Drinking and Driving ?

[Amethyst Rose]

Okay.... a good friend of my sent an email to my husband and I expressing her great concern over our "drinking and driving". We went to their house the other night, and between 8 and 11 I had 3 drinks - one cooler, one beer, one vodka coke. My husband had 3 beers. Both my husband and I were completely sober when we left the house, but it turns out that my friend was worried sick that we would make it home. Both her and her husband are of the opinion that even if you have 1 drink you don't drive.
So in her email, she asked us that if we go to her house to please not drink if we're going to be driving, or to take a cab or stay the night at their place. We agreed that at their house warming this Saturday, my husband wouldn't drink.

So...I was wondering what your opinion on this subject is. Do you think that if you have even one drink you shouldn't be driving? Is it okay to have a couple as long as you're sober when you drive? Or do you feel it's still okay even if you're a little tipsy?

[LadyTrinity]

I duno. I think it ould depend on the legal alcohol limit

[Rockprincess]

So...I was wondering what your opinion on this subject is. Do you think that if you have even one drink you shouldn't be driving? Is it okay to have a couple as long as you're sober when you drive? Or do you feel it's still okay even if you're a little tipsy?
To be honest, I'd have felt the same as your friend. My husband is a tall man, but if he's had more than one drink, I drive. So many things can affect how much effect the alcohol has on you. It may have been over the course of an evening, but imo, 3 drinks is too much to be driving. :sick:

[Amethyst Rose]

I duno. I think it ould depend on the legal alcohol limit

Ah, so you're of the opinion that as long as it's legal it's okay? What about the idea of, "it's okay as long as I don't get caught"

You see, when I was living in the Caribbean, there were no drunk driving laws (at least none that were inforced.) It was so bad that a cop was in the parking lot of a bar making sure no one was breaking into cars, and he HELPED a drunk person into their car, and put the key in the ignition for them. Everyone there drove DRUNK, simply because it wasn't illegal.

[Elise]

This reminds me of a quote "the road to h*ll is paved with good intentions." ..I think whenever one goes out, if there are plans to drink , one person should stay completely sober.. Because even with few drinks, whether a person is "inebriated" or not depends on their height and size etc etc.. And of course drinking does affect one's judgement.. Many a drunk driver never "thought" they were drunk..

[Rockprincess]

Ah, so you're of the opinion that as long as it's legal it's okay? What about the idea of, "it's okay as long as I don't get caught"

You see, when I was living in the Caribbean, there were no drunk driving laws (at least none that were inforced.) It was so bad that a cop was in the parking lot of a bar making sure no one was breaking into cars, and he HELPED a drunk person into their car, and put the key in the ignition for them. Everyone there drove DRUNK, simply because it wasn't illegal.
So what is your point? :lol:

[MoonlightShadow]

If you're going to be driving you should not be drinking at all. I don't care how capable you think you are. Go ahead, enjoy your drinks but make sure you have a designated driver. I don't need you risking my life and the lives of my loved ones because you didn't think you were drunk.

[Faerwolf]

i must speak from personal experience, you can have one drink or fifty but don't get in a car. I was pulled for a DWI a couple of weeks ago and i thought i was okay when i got in the car, and then i saw blue lights and realized that i was screwed. Just be carefull. Think, is this possibly going to harm me or others? I learned a very important lesson with this DWI, the point is not just to act responsibly but think responsibly also.

[Gracecat]

Agreed. Three drinks are probably too many to drive.

You may appear sober, you may feel sober and your blood alcohol levels may be well below the legal limit but alcohol impairs your motor skills and it starts with the first drink.

Secondly, if you *had* been in an accident and your husband was legal, even having drank that evening would leave you with insurance disputes, possible extra citations and personal injury suits. I'm not positive but I think, if involved in an accident, alcohol in the blood stream automatically puts you at fault regardless content levels.

[Amethyst Rose]

So what is your point? :lol:

That many people do it just because they think (or know) that they won't get cauge. Or that many people DONT drink and drive just incase they MIGHT get caught. That it has less to do with morals than legal consequences.

[Rockprincess]

That many people do it just because they think (or know) that they won't get cauge. Or that many people DONT drink and drive just incase they MIGHT get caught. That it has less to do with morals than legal consequences.
I don't care whether someone is not drinking and driving because they morally feel it's wrong, or because they don't want to get caught. Either way, they're not doing it, which is all that matters. :clapping:

[Elise]

My husband did it .. once before he knew me.. once after.(in 88). I was NOT with him the second. time..he didn't think he was drunk, got pulled over on a parking lot after squealing his tires.. Ended up calling me at 5 am to tell me he was in jail..He lost his license for a year..I was pregnant and have no driver's license and never did, so he got a hardship license..He was only allowed to drive to work and back and take me to the Dr.. This license was NOT cheap, he was making precious little back then.. Then of course to get his license back there was another fee..He still drinks but he learned his lesson..He drinks at home and if he HAS to have more (which happens occasionally) He WALKS to get more..

