# So, I almost got a DUI



## MSalonen (Jun 10, 2010)

I always vowed I would never be so stupid and careless as to drive drunk, for so many reasons.

Then tonight I had a few beers and thought I was buzzed but alright to drive. I wasn't. While driving a friend's car, by myself, at night, I was unable how to figure out how to turn the headlights on. That should have been my sign, but I had no way to get home otherwise, so I tried to keep figuring that out while driving.

Of course, understandably, I get pulled over.

I was completely terrified, but the officer was very nice and relatable. He made me do a field sobriety test, which I was apparently fine in passing. But then came the breathelizer. I barely came in under the limit. He told me to call someone, but I knew I couldn't at this hour. So I pulled over and took a moment to relax (adrenaline pumping) and listen to NIN (Right where it belongs). Then I drove home.

Holy fuck am I lucky. Lucky I didn't cause an accident. Lucky I didn't get a DUI on my record.

Never driving after more than one drink again. So stupid of me.


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Jun 10, 2010)

You don't realize how much responsibility you hold on the road until something happens like that. Thankfully, you didn't cause any damage. Good on ya for learning from your experience, dude.


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## ralphy1976 (Jun 10, 2010)

SchecterWhore said:


> You don't realize how much responsibility you hold on the road until something happens like that. Thankfully, you didn't cause any damage. Good on ya for learning from your experience, dude.



agreed, no one was hurt or badly injured, but seriously save 5$ form your drinking money for some cab $$ next time.


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## budda (Jun 10, 2010)

Man, fuck it - I don't care what time it is, I'd rather be called to drive a drunk friend home then know they drove home.

I had a friend (a short girl) manage to barge past me out my friend's door and to her van, and drive the 5 minutes up the road home. I was hellbent on making sure she didn't drive, and she was hellbent on driving home. She got home ok, but I gave her shit for it.

Make the call, don't drive intoxicated . I've had two experiences driving where I thought I was fine and found out I could drive ok, but I really shouldn't be. Those experiences happen the morning after for me


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## MF_Kitten (Jun 10, 2010)

there´s a reason Norway has super-strict laws on drinking and driving. one drink and you´re fucked if they test you. if you have a tiny little drink, you have to wait until later on before you even think about drinking. and we´re talking smirnoff ice here, not scotch or something. you go over the legal limit here if you´ve used mouthwash. you then have to rinse your mouth with water and try again.

even a tiny amount of alcohol will affect your reaction and judgement. just fucking don´t drink and then drive. take a cab or a bus, or get a driver ahead of time.

take this as a massive learning experience.


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## mattofvengeance (Jun 10, 2010)

Alright, this is going to sound awful, but I'm the world's best drunk driver. There have been times that I've been barely able to walk that I drive just fine. Its as if I have a super power that makes me more vigilant and focus everything I have on the road. It's completely fucking retarded, I know, and every time I do it, I feel like I'm living on borrowed time. I'm fully cognizant of what I'm doing on the road, but I know if I get pulled over, I'll fail a sobriety test/breathalizer in a heart beat. I do know my limit, though, and if I feel like I'm too drunk to drive, then I must be obliterated drunk. All that said, I've stopped driving while intoxicated cause I definitely can't afford the DUI process, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I somehow did wreck and hurt somebody. I haven't driven under the influence in a little over a year


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## InTheRavensName (Jun 10, 2010)

Never do it, I felt guilty as shit the other week driving home after having a pint about 2 hours before I got in the car. Yeah, I would've passed a breathalyser, yeah, I was stone cold sober, but if something had happened I'd still have been convinced it was that drink that slowed me enough not to stop it.

Props for learning from it though dude, good man.


