DUI's and you

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I've had one, it was a couple of years ago. Not my proudest moment, but I paid my fines, bummed rides for 3 months, and did some community service.

It's not something I plan on doing again. That being said, my gut tells me that over half of the people on this forum have driven over the limit at least a couple of times. Even if "you know your limit" or "that was in my younger days" it's probably happened at least once.

I am not trying to condone driving drunk in any way. I'm simply saying "He with no sin cast the first stone"
 
I was just about to point this out... there is drunk driving and there is DRINKING and driving. You may not be drunk BUT even one beer does slow your motor skills. One is likely not enough to be serious for 99% of the population, and 2 may not be for 75% of the population but you are still somewhat impaired.

I had about 10 or so last night in celebration of Canada Day (July 1st) I felt pretty good really, I knew I was in no shape to drive, but feeling pretty aware. BUT I have had other days in the hot sun, no food, little water, where one beer knocked me on my ass.

The point is, you may feel fine, and you can get away with it 100 times, the fact is some day you will likely cause and accident.

I understand your point, but there are plenty of other things that affect one's ability to drive that are not per se illegal. For instance, driving while fatigued is probably one of the worst things one could do, akin to DUI. The same is true if you just had a fight with SWMBO, or if a close relative is ill.

I'm all for DUI enforcement, but I'm not sure what the limit should be. From what I've read, 0.08 doesn't do too much vs. 0.10 in removing the menace from our roads; it just makes it easier in certain circumstances to charge one with per se DUI. My personal limit is two; I won't drive with more than two in me, despite the charts that would put me at about 0.03. I'll even lower that if I'm tired.
 
I find it kind of hard to believe that all of these posters won't drive after even .5 beers. I'm not trying to riddicule but I don't know anybody who goes to that extreme. I don't condone drunk driving but it is more "accepted" in my state of Wisconsin.

For me I will drive after about 4 12oz BMC in a 2 hour peroid. I'm 6'5" 215lbs and I know the effects of alcohol on my body. It takes a lot. I can tell if its hitting me harder one day due to dehydration/ fatigue/whatever and I'll dial it back. Sure, I'm "impared" by definition, but I'm easily below the limit and impared is always relative to your pre-impared state and I'm not 70 years old with zero reaction time.
 
I've barely even had a speeding ticket (14 years ago, due to no cruise control on a hiway and a slightly heavy foot).

can't relate. I won't even look at my motorcycle after a sip of beer, let alone drive anything but my own two feet after 3 beers.

Amen.
 
Glad everyone was fine.

Back to your DUI. Have you self-reported to your new employer that you got this DUI? If not, you'd better do that before they re-run your background check (sometimes done as frequently as four years), if you want to keep the job. I'm speaking as one who ran an employee risk program for a little while. The worst thing is for them to find out without you telling them. Your job doesn't sound like it requires driving, so I doubt it would be grounds for termination. But not fessing up might be, depending on your company.

Just a little friendly advice.
 
First find some new friends and perhaps a few positive influences. Sorry to say it but the friend sounds like a real dummy.

One of the problems with knowing your limits is that people who simply drink lightly regularly all the way through hardcore alcoholics bodies are able to build a tolerance. My former neighbor was a hardcore alcoholic drinking 6-10 per night during the week and 1.5-3 cases on the weekend every weekend for as long as I've known him (8-9 yrs). (thankfully he doesn't have even one and get into a car) He can drink 10 in 2-3 hours and is stone cold sober. However on a breathalizer he'd probably blow at least .14+ bac.

Point being that feeling sober and being below .08 bac are entirely different animals. If you're gonna drive have one every hour and no more than 2 or 3 total depending on size, problem solved. My personal rule is never drive with 2 or more in me, period! (assuming these are average strength beers). The law, testing, etc related to DUIs is totally screwed up. At this point it's literally a cottage industry paying for huge amounts of city budgets, judges, court staff, defense attorneys, clerks, etc. It's simply out of control. None the less knowing the physiology of what happens is a lot more important than knowing how sober one feels and is the only sure way to avoid drunk driving /DUIs short of total abstinence.

Schlante,
Phillip
 
I'm all for DUI enforcement, but I'm not sure what the limit should be. From what I've read, 0.08 doesn't do too much vs. 0.10 in removing the menace from our roads; it just makes it easier in certain circumstances to charge one with per se DUI. My personal limit is two; I won't drive with more than two in me, despite the charts that would put me at about 0.03. I'll even lower that if I'm tired.


Most states have statutes that involve a rather wide range of intoxication, not just the magic .08 BAC for a dewey. Heck it is usually a DWI at the .04 BAC level. A refused breathalyzer test citation is also usually considered an intoxication offense, at least in the eyes of the insurance companies, which in the end is what will matter.
 
I find it kind of hard to believe that all of these posters won't drive after even .5 beers. I'm not trying to riddicule but I don't know anybody who goes to that extreme. I don't condone drunk driving but it is more "accepted" in my state of Wisconsin.

You hinted at it in the above quote...Location, as well as personal situations, have a lot to do with how easy it is to abstain from driving after having the smallest amount of alcohol.

I was one of those that said I don't drive within 2 hours of having a single drink. And I don't drink at all if I'll be driving my kids anywhere. We have one car for our family and I only drive on weekends if we're actually going somewhere. I commute to work 30+ miles to NYC daily via bus. I have enough alcohol and friends at home so I never have to go to a bar unless it's with coworkers in the city, which means bus and no driving. On those rare occasions that the wife and I go out on the weekends in the car to a party, one of us will assume the DD responsibility. I won't get into our methodology for determining who gets that, but it usually balances out over time.
 
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