[gwendar]

I picked the second option even though it's nout quite my opinion, but it was the closest of the three. I think it's ok to drive if you've had one drink (but only if it isn't a strong drink: like, a beer or a glass of wine maybe, but not after a tall glass of rum and coke that is mostly rum). But really, the best idea is probably to not drink if you will be driving. Better not to take any risks. I don't drink and drive at all. Sadly, many people I know do. *sigh*

[Phoenix Blue]

I picked the first option, although on occasion I have driven about a half hour after having a single drink. If I have had two or more, I will not drive.

On a related question: how many people who said they would never drive drunk have driven on less than six hours' sleep, or have driven for more than 24 hours straight? :)

[LadyTrinity]

its not that its ok.. I just think that the law has delt with what people can handle and although everyone is different, they go by average. people will drink and drive regardless of what I think though. 1 beer is usually okay. I think.

[Faeawyn]

I think it's ok if you have a nice glass of wine with dinner....the food absorbs everything I suppose....but we try to always have a designated driver. For fear of getting caught yes, but also for fear of hurting some innocent family in another car. It does impair your fine motor skills. I think we've all done it (well, most of the legal drinkers anyway :) )...but that doesn't mean we were right :(

[Rockprincess]

On a related question: how many people who said they would never drive drunk have driven on less than six hours' sleep, or have driven for more than 24 hours straight? :)
Nope :D

When I was 14, my friend's father and his friend had driven 15 hours to pick up a new boat they'd bought, and were driving straight back. Her dad misjudged a slight swerve on the road due to tiredness. The swerve became uncorrectable...the trailer carrying the boat jacknifed and flipped the car...her dad was killed. The other man is a quadripelegic, and wished for a long time that he too had died. It was all preventable - all they had to do was spend the night there and have driven back in the morning. :(

Making stupid decisions is something I try to avoid in general. Doing so while guiding a 2000 pound piece of metal and flamable material around both stationary and other moving targets is particularly desireable.

[Holly Ariadna]

When you have alcohol in your blood, your reactions become slower. I did a project about this last year and the statistics are HORRIBLE! Please, if you drink, no matter how little it is, take a cab home. It's not worth taking a risk.

[soilsigh aingeal]

I think a couple, like in your case, three, is fine. Someone else said it depends on your height, weight, etc. If you're the type who drinks a half and starts wobbling, I wouldn't drive after three. KWIM?

[Lunacie]

I picked the first option, although on occasion I have driven about a half hour after having a single drink. If I have had two or more, I will not drive.

On a related question: how many people who said they would never drive drunk have driven on less than six hours' sleep, or have driven for more than 24 hours straight? :)
Excellent point, but I must admit I have done that a couple of times. Another consideration is driving after taking certain prescription and/or OverTheCounter medications. They can alter your perceptions and slow your reaction times just as much as alcohol.

And then theres the a$$hole who was high on illegal drugs and rammed into my daughter's car back in March while she was sitting in line for the toll road. He refused to submit to a drug test. **sigh** Three months later she is still in pain and seeing doctors all the time, her insurance won't pay anymore on her medical bills and she doesn't know how much to sue his insurance company for yet, but she can't afford to get any more tests or physical therapy and may need surgery.

Please, please, PLEASE don't drive when you're under the influence of anything at all, even if you think you're still sober.

[Isil Darkmoon]

Usually, Andrew drives because he just doesn't care for alcohol. However, occasionally, if I'm out at a nice, long, leisurely dinner with people, I will drive myself home after a SINGLE glass of wine with my food, and then only if it's been the better part of an hour before I leave. If I have even two glasses of wine, or ANYTHING with "hard" alcohol mixed in it, I won't drive, period.

[Faeawyn]

Excellent point, but I must admit I have done that a couple of times. Another consideration is driving after taking certain prescription and/or OverTheCounter medications. They can alter your perceptions and slow your reaction times just as much as alcohol.

.
Oh dear...that would pretty much keep me off the roads entirely....

[MarinaSulis]

Studies show that people never think they are as impaired as they actually are. Even a few drinks can radically slow reaction time. So, imo, no alcohol while driving.

[soilsigh aingeal]

And then theres the a$$hole who was high on illegal drugs and rammed into my daughter's car back in March while she was sitting in line for the toll road. He refused to submit to a drug test.
WOW! I didn't think that was an option, I thought it was something that had to be done if someone requested it.

[Lunacie]

Oh dear...that would pretty much keep me off the roads entirely....
Not all of them. :) I remember reading an article in Redbook I think several years ago about mainly allergy and cold medications. Prescriptions generally come with instructions about whether operating machinery is a bad idea, but the OTC stuff doesn't have that info. Of course, even a couple of ibuprofen or asprin make me verrry sleeeepy. Benedryl puts out my lights. :sleepybed

[OriginalWacky]

Due to my own personal experiences... I'm going to have to go with NO drinking before driving. (Seeing friends killed by drunk drivers, having an accident driving drunk myself... but that was before I was licensed, being hit by a drunk driver has swayed me a lot.)

