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Old 08-30-2024, 05:41 PM   #64
Minnie
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: On your last nerve...:D
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We were first on scene after a drunk driving incident when our youngest was just barely a year old, headed north to visit my in-laws (almost 30 years ago). We'd stopped about 5 miles before, to quickly change a diaper blowout and then got back on the road. Had that blowout & stop not happened, timing wise it's likely that it would have been us the guy hit, rather than drive off the road, hit an approach and flip end over teakettle. He survived, drunks always seem to; split his nose open, which was the worst of it. He REEKED to high heaven & there were beer cans everywhere. I gave first aid until the paramedics arrived, talking to the RCMP as I sat in his overturned vehicle with him - several times he turned his head and wheeze-breathed all over the cop. I'm sure they made him blow or tested at the hospital, I don't know, but it was so blatantly obvious he was plastered.

Far as I know, dude is still driving - I was supposed to go up north to appear, I got called about it. I got a separate call the week prior to his trial or whatever it was, asking me to reiterate what I'd said in my statement from that night, which I repeated almost verbatim. They called again & said I didn't have to come up, my statement was sufficient - I'm assuming that since the details I gave months later were as accurate as the night of, his counsel advised him to change his plea to guilty. Would have been a 12 hour drive, so that part I was glad to get out of.

I will not even drive if I have a sip. I am a lightweight. I drink so little that I can generally count on one hand, how many drinks in a YEAR, that I have. Being adopted, I was always cognizant of the fact that I had no idea whether or not alcoholism was an issue in my biological family, and I did not want to find out by becoming an alcoholic - as it turns out, it runs on both sides. So, I rarely drink. I've never been drunk in my entire life - I get migraines/horrible headaches without trying, so why give myself one on purpose. I can make a single drink last an entire evening, lol.

As much as there are multiple ways to get home (taxis, Ubers, etc), I prefer not to use them (I don't trust them much, for reasons), so IF we go out, which is rare, we usually decide which of us will be the sober driver, and I usually choose to be. The only time we don't, is if we went to the local pub on wing night (now shut down) that we could walk to, then I'd have a drink. Even on camping weekends, I ensure one of us is sober/had 0 alcohol, in case we get a phone call from home, and we have to take the kid into emerg. It's happened a few times, so we're careful - me especially.

I am brutally "rude" about ppl trying to drive when they've had alcohol. I'd rather bully you into a ride home from me or a taxi, and have you be mad at me, then go to your funeral or find out you killed someone/people. I will, to your face, tell you what a *bleepity bleep* idiot you are and have 0 qualms about it.

I don't know what they/TPTB/courts do about it, aside from make the consequences much harsher, but that doesn't seem to be happening.
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