty much do what pscates does, I'll drive if I've had a couple beers, any more than that and I probably won't, depending on the time-frame of it. If I've been at someone's place for an afternoon/evening thing and have had 4 beers over 6 or 7 hours, I'm fine.

If I'm somewhere and know I have to drive home, I'll alternate drinks with pop or water. Hell, once I was out with some buddies who were giving me a hard time, so I told them I was going to go and get the waitress's phone number at the bar... but I was really there asking her to start bringing me straight cokes with ice every time I ordered a rye and coke. She was also in on the phone number thing, so the guys thought I was drinking as much as them, AND got this girls number. It was pretty funny.

I don't know anyone injured from it, but I've had a couple family members lose their licenses or jobs because of it, and I'd rather not go down that road.
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ohara
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2005-06-17, 11:09

circuit city sells cheap breathalyzers.. my friends and I all have them – they're amazing
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InactionMan
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2005-06-17, 11:52

Is it true that if you suck on a penny before doing the breathalyzer test, you'll blow under? Sounds dumb, but I've heard that a few times.

Drinking and driving isn't an issue for me. I don't have drivers license and I live in a city that has good enough public transit 24 hours a day. And I won't get in a car with someone that's had more than two drinks.
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Kickaha
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2005-06-17, 12:23

Penny myth: not true.

If I had my way, killing someone while DUI would be first degree murder. I think that pretty much sums up my feeling on it.

<1 drink hr, >60 min after the last one before I get behind the wheel. I flat out refuse to get into a car that is being driven by someone drunk. I *have* physically barred someone from getting behind the wheel after drinking.

The $20 in your wallet at all times is a great idea, and one I do. Always have emergency get-home money.
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thuh Freak
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2005-06-17, 14:01

i dont have a driver's license, just a permit and most of my friends dont trust me with a car. (i doubt i'd be a good driver; i happen to be a maniac while just walking around.) i always bug people about drinking when they are going to drive. i give them shit for every drink they have after the first. but its mostly just cause i like being a prick. i'll almost always be driven home by them anyway.

in driver's ed they said you shouldn't drink at all if you are going to drive. because after the first drink, its harder to stop. and it becomes harder and harder after each beer. not a bad rule if you're nervous about it. and you should be nervous about it.

i for one, no atleast one person who perished in a car accident, where the major cause was alcohol (well, alcohol + telephone pole).

when i go out drinking, i only pay with twenties (*sleaseball voice* it impresses the ladies). so on my way home i have plenty of loose cash, with which i can pay my way home if need be.
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Kickaha
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2005-06-17, 14:14

Yeah, the snowballing effect "oh what the hell, just one more" when drinking is real, and bites a lot of people. I find a good rule of thumb is to get the same number of $5 bills as you're going to have. Pay for each beer with one, and when you're out of fives, you're out of buying power. (Keep the ones for the dancers. ) In other words, plan out your night. Also, ask folks if they're interested in going elsewhere *before* ordering another one. I've had that one pop up... order another beer, and someone says "Oh! We should go to..." "But I just ordered this!" "So slam it, and let's go!" Um, no. I just tell them they can buy it from me and slam it themselves. Usually they do.
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Paul
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2005-06-17, 14:50

I probably should have been clearer... the rock was thrown at the window hours before I went to go home. I think someone was trying to (they were unsuccessful) steal my iPod, not because someone didn't want me leaving. But I didn't notice it until I was already pulling out of the parking space . It will be much clearer once I get the pictures from my friend online. I stayed and waited to file a report with the police before I moved the car. Of course they didn't come until like 6 hours later... so it was quite the interesting night-err-day. I went to the car around like 4:30 am...

I've been doing the $20 behind the drivers license thing for as long as I can remember having a wallet "just in case" to get home, but it is a good tip to repeat for others.

Actually, a large reason for me starting this thread was to get some tips on personal breathalyzer machines, I want to know which ones are good. CC has some good ones? How inexpensive are they and how long will they work for?

I have some pretty good willpower and if I limit myself to three drinks I'll stick to it, but that $5 bill trick is a good idea too.

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People really have got to stop thinking there is only one operating system, one economic system, one religion, and one business model. -EvilTwinSkippy (/.)
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MBHockey
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: New York
 
2005-06-17, 18:34

So not worth it. My friend died 2 years ago from driving drunk, and i'm only 21 right now. Seriously. It isn't worth it.
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ast3r3x
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2005-06-17, 18:53

I drive unless I feel that I am not capable. Normally I can drink pretty much and not have a problem...it's all about being able to focus, which I can normally do.

I will only let a select few friends drive me while they are drunk, and that is because I trust them as much as I trust myself to know when they shouldn't be driving.
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billybobsky
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2005-06-17, 19:09

Only once in my life have I gotten behind the wheel of a car when I felt tipsy. It isn't a matter of focus, it is a matter of response time; I almost drove my car off a hill side with a sober friend in it... since then I wait ~ 1h after I finish the last beverage and feel up for driving...
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Amadeus
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2005-06-17, 19:14

It is better to be safe than sorry, it you question if you are too drunk to drive or not, it's best to not drive. Take a cab and see another day.
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ast3r3x
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2005-06-17, 19:48

Well I mean when I'm drunk, I can...well I call it focus, and quash the feeling/effects of alcohol for the most part. Of course only up to a certain amount, which I will gladly get a ride if I shouldn't be driving. I guess it's better around here that I can mostly take back roads home with no traffic. I am sure my reaction time is impaired somewhat, but normally not enough to not drive. I should mention I normally don't drink too much, I know there are a lot of people that think it's cool to throw up, but that is f'n stupid.
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Paul
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2005-06-17, 19:59

Yeah, it really does depend on where you are driving from/to... I mean if you have been on the road a million times before and it is the dead ass middle of the night you are much better off than driving through a city you have never been in before at like midnight trying to find some random chick's apartment that you happened to meet at the bar that night...