There are some places that serve designated drivers free soda all night lond while their friends drink. I tend to frequent those kind of places if at all possible, as I like to encourage good ideas like that.

[OriginalWacky]

Excellent point, but I must admit I have done that a couple of times. Another consideration is driving after taking certain prescription and/or OverTheCounter medications. They can alter your perceptions and slow your reaction times just as much as alcohol.

And then theres the a$$hole who was high on illegal drugs and rammed into my daughter's car back in March while she was sitting in line for the toll road. He refused to submit to a drug test. **sigh** Three months later she is still in pain and seeing doctors all the time, her insurance won't pay anymore on her medical bills and she doesn't know how much to sue his insurance company for yet, but she can't afford to get any more tests or physical therapy and may need surgery.

Please, please, PLEASE don't drive when you're under the influence of anything at all, even if you think you're still sober.
In a nutshell, get a lawyer.

Seriously, a lawyer can do so much more for you (her), and will only get paid if you get paid. (Or she gets paid, you know what I mean.) They will also be able to help you work out arrangements with the doctors on the bills, to hold the other insurance company accountable and so on. Plus, it will relieve your (her) mind of having to worry so much about the bills, which is rough when you're already in pain.

I'm not a huge advocate of suing everybody for every little thing, but this is not minor, and they will do everything they can to keep from paying.

[Amethyst Rose]

So I'd like to know if any of the people who have said "no alcohol at all" have ever gone out for dinner and had a glass of wine? Do you get a cab home from dinner?

[Romani Vixen]

I said No driving if drinking...

But... there has to be time-span taken into consideration, as well as body weight, and food...

[Lunacie]

In a nutshell, get a lawyer.

Seriously, a lawyer can do so much more for you (her), and will only get paid if you get paid. (Or she gets paid, you know what I mean.) They will also be able to help you work out arrangements with the doctors on the bills, to hold the other insurance company accountable and so on. Plus, it will relieve your (her) mind of having to worry so much about the bills, which is rough when you're already in pain.

I'm not a huge advocate of suing everybody for every little thing, but this is not minor, and they will do everything they can to keep from paying.
Getting a lawyer is the second thing she did. Seeing her chiropractor was the first. The problem is in knowing how much money to ask the other insurance company for when we don't know yet what all is wrong and what is needed to help her. Meanwhile she doesn't have any health insurance and if she has to take any time from work we will be hurting for money for bills.


So I'd like ot know if any of the people who have said "no alsohol at all" have ever gone out for dinner and had a glass of wine? Did you get a cab home from dinner?
Yes, I have had a glass of beer or wine with dinner and then drove home in the past. It's not something I will ever do again. I've wised up, eh? I always thought having a designated driver was a good idea. Now I agree that it's a good LAW - no drinking and then driving.

[Gracecat]

I think statistics usually point towards...

One ounce hard liquour, six ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer in one hour, not exceeding so many drinks in a certain time span. (2 drinks, two hours; 3 drinks/hours etc doesn't work out the same). And that one hour is *after* the drink is finished. And even then it's only guidelines.

I think, and again I could be wrong, but if you're driving after consuming alcohol... if if you do not pass the legal limit, if you fail a field sobriety test or you are obviously impaired, you can be issued a citation for driving under the influence. It may not be the same as a typical DWI/DUI as far as the legal and longterm reprecussions. It may be reckless operation of a vehicle for instance and not necessarily a DWI.

[CaitrionaMorgaine]

I lost someone whom I love very much to a drunk driver. I refuse to get in car with someone who has been drinking, nor will I drive if I have had anything to drink. If I know the persons I am with will be drinking, I chose not to. Period. It is that black and white for me.

Avalon's Blessings, ~Rhiannon

[NivekDrgnMage]

I said No driving if drinking...

But... there has to be time-span taken into consideration, as well as body weight, and food...
I agree no driving and driving. Though I learned that the hard way Many many many years ago.
Vixen is correct about weight and time. It takes approx one hour per ounce of alcohol, and here I am living in the Last state in the US to drop the DWI BAC to .08 from .10. Delaware may be the First state in the Union but not in alot of otherthings :)

[Yasmine Galenorn]

Okay.... a good friend of my sent an email to my husband and I expressing her great concern over our "drinking and driving". We went to their house the other night, and between 8 and 11 I had 3 drinks - one cooler, one beer, one vodka coke. My husband had 3 beers. Both my husband and I were completely sober when we left the house, but it turns out that my friend was worried sick that we would make it home. Both her and her husband are of the opinion that even if you have 1 drink you don't drive.
So in her email, she asked us that if we go to her house to please not drink if we're going to be driving, or to take a cab or stay the night at their place. We agreed that at their house warming this Saturday, my husband wouldn't drink.

So...I was wondering what your opinion on this subject is. Do you think that if you have even one drink you shouldn't be driving? Is it okay to have a couple as long as you're sober when you drive? Or do you feel it's still okay even if you're a little tipsy?

