I Hate Drunk/Buzzed Drivers!

Yes, I truly despise the total hypocrisy of grown men and women drinking and then getting behind the wheel of a car and totally disregarding my life and others!

They're not even thinking of their own life, so I'm pretty low on their list.

When I was younger, a teenager, we'd go out drinking at the bars that would serve us or go north about an hour away to Kenosha, Wisconsin where the drinking age was 18 and many bars had nickel beer night.

We'd drink like fishes and then cross our fingers for the long ride home.

That stretch of highway was where my one girlfriend totalled her car and almost lost her life.

That same area was where my friend was driving with me as a passenger and after a night of drinking we decided to get a bite to eat before the long journey home. He turned left to get into the restaurant, only we weren't in our turn lane we were in the right merging lane for the cross traffic, and almost slammed into a state trooper. Sad part was- my friend admitted to drinking about 12 drinks and the state trooper let him off, just took his license and gave him a ticket!

But that was back in the day and thank goodness the laws are alot stiffer now.

Kids (teens) do alot of stupid things for many reasons, and with experience they usually learn not to do certain things that will endanger themselves or others.

I drove drunk.

Once.

And it scared the heck out of me.

My girlfriend and I were on our way home from- you guessed it- a night of drinking up in Wisconsin.

We were so close to my home, within just a few miles, when my girlfriend had an ulcer attack.

We decided that she could no longer drive and so I took the wheel.

Drunk and scared, I literally prayed those few miles to get home safe, because I saw that I was all over the road.

And I have never ever driven drunk or buzzed again in my whole life.

I can be stubborn and a hard-head and sometimes had to learn lessons the hard way- but this was one of those times that once was enough for me. I learned my lesson.

So why do adults that supposedly know better drink and drive?

Is it because they think they are actually more sober and in control than they really are?

Is it because they just don't care?

Is it because they feel the chances of getting caught or in an accident are slim to none?

Is it because they are alcoholics and have given up all hope?

And what about the bars that overserve?

What's their excuse?

Greed is a pretty paltry excuse for overserving, and I don't think it would make a very good defense in a court of law.

Can you hear it now- "Judge, I am just a humble bar owner trying to make a living. I sell liquor, that is my business, so who am I to tell my regulars that they have had enough? I have coffee ready to be made if they seem too drunk and I even have chips and peanuts I sell to help sober them up so I am doing all I can- they are responsible for themselves and I didn't make them drink that much."

Pretty flimsy stuff if you ask me.

For one- bars are set up to walk a tightrope. Why do that to yourself and your livelyhood? Why not open a bar/restaurant and actually CARE about your patrons by not overserving them and firing any bartenders that do?

Yeah, some people hold their liquor better than others and can hide their drunkeness better- we're just asking that you truly do the best you can.

Pay for a taxi for your drunk patrons that slipped through and came to your business seemingly sober but that one drink you served them put them over the edge- alot cheaper than lawsuits, let alone losing someone to drunk driving.

Require that all your bartenders go to TIPS training and have monthly or bi-annual refresher classes or meetings.

The person overindulging at a bar and the bar overserving share responsibility, tho to what percentage of responsibility is up to the courts to decide, sadly, and on a case-by-case basis. Why not do all you can as a responsible bar owner?

Beer and liquor are legal to drink under certain provisions, even though its abuse and use carry some very dire and heavy consequences. But it is more socially acceptable than marijuana use, go figure, but let's just stick to alcohol.

Alcohol can kill you the first time you drink it by overindulging or actually having an allergic reaction to it. It can kill you when you drink and drive and have an accident. It can kill you 20 years later with cirrhosis of the liver. And it can kill you in the sneakiest ways, even when you think you're being semi-responsible.

When I was younger we used to throw house parties and the rule of thumb was that the girls were allowed to use the indoor bathrooms and the guys were to go outside when nature called. Nice idea, huh?

Well, in theory it was. But we lived up north and it could get awful cold at night in the winter- sometimes even -80 degrees with windchill cold!

So one night a boy I was seeing went to a party, I stayed at home.

The next morning my guy was found on the side of the house.

Frozen.

And dead.

They say he must have passed out at some point and just froze there...

Pretty sad way to learn a lesson, this one had no do-overs.

I'm not preaching about drinking or not drinking- that is your decision to make.

I am saying there are ways to have "fun" drinking yet being responsible.

The holidays are in full swing now and there will be more parties to attend and more drinking. I'll be at some of those parties, and I will not hesitate to take your keys from you, I've done it before and lost a friendship over it, and I will do it again if needed.

Don't make a fool out of yourself, please...

and DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!!!!!

Sun City Cab 544-2211