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## MF_Kitten (Jun 10, 2010)

mattofvengeance said:


> Alright, this is going to sound awful, but I'm the world's best drunk driver. There have been times that I've been barely able to walk that I drive just fine. Its as if I have a super power that makes me more vigilant and focus everything I have on the road. It's completely fucking retarded, I know, and every time I do it, I feel like I'm living on borrowed time. I'm fully cognizant of what I'm doing on the road, but I know if I get pulled over, I'll fail a sobriety test/breathalizer in a heart beat. I do know my limit, though, and if I feel like I'm too drunk to drive, then I must be obliterated drunk. All that said, I've stopped driving while intoxicated cause I definitely can't afford the DUI process, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I somehow did wreck and hurt somebody. I haven't driven under the influence in a little over a year



the scary part is that people that say things like this are often the ones who end up smashing into a tree and killing themselves and everyone involved. stop doing it, dude.


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## flo (Jun 10, 2010)

MF_Kitten said:


> the scary part is that people that say things like this are often the ones who end up smashing into a tree and killing themselves and everyone involved. stop doing it, dude.



True. And I guess the "super power" comes from overrating your abilities when you're drunk. 
Please, everyone, call a friend, or take a cab, don't hurt yourself or someone else


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## MSalonen (Jun 10, 2010)

Thanks guys, it definitely was a learning experience and one that I do not plan on having to repeat in the future.

In the long run, even if you think you're fine to drive (and in some cases, you might even be right), it is just never worth it. Because if something ever does happen, not only do you have to live with the legal repercussions, but the physical and emotional repercussions should the worst happen and there's an actual accident. All of which are so much worse than the price of a cab or whatever can take you home.

It's through humbling experiences like these that I think we, or at least especially myself, learn to shelve the ego and just suck it up. You have to see the big picture and realize what you're doing with your life, and the lives of others, in those situations.


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## Furtive Glance (Jun 10, 2010)

My friend was hit in a head-on collision two weeks ago by a drunk driver and hospitalized for 2 weeks. I'm not going to say any more, because I'll just get angry...


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## leftyguitarjoe (Jun 10, 2010)

Dont fucking drive after any alcohol consumption. Period.

If you have to drive, then dont drink before hand.

When I go out to drink, I make sure that there is a 100% chance of me not having to leave before I even look at the beer. Sure, I might be a party pooper, but I wont be dead, and that seems like a fair trade to me.


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## jymellis (Jun 10, 2010)

i have a few duis. here in ohio they are ovi. my problem was once i start drinking all common sense goes out the window.i quit drinking all together. thats not the only option for most people, but it was mine.


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## MF_Kitten (Jun 10, 2010)

the key to judging your ability to drive after drinking, is the fact that alcohol causes a LACK OF JUDGEMENT. meaning you think you're totally okay to drive, because you have no fucking idea how terrible you're really driving. no matter how okay you think you are, you're not able to tell. you might very well get from A to B unscathed, but if something had happened really fast, like a child jumping out in front of your car,you would take a tiny bit longer to react, and that tiny slit of time can be surprisingly vital in cases like this.


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## orb451 (Jun 10, 2010)

Not trying to be overly rude, nor judgemental, but drinking and driving is a DUMBFUCK thing to do. I'm seriously glad you're OK and no one else was harmed but fuuuuuuuuuuuuck... I hope you realize this is Karma's shot across the bow. This one you get for free. The next one, you'll pay for. 

Next time, think.

Seriously best of luck.


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## Soopahmahn (Jun 10, 2010)

I sorta know the kid that got hit in this recent high-profile Philly case. The accused hit-and-run driver was probably intoxicated, but he hid out for a few days and so they couldn't pin that on him. It's suspected that the guy hit was also intoxicated. Just be careful everybody. I personally have no problem up to the legal limit, because I find that it's just enough for me to loosen up and whatever, but not become physically impaired. And no, I'm not talking about the 0.25 second delay I might experience - you don't tailgate and drive like an ass, MOST especially if you've had your two beers.

http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/258483


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## pero (Jun 10, 2010)

I have good toleration to alcohol and know my limits, but I don`t drink above the legal limit because here in Croatia we have very strict laws about DUI. If you are stopped drunk, the police takes your licence at the spot for 48h, you get a fine of about two average monthly salaries and you later get a ban of driving of 12 months.