My sister (may she rest in peace, she's been dead for a long time now), killed somebody because she had just 'a couple of beers'....she was driving. She plowed into the back of a semi trying to pass it in a pick up. Everybody in the pickup, including her, were horribly hurt--and one person died.

There's no excuse and no need for drinking and driving. Her blood alcohol was a little over the limit, and she said she only had a couple beers. It's stupid, it's dangerous, and you never know when you're going to be more vulnerable to a couple of beers than usual--if you're coming down with something, if you're tired, the alcohol can hit you harder.

What I told my sister at the time: "I love you very much, but I'll never forgive you for what you did. You knowingly got into a truck after drinking and you ended somebody's life." I was upset that she only got 7 months in jail...I felt she should have spent the rest of her life there.

He shouldn't have climbed in, knowing she'd been drinking, but ultimately, she was the one with the keys. And she was a good driver.

Please listen to your friends. My sister could have killed one of her daughters, or somebody else's child. Well, she did...we're all somebody's kid.

I refuse to serve alcohol at my parties now because of friends who insisted they could drink and still drive. It's just easier that way.

Yasmine (being a real hardnosed ass about it, but hey, people die because of stupidity)

[Yasmine Galenorn]

So I'd like to know if any of the people who have said "no alcohol at all" have ever gone out for dinner and had a glass of wine? Do you get a cab home from dinner?

My husband drives if I have a drink. And I never have more than one. And he never drinks. And yes, if I was alone and had a drink, I'd spring for the cab. I don't want something like my sister's crime on MY conscience.

Yasmine

[Theres]

does anyone else see the hypocrisy of the friends having you over, giving you drinks, and then bitching about your driving home intoxicated?

but ultimately everyone is responsible for their own actions. driving is a dangerous thing at the best of times... driving while drunk is frickin' stupid!

[KaimelarFeylove]

the only time i've driven after consumeing alcohol was when i ate a few peices of water melon soaking in Golden Grain, but i made sure i drove extra slow, even thought i didnt really feel any effects..

i guess it depends on the person

[Theres]

if you cross over that centerline it makes little difference how slow you're going.

[RhiannynWildseed]

Yeah, usually there is the whole height/weight, have you eaten or not, how many have you had in a certain period of time thing going on, but then there are those that no matter how much body mass they have, how much they've eaten, or how long it's been since that last drink that take forever to get it out of their system. Some folks just can't hold their liquor. It does have a lot to do with the individual.

I am one that if I have one beer/wine cooler(which, per volume has very little alchol) I MAY drive. Two....nope. Not gonna do it. But it seems the only alcohol that hits me hard is cheap alcohol. (I have no clue why.) If it's a cheap bottle of wine, say like Arbor Mist, I get tipsy after about three glasses. However, I have been to a Hard Rock Cafe and ordered two Long Island Iced Teas in pilsner sized glasses (about 24 -28 oz I think) and not felt the slightest buzz. Granted, I still don't drive. I did my time as a volunteer firefighter, so I have seen the effects first hand of those that have only had a 'couple' drinks and felt they were ok to drive.

Luckily in my area, a lot of bars have a deal with Budweiser that if people are in there drinking, Bud will pay for a cab home for them for free, and the bar will hold their keys. It's a good system, and I think more establishments should get involved in that.

Rhiannyn

[KaimelarFeylove]

if you cross over that centerline it makes little difference how slow you're going.

when i say extra slow, i ment extra carefully as well... personaly i think i'm more likely to have a wreck when i've had nothing, becasue i'm confidant enough that i just drive on auto pilot.. when i knwo that theres a chance that i might be impared in the slightest (and i would never drive if i could oviouly feel effects of what i've had) i drive slower, and more carefully... and if theres any doubt in my mind about my driveing ability, i let my boyfriend, or anyone else who can, drive.

Belive me, i'd never drive with any doubt in my mind about my abilties.. i'm to paranoid for that

[docdoo]

when i say extra slow, i ment extra carefully as well... personaly i think i'm more likely to have a wreck when i've had nothing, becasue i'm confidant enough that i just drive on auto pilot.. when i knwo that theres a chance that i might be impared in the slightest (and i would never drive if i could oviouly feel effects of what i've had) i drive slower, and more carefully... and if theres any doubt in my mind about my driveing ability, i let my boyfriend, or anyone else who can, drive.

Belive me, i'd never drive with any doubt in my mind about my abilties.. i'm to paranoid for that


Yes, I bet you are going very slow when you're only 18 ;)

[KaimelarFeylove]

Yes, I bet you are going very slow when you're only 18 ;)

no, i think i'd be going very slow to avoid a wreck no matter what age i was

[docdoo]

True enough, but then again, if you were actually legal to drink then you wouldn't have to worry about getting into even more trouble. Not to mention, I've found that most people who are legal tend to understand that going slow doesn't mean being safer...being safe actually means not drinking and driving and certainly not telling yourself that you're capable of accurately judging how inebreated you are ;)

Age aside, driving while drinking is always indicitive of a youthful mindset.

