I'm not proud of it, but...

[Thailand]

On April the 24th of this year, I lost my driving licence due to being irresponsible enough to drink before driving. I knew what I was doing at the time and am fully accountable for my actions. My reason for posting this is? I am 2/3's through the Telford Scheme (TTC2000) and I'm fascinated by what I've learned (This isn't D.I.D.S and I believe the scheme title varies across the country).

I can't recall everything, as there is so much to take in, hence why it is a 3 day course, but, if anyone has a myth that needs crushing, now could be the time to ask, as you wouldn't believe the lack of information that's out there, until of course its too late. Again, I was in the wrong, but talking about this can only aid in underlining facts, and crushing myths.

I doubt they'll be much reaction, but if anyone has any questions in any form relating to this, I'd be happy to ask the course tutor, as he's an open-minded star.

I was prosecuted at 47 Micrograms in breath btw, 7 over 'getting away with it'. I was a tad unsure at the time whether I was over, but knew at the time it was a possibility, so my bad. After seeing what I've seen today I feel horrible that that doubt wasn't enough, but it's done now.

Did you know that one of the worst drinks to ingest, that has the quickest absorbtion rate is Sherry? now, which age group drinks that the most?:o Yup, the elderly - who have the least tolerance.

I thought long and hard about posting this thread, and figured it can only be a good thing.

Of course, I don't know too much about it, just what I've learned over the last 11 hours. If anyone wants to ask a question, go for it. Talking about this with Caggers makes me feel better about it all

[wino]

My brother was breathalized a few years ago. He had just drank 5 pints of mild. It showed he was under the limit Doesn't mild have as much alcohol in it as other beers?

[dave]

It depends on the person.

I foolishly, when I was 18, drank 6 pints whilst out with my new girlfriend. We stopped at the last pub on the way home, and I thought, "I'd better just have a half".

I was stopped on the way home for doing 70 in a 40 limit!!!! ...and quite rightly breathalised.

I was under the limit; after 6.5 pints of lager.

I wouldn't even dream of doing something like that now and can only wonder at what possessed me in the first place.

[Thailand]

I'm not surprised both were under the limit.

Here's a formula: 568ml of mild at ABV 3.2 (guess)/ 1000 = 1.81 units.

Alcohol leaves the blood at the rate of 1 unit per hour, so if your bro(wino,LOL) drank that over 2 hours he would have 7 units left in him, which is 2 over the limit, if he were to blow that.

Its the factors though. Beer is diluted so it would never all show up at once, and if he'd recently eaten that would further dilute it. Our bodies also produce just less than a unit of alcohol anyway, without touching a drop, and thats before mouthwash & medications (Hence why the legal limit is really 40 Micrograms, rather than the stated 35, as no constabulary in the land would touch it).

I'm not trying to give anyone any ideas btw, but we all should know. I couldn't believe a theory of mine, that I put to the tutor, was correct. It was 3 times more than I ever drank before driving (a very small amount aside from this regrettable episode).

Being completely honest, I drank over a bottle of Vodka and, please, I've really felt bad about enough now, and I've learnt from it, so no lectures please:o

Ironically, I blew 47 which is, by a long chalk, the least in the group.

It depends on the person

It so does & never again.

[Hippy-chick]

Good for you for standing up and admitting this Thailand - no lectures from me.

[louis wu]

Being completely honest, I drank over a bottle of Vodka and, please, I've really felt bad about enough now, and I've learnt from it, so no lectures please

No lecture, but what did you think at the time? Was it a case of thinking you would 'get away with it' or did you really not care less about the consequences.

So what have you learnt? is it that alcohol impairs your reactions and makes it more likely (by degrees of alcohol content) to have an accident, than someone who is sober.

However bad you may feel now, imagine killing someone and getting 50 hours community service....actually, better still, think how the family of the victim would have felt. This is perhaps more of the message you should be conveying, rather than saying you only blew a 47.

so if your bro(wino,LOL)

If he is a wino, what does your bottle of vodka make you...I don't find it funny.

it's a shame to see you taking this subject as a joke, I think more people would respect your honesty if you was to treat it a seriously as it is.

[bazak1]

i'm not here to judge, but, if you want to drink, get a cab.
in this day and age, with all the advertising, why do people still drink and drive.
i understand your reasons for this thread and to a certain extent applaud it, but i have to agree with louis, there are fatal consequencies surrounding this kind of behaviour, and it certainly doesnt matter what you blew.
i dont know if you have learnt your lesson, ( i certainly hope you have), and i hope that next time you want to relax with a drink, be sensible, because your life and the lives of every other person who is around you at the time depends on you being adult enough to say " no, thanks i'm driving".
All the best and i hope you kepp safe.