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psmith2.0
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2005-06-17, 20:16

Slut.





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CobaltFire
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2005-06-17, 20:30

I'm a sailor by trade, and can drink quite a bit, but if we are going anywhere, I won't drink. I tend to be the DD by default, which is fine by me (cheaper by far). Last night, I went out to dinner with my fiancee, and had a Long Island. That happens to be my fav drink, and If I really want to drink, I'll have 2-3 of those. As for last night, I didn't go near the car for upwards of 4 hours after finishing the drink, because for me, it's not worth it to even think about drinking and driving. If I'm drving, I might have 1 beer that night, at the beginning of the night (like when we go bowling, I'll have one with some wings), then wait 2-3 hours before driving, by which point my friends are blasted.

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staph
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2005-06-17, 23:28

The basic formula for staying within the Australian limit (.05) for a man is: two standard drinks in your first hour, then one every hour thereafter. For a woman, it's one drink in the first hour, and then one every hour thereafter. I've heard rumours that the US limit is .08, so you might be able to get away with a bit more.

A standard drink is 10mL of alcohol, so that's about 2/3–3/4 of a bottle of full-strength beer (or about a midi/pot/half-pint), a small glass of wine, or a shot of spirits, more or less.

I'd adjust the amounts down if you're small and low in body fat, or if you're drinking on an empty stomach, and up if you're a massive bastard who likes eating hearty meals whilst drinking.

Generally, I'll never have more than two drinks if I'm driving, and I'll do that over a couple of hours. It's a good idea to leave a decent gap between your last sip and driving as well, because it takes a little while for alcohol levels in your actual mouth to normalise after you've had alcohol in your mouth.
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windowsblowsass
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2005-06-17, 23:57

the U.S. limit is not nation wide it goes on a state basis until recently PA was .10 but it has been lowered to .08 i believe some state are at .06 and others are at .1 and some even higher/lower

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staph
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2005-06-18, 01:33

Quote:
Originally Posted by windowsblowsass
the U.S. limit is not nation wide it goes on a state basis until recently PA was .10 but it has been lowered to .08 i believe some state are at .06 and others are at .1 and some even higher/lower
Actually, criminal law is a State responsibility in Australia too, it's just that (I'm pretty sure that) each of the State laws happen to agree on this point.

.10? That's pretty fucking tipsy to be driving a car. Crikey.
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Paul
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2005-06-18, 02:29

Had 3-5 drinks tonight in the span of about 5 hours...
this thread convinced me to take a cab and wake up early tomorrow to get the car before I get a ticket... we'll see if it works...

but thanks.

A $20 cab and a $25 ticket...
should have just stayed sober.

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Last edited by Paul : 2005-06-18 at 13:12.
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Res
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2005-06-18, 21:42

It was never a problem when I was in NYC, but down here in memphis if I go out with with friends I make sure that I only have 2 drinks if I have to drive. As for tests, in my younger days I used to say if I can't juggle I can't drive (I'd use my keys and two random objects, attempt a couple dozen passes and a few ticks).

Truthfully, nowadays I seldom drink alcoholic beverages, but if I were to take up the habit I would definitely get a breathalyzer -- why not be sure?

Not like this. Not like this...
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alcimedes
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2005-06-18, 22:41

Federal highway funds are being tied to a .08 limit IIRC, which is why our state just dropped from .10 to .08.

Picked up one of those little breathalyzers tonight. I'll have to see how well it works, although I guess you'll never know exactly how accurate they are until you get pulled over and get the real deal.

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Koodari
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2005-06-18, 23:04

Don't trust a cheap breathalyzer. If I want to drink a bit and still drive, I do the math - add up the alcohol and figure out how many hours that amount takes to get out of the bloodstream. The local limit is 0.5, I think, but I will only drive when according to the math no alcohol is left, that is my safety margin.
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Luca
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2005-06-19, 02:58

Heh, I hope you meant to say .05 there! Because I believe .5 is death.

I don't drink much... when I do, it's with friends and I still rarely have as much as anyone else. I try to drink more earlier in the night and the last two times I've gone drinking, we end up watching a movie afterwards, which gives me plenty of time to sober up. I rarely have more than 3-4 drinks in a night, and that's over the course of many hours (5-7, with the last drink at least two hours before I leave).

I enjoy alcohol and I like getting a wee bit tipsy, but I can definitely tell when it's affecting me and I don't like to take it much beyond that. Once I start feeling the effects I usually stop or just have one more. I would never drive while feeling tipsy at all... I'd have to be completely awake and responsive before I'd try driving. Driving drunk is about as dangerous as driving while really tired, I'd guess.
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Argento
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2005-06-19, 04:12

Quote:
Originally Posted by alcimedes
Federal highway funds are being tied to a .08 limit IIRC, which is why our state just dropped from .10 to .08.

Picked up one of those little breathalyzers tonight. I'll have to see how well it works, although I guess you'll never know exactly how accurate they are until you get pulled over and get the real deal.
Yeah well after half a b ottle of Voka I was pulling a .01 they fucking suck, let me know if you have any better luck with yours....
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