[Nighthawk]

There is a lgeal limit in all states, right? if you are over...nope....

[Shanti]

Alcohole and driving, guns and alcohole (hunting).

Dont ask my opinion, its not a nice one.

[David]

:rant: There is a reason WHY we have a legal limit... those who say no drinks at all need to do some thinking themselves. Where do you draw the line... Asprin impairs your reflexes folks... antihestmins... Turkey makes you drowsy... no driving if you eat Turkey folks... your impaired... DRUNK driving is WRONG... but lets face it... humans arn't designed to move at 60 miles an hour PERIOD... we arn't wired for it... we can do it... but we arn't built to. So get over it... driving is dangerous... PERIOD. EVERYTHING you eat, breath and drink affects your ability to drive... EVERYTHING... Lets STOP this alchol WITCH hunt... DOES USING THAT TERM WITCH HUNT put this in perspective? You I'll bet money that on average a 21 year old with some alchole in their system is a safer driver then a 75 year old. Their reflexes are better. I'd also say that a 30 year old pushing the legal limit is safer then both of them. The experience still being enough to make up for having slightly slower reflexes then when they were 21.

NO DRUNK DRIVING... but a couple drinks in three hours does not make you drunk.... or impare your driving anymore then about a gazillion other variables, and foods you eat. Hell smoking slows your reflexes...

[mucgwyrt]

Okay.... a good friend of my sent an email to my husband and I expressing her great concern over our "drinking and driving". We went to their house the other night, and between 8 and 11 I had 3 drinks - one cooler, one beer, one vodka coke. My husband had 3 beers. Both my husband and I were completely sober when we left the house, but it turns out that my friend was worried sick that we would make it home. Both her and her husband are of the opinion that even if you have 1 drink you don't drive.
So in her email, she asked us that if we go to her house to please not drink if we're going to be driving, or to take a cab or stay the night at their place. We agreed that at their house warming this Saturday, my husband wouldn't drink.

So...I was wondering what your opinion on this subject is. Do you think that if you have even one drink you shouldn't be driving? Is it okay to have a couple as long as you're sober when you drive? Or do you feel it's still okay even if you're a little tipsy?

I agree, simply because I couldn't drink even one drink and drive safely.
I also worry about pedestrians... is it fair on them to "risk it"?

[RhiannynWildseed]

:rant: There is a reason WHY we have a legal limit... those who say no drinks at all need to do some thinking themselves. Where do you draw the line... Asprin impairs your reflexes folks... antihestmins... Turkey makes you drowsy... no driving if you eat Turkey folks... your impaired... DRUNK driving is WRONG... but lets face it... humans arn't designed to move at 60 miles an hour PERIOD... we arn't wired for it... we can do it... but we arn't built to. So get over it... driving is dangerous... PERIOD. EVERYTHING you eat, breath and drink affects your ability to drive... EVERYTHING... Lets STOP this alchol WITCH hunt... DOES USING THAT TERM WITCH HUNT put this in perspective? You I'll bet money that on average a 21 year old with some alchole in their system is a safer driver then a 75 year old. Their reflexes are better. I'd also say that a 30 year old pushing the legal limit is safer then both of them. The experience still being enough to make up for having slightly slower reflexes then when they were 21.

NO DRUNK DRIVING... but a couple drinks in three hours does not make you drunk.... or impare your driving anymore then about a gazillion other variables, and foods you eat. Hell smoking slows your reflexes...

:hmmmmm: He actually raises some very good points here folks.

Rhiannyn

[Amethyst Rose]

:rant: There is a reason WHY we have a legal limit...

NO DRUNK DRIVING... but a couple drinks in three hours does not make you drunk....

Exactly what I was wanted to say but didn't have the guts to! Thank you!

[Rockprincess]

NO DRUNK DRIVING... but a couple drinks in three hours does not make you drunk.... or impare your driving anymore then about a gazillion other variables, and foods you eat. Hell smoking slows your reflexes...
Fair enough. But the day someone kills someone I love because they *thought* they were fine I will have a hard time being sympathetic to that argument. A couple of drinks in 3 hours may not put you over the limit today, but it may do so tomorrow. Unless you've voluntarily had your blood-alcohol limits tested under all kinds of conditions, you just don't know how it affects you.

It's all about how much you're willing to risk. Why do it if you don't have to? Or have fewer drinks. Surely that's not too dificult.

[docdoo]

:rant: There is a reason WHY we have a legal limit... those who say no drinks at all need to do some thinking themselves. Where do you draw the line... Asprin impairs your reflexes folks... antihestmins... Turkey makes you drowsy... no driving if you eat Turkey folks... your impaired... DRUNK driving is WRONG... but lets face it... humans arn't designed to move at 60 miles an hour PERIOD... we arn't wired for it... we can do it... but we arn't built to. So get over it... driving is dangerous... PERIOD. EVERYTHING you eat, breath and drink affects your ability to drive... EVERYTHING... Lets STOP this alchol WITCH hunt... DOES USING THAT TERM WITCH HUNT put this in perspective? You I'll bet money that on average a 21 year old with some alchole in their system is a safer driver then a 75 year old. Their reflexes are better. I'd also say that a 30 year old pushing the legal limit is safer then both of them. The experience still being enough to make up for having slightly slower reflexes then when they were 21.