[Thailand]

Louis, I'm not talking about it as a joke, far from it. I have tried to retain some sense of humour though, as I have to forgive myself. Sometimes I say LOL, when really I'm not 'laughing out loud' & in that instance, I just thought it was, well, a little ironic (and I meant no offence in any way). Anyway the LOL wasn't funny, and nor was it meant to be. Maybe I should have thought better of it.

After seeing what I've seen today I feel horrible that that doubt wasn't enough, but it's done now.

I wasn't clear about this point. It is what I meant about this:

However bad you may feel now, imagine killing someone and getting 50 hours community service....actually, better still, think how the family of the victim would have felt. This is perhaps more of the message you should be conveying, rather than saying you only blew a 47.

Your spot on Louis. It was this I was talking about, I forgot to put it in. I can't remember the details of the young couple, but their lives were blighted by a drink driver. Of course I've thought about this situation, & I'm grateful the message has been learnt, before I learnt it another way. I've played the situation out in my mind a hundred times & i've learned my lesson, & I don't blame you for being annoyed.

About the blow score, I guess I have used it as some form of making myself feeling better, and compared it against others. That's wrong, but I promise you I wasn't 'showing off' in case it come across that way. I also think I was trying to show that the whole thing is misguided, in a funny sort of way.

Anyway, I have treated it seriously, believe me. I just think that we could all learn something from my experience.

[Thailand]

Missed a bit, I remember at the time thinking I would be fine, Of course, I wasn't, It's a lesson learned.

[louis wu]

In that case, if you continue to be safe, and maybe help a few people to stay safe, then fair enough.

It is a sensitive subject, so fair play for your honesty

[Thailand]

Originally Posted by bazak1

i'm not here to judge, but, if you want to drink, get a cab.
in this day and age, with all the advertising, why do people still drink and drive.
i understand your reasons for this thread and to a certain extent applaud it, but i have to agree with louis, there are fatal consequencies surrounding this kind of behaviour, and it certainly doesnt matter what you blew.
i dont know if you have learnt your lesson, ( i certainly hope you have), and i hope that next time you want to relax with a drink, be sensible, because your life and the lives of every other person who is around you at the time depends on you being adult enough to say " no, thanks i'm driving".
All the best and i hope you kepp safe.

Thank you Bazak.

I could go on all day about my situation, but they'd just sound like excuses, so I won't. Of course, a cab it is.

[WebMaster]

I think 'mild' is generally about half the strength of normal beer - I'm speaking from experience of drinking in places like Nottingham and Leicester where they love the stuff. The story I heard to explain its popularity around there is that the miners etc wanted something to quench their thirst without getting too plastered (why didn't they just drink cola?). Mind, they don't drink mild in Durham, and that had an even bigger mining community

[make them aktiv runners]

My ex used to drive our children home highly intoxicated and it was a long time before I found out. Needless to say I exploded. Ex's partner promised not to let it happen again. The excuse offerred for being a witness to the excess alcohol was "I am in the middle" MIDDLE is there really a choice when a childs life is at risk as well as other road users/pedestrians?????? Even more damining is that the partner will not get in the car after one drink but thought it fine to put my children in!!!!

After further acts of stupidity on both ex/partner parts the children no longer go. Amazingly they actually wonder why????

If the above is not bad enough, we are not talking here of some-one with just an ordinary driving license either!

Sorry to interrupt. Rant over (and believe me it is very diluted).

[dave]

i'm not here to judge, but, if you want to drink, get a cab.

Not always that easy - let's not forget, taxi firms are private firms, and as such you can expect the levels of service that we are used to in the UK when it comes to private firms.

e.g. On Halloween, I took the kids to a party - it was only 2 miles down the road, so I thought, no problem, I'll book a cab and I can have a few drinks. I can easily walk back to the car the next day.

So I booked a cab, I made sure they were ok to take children.

They didn't show up of course. So I phoned them, and they said, "Sorry, we just didn't have enough cars." I asked when the next one would be available and they said 3am. 3am - I had to kids with me one 2 year old and one 6 year old - AND I booked in advance.

Tried all the other taxi firms and none would come out.

So basically, me and the kids had to sleep on the hard floor of a caravan (I would have walked them home, but it was absolutely slashing down with very strong winds along the coast, so was a no-go).

[bazak1]

sorry to hear that dave.
we are pretty lucky around here and have quite a few firms that are 95% reliable. We have had the odd event where a booked cab has been late but i get around this by ringing two different ones, one with my surname and one with OH's ( not married ), and jump in the one that gets there first, ( naughty i know, but as you say, when its raining and foul out, family getting home comes first ).

[louis wu]

Cab or no cab, unless it is a legitimate emergency....life or death.....then there is no excuse for drinking and driving, and even then it is got a black and white issue.

I know that isn't the point being made by op or dave, but it is used by too many people (I know from personal experience at work, and it never ceases to amaze me how little some people care about being over the limit)