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## avenger (Jun 10, 2010)

leftyguitarjoe said:


> Dont fucking drive after any alcohol consumption. Period.
> 
> If you have to drive, then dont drink before hand.
> 
> When I go out to drink, I make sure that there is a 100% chance of me not having to leave before I even look at the beer. Sure, I might be a party pooper, but I wont be dead, and that seems like a fair trade to me.


I get this all the time. People think I am lame for not drinking and driving. If I am driving I wont even drink. Maybe a pint the odd time but nothing over that unless I have enough time to be sober.



jymellis said:


> i have a few duis. here in ohio they are ovi. my problem was once i start drinking all common sense goes out the window.i quit drinking all together. *thats not the only option for most people, but it was mine.*



rep'd for being awesome.


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## Bungle (Jun 11, 2010)

MF_Kitten said:


> the scary part is that people that say things like this are often the ones who end up smashing into a tree and killing themselves and everyone involved. stop doing it, dude.


Or even worse, they'll kill their friends or some random other people out for a drive and survive it themselves, and then they'll have to spend every day of their life knowing what they've done. Don't want that on your conscience.

I think we all know of somebody, whether it's a distant family member, a friend, or a friend of a friend that has been fucked over by a drunk driver.


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## signalgrey (Jun 11, 2010)

i did it once at like 5am, no one was on the road lucky for me and them.

ill never do it again. never. i felt so shitty, and hypocritical. In fact i dont really even drink at all anymore. maybe one drink when i get home from work, once a week.


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## Esp Griffyn (Jun 11, 2010)

leftyguitarjoe said:


> Dont fucking drive after any alcohol consumption. Period.
> 
> If you have to drive, then dont drink before hand.
> 
> When I go out to drink, I make sure that there is a 100% chance of me not having to leave before I even look at the beer. Sure, I might be a party pooper, but I wont be dead, and that seems like a fair trade to me.



This, 100 times.

Once you have consumed even the tiniest amount of alcohol, your reactions and judgements are already impaired and you shouldn't be at the wheel. Most people are terrible drivers to start with, and alcohol only makes them worse.


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## groph (Jun 11, 2010)

Bungle said:


> Or even worse, they'll kill their friends or some random other people out for a drive and survive it themselves, and then they'll have to spend every day of their life knowing what they've done. Don't want that on your conscience.
> 
> I think we all know of somebody, whether it's a distant family member, a friend, or a friend of a friend that has been fucked over by a drunk driver.


 
This.

Every time I hear of another drunk driver getting him/herself killed by their own stupid action, I don't feel a morsel of sympathy for them. It's the people who have to suffer for the stupidity of others that gets me (and probably most people).

The scary part is, no matter how responsible you think you are, you are nowhere near that responsible when shitfaced. They don't teach you about that at school; they just say "LOL ALKAHAL MAEKS U WOK BAD N SAY THINGS U DNT MEEN LOL DNT DRIV." I distinctly remember encouraging a friend of mine to drive when he really shouldn't have. Luckily he didn't. Really, people shouldn't even bring their cars to parties. The best way to not drive drunk is to not have the option of driving. Is there such a thing as a safe with a lock that unlocks itself after 10 hours or so? The idea being that everybody who comes to a party puts their keys in the safe. Whenever the last person arrives and the last set of keys is deposited, the safe is locked and won't be open until the morning.


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## JohnIce (Jun 13, 2010)

For this reason, I only really go to bars or parties in towns where I have good friends who'll let me sleep at their place. For me, drinking is usually synonymous with sleeping away from home. I take a bus/train there and take a bus/train home the next day. Sometimes I can catch a lift with someone the same night, but that's all up to luck.

I obviously agree that the best way to avoid driving drunk is to not give yourself the option to while you're still sober.


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## Samanio08 (Jan 14, 2019)

Uh-oh! Even I was close to going to prison. I hit a car while I was driving drunk but didn’t hurt anybody. Got saved because of a very good Los Angeles DUI lawyer. Learnt my lesson that day and have not done it ever again.


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