NO DRUNK DRIVING... but a couple drinks in three hours does not make you drunk.... or impare your driving anymore then about a gazillion other variables, and foods you eat. Hell smoking slows your reflexes...

Hi David,
It's obvious that you have strong feelings on this, but I'd like to point out a few things if I may. First and foremost, I checked and, unless you know something I don't Asprin taken alone does not affect your reflexes...coupled with alcohol yes, perhaps (but even then I couldn't find anything solid)
Another point I'de like to make is that YES, Antihistamines and NyQuil etc. DO affect your reflexes. Have you ever read the back of the box on NyQuil? You know, the part where it clearly states that you shouldn't drive a car or operate heavy equipment when taking the medicine? There is an actual warning on the box and I'd wager a bet that one dose of NyQuil does NOT have the same amount of alcohol as what is present in 3 drinks.

This tells me one of two things, first is that the FDA is pulling the wool over our eyes telling us that it's not recommended to drive while taking antihistamines. Or two that we just plain ol' like our alcohol. I mean, why else would it be UNSAFE to drive with one dose of anithistamines but NOT with 3 or more drinks in you?

Your use of the term 'Witch Hunt' not only doesn't make me view this topic differently but honestly doesn't seem to have any correlation whatsoever with what you're saying. The term Witch Hunt generally describes going after someone or something for no apparant reason when it has caused no apparant harm or committed any wrongdoing. Maybe I read different statistics from yours but last year alone more than 18,000 innocent people died from drunk driving related deaths...umm, I wouldn't exactly call that harmless.

Time for me to head to lunch,
Til next time,

[David]

Have fewer drinks? That is the point... don't drink enough to impair you... as for the risk... Hon, don't EVER get in a car... because it is a risk... Like I said don't kid yourself... as a rule driving is the most dangerous activity we do. Also EVERYTHING affects you to some degree... just as you say yourself
Unless you've voluntarily had your blood-alcohol limits tested under all kinds of conditions, you just don't know how it affects you. That is true about everything... I bet if I got a cold... my reflex are worse then when I don't and have had a drink...

ANYTHING which deadens pain receptors PART of your brain... effects your responses to stimulus.. I bet the reason the bottle doesn't have that warning is... because we love our Asprian as much as we do our booze. My point to this has been... DRIVING is dangerous. IF we drive... people WILL die... if we fly in planes people will die... if we drink people will die... if we smoke people will die... that is why we have laws... no speeding... pilots must be licnessed... no public drunkeness or drunk driving... no smoking under age 18... We make laws to make the dangerous things we do a little safer... why? Why not just make then illegal period? Why? Because if we stop doing everything that might harm us... we will no longer be living... Ask Christpher Reeves about horseback riding... I have children... I have loved ones... I had a friend who killed himself and his girlfriend because he drunk too much and wrapped his car around a tree... I also had a friend who died because he tried to cross the street, with the sun setting behind him... does that mean we shouldn't drive without sunglasses? SH!t does happen because we choose to live. AGAIN I DO NOT CONDONE Drunk Driving... BUT as long as we give drivers licences to anyone... without testing their overall health and reflexes... then the legal limit is good enough... because I know about zillion people who would be safer drivers drunk then my mother is sober...

[Amethyst Rose]

because I know about zillion people who would be safer drivers drunk then my mother is sober...

:lol:

[Rockprincess]

I do agree with you for the most part, David. I just honestly feel that most people would be at or over the legal blood alcohol limit far earlier than they realize. One drink isn't going to do it to most people - but it DOES to me. Two drinks - my husband doesn't feel drunk, but accepts that his reactions are probably impaired, so I always drive. Three drinks - for most people, that would be pushing the limit, I believe. But most people don't know how many drinks it would actually take them to get to the limit.

[David]

I got this chart back when I took drivers ed... with my body weight it said I could drink six beers an hour... I thought about the time I drank a six pack in an hour... and I threw the chart out... so I'll give you that... people don't always know their personal limit. I'll even grant that having a DD who drinks NOTHING is your best bet. But my wife and I have done well like this... we're at a party and we both have a couple drinks... we meet back up after an hour or two and say my wife has had a couple too MANY drinks... I stop drinking... and I wait at least an hour per drink that I've had before I drive us both home. If for some reason we are both sloooshed... mind I don't often get drunk... in fact I've only done it twice in the past ten years, we crash... on the floor, not the road...

