DWI: How it has changed my life.
 

Just for the record I have NEVER HAD A DWI/DUI.

When I was a teenager and in college I never gave a damn about a dwi. I guess I felt invisible, maybe it was because I was broke, who knows. Lately I have been finding myself drinking less and worrying a great deal about cops pulling me over. I now have a full time job and have enough saved up for europe/car that I would HATE to lose it over something dumb. I find myself handing the keys over even if I have had only one beer.

This is all very strange to me. I haven't changed much in the past year, but I am trying to understand what happened. I have grown up a lot in 2009.

Anyone else experience anything like this?

Growing up sucks!

If you can't drink and drive, how are you supposed to get home from the bar?

But, seriously. I'm surprised they don't set up checkpoints right outside the bars & clubs.

We can fix this little problem of yours Tom...

I quit partaking of a certain activity in college the day I got a job offer. Suddenly the risks outweighed the rewards. That, and I had a drug test to pass in 7 months all of the sudden.

Mike, don't forget january 9th for the outpost!

Look at the upside - lose your license for 6-12 mos. and you can be drunk all the time, never have to worry about driving at all. I've been through the process. Once you're on the road and at the mercy of the police, the best thing to do is keep your mouth shut, refuse to answer any questions and only submit to a breathalyzer if they ask you to. You can refuse all field sobriety tests. Besides, once they ask you to do that, they've pretty much already decided to arrest you and are letting you convict yourself on their dash cam. Don't help them. I haven't been stopped at a sobriety checkpoint, but I'd certainly refuse to answer all questions there, whether I had been drinking or not. I'd try to waste as much of their time as I could. They are an egregious trampling of the 4th Amendment and the SCOTUS said they were fine because safe roads are more important than our rights. I strongly disagree.

Some people say that you gain more experience from mistakes than you do from success.

Had a conversation with some of my group the other day about something they thought was "great". When I poo-poo'd it they looked at me really strange trying to understand what could go wrong.

Told them that when I was where they are now I thought all my ideas were great with nothing but upside and my boss used to sometimes just shake his head but let me proceed anyway.

Warned them what would happen but they could go ahead, which they did, and 2 days later I was proven to be right.

As we get older every day is an opportunity to get smarter. I'm a lot more cautious these days.

I find it takes less energy to think things out a bit more than it takes to fix the resulting problem.

I should be one smart SOB!:D

I did a lot of stupid stuff in my younger years. Experience, wisdom, too much to lose, there's a number of reasons why I wised up. Plus I'm married to a woman that doesn't drink much, so I always have a DD.:D

Gonna drive me home? :p

We might have to make it two trips over two days, so that Sue can partake as well :D

Tom... I worry about stuff like that now... One minor in possesion charge even would blow my chances of getting into Pharmacy school all to hell...

Switch to Vicodin

Its kind of odd because the State Police put up signs and run adds on TV about DUI's They keep saying "know your limit" So does that mean I can still drink and drive as long as I am under the limit, NO because they can still pop you for any amount if they want or if your in a accident. So whats the message here, can I or cant I, I decided not too.

I just learned of a little-known AZ law that gets you a DUI for ANY kind of BAC, even under the limit of .08. Yes, you can have one beer, maybe even just gargle some mouthwash, get in your car and, if the cop suspects you're impaired, they can tie you to a stretcher, draw your blood (without your consent) and, if you have anything above 0.00, you can get DUI. I think this one is not used too much, but it's unbelievable that this stuff is allowed. In Fairfax Co., VA the cops have sniffers in their flashlights, so they know you're lying if you answer their questions the wrong way, even if they have no other reason to suspect you're intox. That's why you should never ever answer any police questions other than "Is this your current address on your license?"

Sounds like you have been having lots of DUIs, but just haven't gotten caught.

Getting caught isn't the issue if you DUI all the time. The issue is that you will wreck earlier or later, possibly injuring or killing people, including yourself.

There is a lot of social pressure to drink, if you are at college age. Spend some money on cabs and arrange for crashing at a buddies house before you start. And of course, drinking less or having drink free days never hurts either.

I had a self imposed weekly "no alcohol" phase of the week during college. It was only Mon-Thursday, but it helped a lot getting to class on time and giving the liver a much needed break. I didn't own a car most of college, so DUI wasn't an issue.

George

They watch bars...believe it. I don't drink since my diabetes diagnosis...but Cindy & I like to play pool in a local bar. Funny thing...when driving the Ranger, it parked outside the bar for hours, I was never checked. Bullitt Mustang...yep, pulled over, with the old "have you been drinking?" question.

I guess I should have been angry, but I found it kind of amusing...and somehow reassuring. The drunk driver they remove from the road may be the one that would have crashed into somebody later on.

Because the pub owners will complain that it hurts their business which is ultimately not good for the towns revenue generation.

From a financial perspective it only makes sense to collect the taxes and liquor license fees as well as the fees for the DUI charges.

A wise man indeed. A couple of years ago I attended a driving refresher course offered by my company. A well known local deputy sheriff was a contributor and he made some interesting observations. In NY State, he figured a DUI or DWI would cost at least $10,000. in fines(some of which follow you for years and you keep paying them to the state), cost of mandatory courses and the real killer, which is getting thrown in a risk pool by your insurance company, with very high premiums. If you are involved in an accident, you could immediately go to jail. If your kids are in the car, it is now considered a form of child abuse and social services will take the kids from the car and you can talk to a judge about it. Where I worked a valid license was a requirement for keeping the job, so you are automatically brought up on charges and likely dismissed if the state dwi sticks(or if the license is taken). So losing the kids and job would likely wreck your life and that of your family for a long time. One final note Deputy Norton made-if you are in a wreck and found dui or dwi, the insurance company can immediately revoke your insurance, leaving you to pay for the damage or injuries, as there is such a clause in the policy that you agree to when the insurance is issued. This ain't the 1980's anymore, at least in one state. I suspect these penalties are uniform in more than NY.

I got the lightest slap on the wrist you could get, my lawyer only charged $500 and my home state and insurance never found out about it and it was still every penny of $5000 - an expensive night out. I can't imagine what the full cost would have been, had I gotten the regular treatment.

I once staggered out of a bar to my car parked in a lot across the street shortly before closing time, leaving a bunch of buddies who'd been drinking all night. "Keep yer eyes on me an' leave when ya see it's safe" I advised them.

Sure enough, as I unlocked my door two cops put their light on me and began their routine. I said I hadn't been drinking and they put me through all the balance, smooth eye movement and breathometer tests - all of which I passed.

After the 15 min. or so one asked me in an irritated voice why I was staggering. I told them that I was the designated drunk. They were pissed but let me go - I'd stopped into the bar late and truly had had nothing to drink that night.

My drunken buddies had the presence of mind to heed what I'd said and left while the cops were occupied with me.

That was then. Now I'd do my best to confiscate their keys.

My 1st wife was sitting at a stop light and got hit by a drunk in a van with enough force to drive the rear bumper of her car into her backseat. I lost 2 bandmates who were hit head-on on an Interstate one night by a drunk lady in a Cadillac going the wrong way with no lights. Had another friend decapitated in high school while throwing newspapers from his motorcycle by a drunk. Nothing....I repeat...NOTHING is worse than someone's death due to the stupidity of others. car, trip, job...while serious can not begin to approach vehicular homicide.

I can not/ will not be tolerant to those stupid enough to drive while drunk (and especially a$$ holes who brag about doing it and then running away after they crash).