[Rockprincess]

I got this chart back when I took drivers ed... with my body weight it said I could drink six beers an hour... I thought about the time I drank a six pack in an hour... and I threw the chart out... so I'll give you that... people don't always know their personal limit. I'll even grant that having a DD who drinks NOTHING is your best bet. But my wife and I have done well like this... we're at a party and we both have a couple drinks... we meet back up after an hour or two and say my wife has had a couple too MANY drinks... I stop drinking... and I wait at least an hour per drink that I've had before I drive us both home. If for some reason we are both sloooshed... mind I don't often get drunk... in fact I've only done it twice in the past ten years, we crash... on the floor, not the road...
Well that's perfectly reasonable to me, especially the "waiting an hour per drink". I'm not one of the ones who said "no drinks period" though. As I said before, the problem is that people really don't know their own limits.

[RhiannynWildseed]

From the back of a bottle of acetaminophen (Tylenol)..........

Warnings Do not exceed recommended dose.

Why? Because, aside from a possible overdose (which can happen with alcohol, otc drugs, illicit drugs.....and hell, caffine!) it does impair your ability to function. That's why they put the warning on the bottle. That's why they put the warning on the bottle of booze. That's why the put the warning on the pack of cigarettes.

The point David is making is that there is a risk inherent in EVERYTHING you do. It's up to you to make what you feel is the best choice, but since not everyone is capable of doing so, the government sets up rules to protect us from ourselves. I'm not condoning drinking and driving, but I do accept that there are legal limits. I accept that if I had a drink or two and drove and got into a wreck, I would probably, most definitely, blame myself for drinking. I would never forgive myself. But I acknowledge that there are people that can have one or two drinks with their dinner and not be affected.

An uncle of mine was murdered at a 4th of July party about 10 years ago. He had drank at the party and promised my grandmother that he wouldn't drive home, even though he'd only had a couple drinks and didn't at all feel impaired. The house owners girlfriend told him to sleep on the couch and he could go home in the morning. In the morning before he woke up, the house owner was getting high on PCP, marijuana, and a host of other illegal drugs. He took a pistol and walked out to the couch and put it to the back of my uncle's head. He blew my uncle's brains out while he slept.

Now if my uncle had said "You know what, I've only had a couple drinks in the course of (I think it was about) 6 hours. I think I can drive home safely.", he'd probably still be alive today. But he made the CHOICE not to. Do I wish he had? Absolutely not! I'm very proud that my uncle put the health and safety of others ahead of his own wants and desires.

But it's all a matter of our choices in life. If we make bad ones, we have to live with the consequences. But yes, we should follow the laws of the land. They are there for our safety. Personally, I think talking on cell phones while driving a car should be illegal worldwide. At least most folks that are driving after having a drink or two are trying to keep their attention on the road. :rolleyes:

Rhiannyn

[Athena-Nadine]

I agree no driving and driving. Though I learned that the hard way Many many many years ago.
Vixen is correct about weight and time. It takes approx one hour per ounce of alcohol, and here I am living in the Last state in the US to drop the DWI BAC to .08 from .10. Delaware may be the First state in the Union but not in alot of otherthings :)
The legal limit was just lowered here, in Colorado, a little over a month ago. It was .10 until then. Now it's .08.

I go out and drink fairly regularly--about once a week. Unless I have only had 2-3 drinks (we're out for at least 5-6 hours on average), and they were early in the night, I don't drive. My car will stay in the parking lot of the bar until sometime on Saturday. My fiance won't drive either, and neither do our friends that we go out with.

[{Tigress}]

:rant: There is a reason WHY we have a legal limit... those who say no drinks at all need to do some thinking themselves. Where do you draw the line... Asprin impairs your reflexes folks... antihestmins... Turkey makes you drowsy... no driving if you eat Turkey folks... your impaired... DRUNK driving is WRONG... but lets face it... humans arn't designed to move at 60 miles an hour PERIOD... we arn't wired for it... we can do it... but we arn't built to. So get over it... driving is dangerous... PERIOD. EVERYTHING you eat, breath and drink affects your ability to drive... EVERYTHING... Lets STOP this alchol WITCH hunt... DOES USING THAT TERM WITCH HUNT put this in perspective? You I'll bet money that on average a 21 year old with some alchole in their system is a safer driver then a 75 year old. Their reflexes are better. I'd also say that a 30 year old pushing the legal limit is safer then both of them. The experience still being enough to make up for having slightly slower reflexes then when they were 21.

NO DRUNK DRIVING... but a couple drinks in three hours does not make you drunk.... or impare your driving anymore then about a gazillion other variables, and foods you eat. Hell smoking slows your reflexes...

I'm with you on this. I think if people really stop to think about it, what truly angers them are those who don't CARE what the legal limit is or try to push the envelope and get as close to that line without going over without any regard to what their actions may result in. And it's not just drinking... those same people that don't care about whether they are drunk or not are in the same group as the ones who will talk on their cell phones, or put on make up, or drive when they're too tired, or too old, or too distracted with 10 other ppl in the car, etc. For me, I don't single out drunk a-holes, I lump all inconsiderate/thoughtless drivers in one basket. If you THINK you might not be paying enough attention to your driving or that your reaction time is a bit slow, you're probably right and should NOT be driving.

So, I guess for me it would be "he who is without sin, cast the first stone" -- if you REALLY want to make the roads safer, look to your OWN driving faults FIRST.

[Lunacie]

:rant: There is a reason WHY we have a legal limit... those who say no drinks at all need to do some thinking themselves. Where do you draw the line... Asprin impairs your reflexes folks... antihestmins... Turkey makes you drowsy... no driving if you eat Turkey folks... your impaired... DRUNK driving is WRONG... but lets face it... humans arn't designed to move at 60 miles an hour PERIOD... we arn't wired for it... we can do it... but we arn't built to. So get over it... driving is dangerous... PERIOD. EVERYTHING you eat, breath and drink affects your ability to drive... EVERYTHING... Lets STOP this alchol WITCH hunt... DOES USING THAT TERM WITCH HUNT put this in perspective? You I'll bet money that on average a 21 year old with some alchole in their system is a safer driver then a 75 year old. Their reflexes are better. I'd also say that a 30 year old pushing the legal limit is safer then both of them. The experience still being enough to make up for having slightly slower reflexes then when they were 21.

NO DRUNK DRIVING... but a couple drinks in three hours does not make you drunk.... or impare your driving anymore then about a gazillion other variables, and foods you eat. Hell smoking slows your reflexes...
What "witch hunt"? I've seen responses to a question that range from "if I don't think I'm impared then I'll drive" to "I think any alcohol impares the ability to drive safely." People are sharing their opinions here, not making judgements about other peoples ethics. Yes, there are many things that can impare one's ability to drive safely, and some of them have already been brought up.

Did you know that more young / inexperienced drivers cause accidents than older drivers, so why are you going on a "witch hunt" against older drivers? :halohead: Younger reflexes do not always compensate for more experience.

[CaitrionaMorgaine]

Fair enough. But the day someone kills someone I love because they *thought* they were fine I will have a hard time being sympathetic to that argument. .

That's why I am not sympathetic to that argument--because it happened to me. I'm not going to apologize for that.

Avalon's Blessings, ~Rhiannon

[vulfsung]

We have never served alcohol at parties, unless my hubby was driving people home, and that was two parties in 10 years-one was our wedding. :kooky:

When we went to parties, only one of us would drink, if we didn't take a cab...past tense because we both quit drinking when our daughter came along.

I see a certain hypocrisy in your friends action...she was the host, and if she didn't want people to drive after drinking, don't serve alcohol...also, why didn't she say something as you were leaving? If she felt you had had too much to drink to drive, take your keys, don't let you leave, call a cab...unless in hindsight it came to her that you may have had too much....and if she was so worried, did she call you to make sure you'd gotten home? Why wait to email you?

Beyond all that, I think my main concern would have been if you would have had your son with you. To me, all the formulas for drinks/body weight/food are meaningless when a little person is in the car too. In that case no alcohol if driving....course I voted no alcohol if driving anyways.

[vulfsung]

If you're going to be driving you should not be drinking at all. I don't care how capable you think you are. Go ahead, enjoy your drinks but make sure you have a designated driver. I don't need you risking my life and the lives of my loved ones because you didn't think you were drunk.

*nods in agreement*

[Tullip Troll]

I think your friend is right, you drink you do not drive. It's hard to say when someone has had their limit or not. So people like us worry. Plus most people who shouldn't drive think they are fine to drive.
I always think about how awful I wuld feel if something did happen because you were over the limit and I didn't stop you.

MheraPai

((((((((hugs))))))))

:drinking:

[Fairywolf]

I think that it is stupid to drink and drive. I am completely against it. I think it is stupid to drive if you are tired, drunk, or under the influence of ANY kind. You and everyone out there are to precious to lose because either you or someone else decided to not use your head.

[TimeWalker]

My mother lost her father when she was a baby because the people he was with thought they were okay to drive...they wrecked the car...he saved all their lives by pulling them out of the car...then he died...he had a broken neck...so essentially he saved the lives of the ones who killed him...somehow seems overly onesided to me...in this case I think the axiom, "Better safe than sorry." is the best way to go.

[Immrama]

It all depends. If you have a drink or two that are not high alcohol and they are taken a couple of course before you drive home.. then okay. It shouldn't be a problem. People have a drink or two and drive all teh time.. go out to dinner nad have some wine or a beer with dinner. It all depends on what you are drinking and when and when you will be driving

[zakzekezedd]

You know that only one or two beers doesn't sound like a lot, but there is more than ample proof that even one drink or one beer seriously impairs your judgement, and your reflexes. You may not feel drunk, or act drunk, but your definitely not operating at your best capacity. And since visibility and reaction time are both already reduced if you are driving after dark, driving after dark and after a couple of drinks isn't a good idea. So, in a perfect world, none of us would ever get behind the wheel of a car to drive after even one drink, in the real world, many times one us will wind up being called on to drive because the one drink we had is less than the 3 or 4 drinks that our companions may have had.....