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garn9173
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IMO, You did not sin.
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clem456
Guest
First I am not trying to personally pick -you- apart, just discussing the issue at hand.
Instead of focusing on “did I mortally sin by drinking and driving”, the question might be, “what are the potential consequences of my actions for other people?”. This perspective can be applied to lots of situations. If I stop at the bar for a drink after work, that is not a mortal sin. If at the same time my family member is dying in the hospital and needs me, that is a different story.
Looked at in a superficial light, the action of drinking and driving may not be a mortal sin. However a complete disregard for the well being of others is definitely grave matter. And I think that may be the point others are trying to make here. (And I am not saying that you are guilty, that is for God.)
Instead of focusing on “did I mortally sin by drinking and driving”, the question might be, “what are the potential consequences of my actions for other people?”. This perspective can be applied to lots of situations. If I stop at the bar for a drink after work, that is not a mortal sin. If at the same time my family member is dying in the hospital and needs me, that is a different story.
Looked at in a superficial light, the action of drinking and driving may not be a mortal sin. However a complete disregard for the well being of others is definitely grave matter. And I think that may be the point others are trying to make here. (And I am not saying that you are guilty, that is for God.)
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Joe_5859
Guest
Whether or not this sin was mortal is probably best answered by a priest in the Sacrament of Confession.
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PatriceA
Guest
Ask a priest. We can not give you a definite yes or no answer, we do not have the authority and you seem to want to ease a guilty conscious and still be able to receive the Eucharist. Isn’t it better to refrain from receiving until you have talked to a priest than to continue to ask people on an internet forum to give you the answer that justifies you still being in a state of grace? I’d be more concerned about taking a good hard look at my drinking habits before they cause any more problems or potentially kill someone than whether I can receive the Eucharist at the next available Mass. You put yourself and others in a very dangerous situation, THAT should be your primary concern and to take steps to never let that happen again. The Eucharist will still be there after you talk to a priest. I honestly do not think you know how bad of a decision you made by drinking buzzed, you practically justified the decision in your comments. That’s a HUGE red flag and you shouldn’t be dismissing the posters that are trying to point that out to you.
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sw85
Guest
No one can give you a definite answer. My intuition is that it is probably at least a venial sin against prudence.
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jmcrae
Guest
It doesn’t “excuse” it - but when you are drunk, you are not in your right mind, and you don’t have the capacity to reason correctly. (Which is why it is a sin deliberately to get drunk, and why society frowns on taking advantage of people when they are drunk - sober people can fight back.)
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Et_Cetera
Guest
You didn’t mean to do it and might have been affected at the time, so don’t beat yourself up too much about that incident. But now you know for next time how you’re affected, and you know that you shouldn’t drive. Don’t do it again.Hey guys - another mortal sin question! Just what you wanted on a fine Sunday morning!
So last night I was hanging out at the bar where my friend works. I had one beer, though a strong one. I was a little buzzed at the bar, I felt a little lurchy, so I waited a while and drank a bunch of water before I took off. I walked back to the car, my responses were a little bit off, but I thought I could drive (probably a mistake). I drove home, perfectly, kept my car perfectly between the lines, drove very legally and all that, though I had a little haze. At a couple of points I was thinking maybe I shouldn’t be driving, but I plowed on anyway and reached home just fine. A couple hours later I was home on my house, sobered up, and I realized I probably shouldn’t have been driving.
Mind you, I just turned twenty-one and just started drinking after pledging myself to wait until I reached legal age. Apparently I’m a lightweight drinker, and I get a reaction from one or two beers. Now, considering that, I’ve never been drunk before. I’m thinking my unintended minor drunkeness must have influenced my decision. Was this just a mistake or did I commit a mortal sin? I know you can’t commit such a sin by accident, and I didn’t intend to. I feel like a just made a rookie mistake, and now I know my limit, and I won’t do it again. Is this even worthy of confessing, and should scrupulous me skip receiving the Blessed Sacrament?
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bilop
Guest
If he only had one beer, there is no way he was drunk, and there’s no way it was sinful.
I’m sorry about your friend, but honestly, there is no reason for someone who has had a drink, but is not close to legally drunk, not to drive.
Driving tired, or talking on the cell phone, or eating or drinking while driving, are more dangerous than driving after one or two drinks. Texting while driving is far worse.
Let’s not overrate the severity of this because some real drunks cause tragedies.
God Bless
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PatriceA
Guest
Except the OP admitted they shouldn’t have drove home and there were a few points during the drive they admitted they knew they probably should have pulled over and sobered up. The OP described symptoms that are associated with being legally drunk. And yes, one drink CAN have that affect on people, especially those that have had little experience with alcohol. One drink can even affect a person that normally isn’t affected by just one drink due to not eating all day or their body chemistry at the time. My husband, a very large man, has been severly affected by just one drink if its a particularly strong one, which I point out the OP said theirs was stronger than a usual beer.
I agree with driving while tired, eating while driving…all examples that you gave…are just as dangerous and sometimes worse than driving after only one drink. BUT, the OP described symptoms of being drunk and knew their abilities were impaired but choose to drive anyways. Let’s not get into a game that every time one person has only one drink they are always sober enough to drive. That’s not the case with everybody or every single time someone has an alcoholic beverage.
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bilop
Guest
He said he “drove home perfectly”, keeping between the lines and obeying all laws. That’s not how a drunk drives.
He is being scrupulous b/c he is unfamiliar with the effects of alcohol. Even the strongest beer is weaker than wine. One beer won’t get you drunk, unless you have some kind of medical condition, or are taking prescription drugs or something.
God Bless
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jmcrae
Guest
No - but it’s how a drunk thinks he drives. He could have been weaving all over the road, and the “yellow lines” might have been the street lights reflecting on the windshield. And we all know the story of the guy who was driving two miles an hour, because he was drunk and got hyper vigilant about not speeding.
Or unless you have a slight build without a lot of muscle to absorb the alcohol, or unless you haven’t eaten any carbs that day …
If a person feels buzzed, he shouldn’t drive, even if he hasn’t had anything to drink. Sit down and recover before getting behind the wheel.
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TheRealJuliane
Guest
Come on now, you really think you can guess someone’s blood alcohol content by what they type on the internet? I think you’d better go down to the local PD and volunteer yourself as it would be a great ministry to be able to tell someone’s BAC from their typing!
If he is an average-sized male, he WAS NOT drunk from one beer! Knowing that he is scrupulous, he is vigilant and maybe hyper-vigilant by nature, so what he considers “buzzed” might be something the rest of us wouldn’t even register. That being said, I know a pub where the beers ARE strong enough to get a buzz on the first one.
But OP, you haven’t committed a mortal sin. Tell it to your confessor during your next session with him.
I’ve driven while more than buzzed. My guardian angel was watching out for me. Once, I was pretty drunk AND had just broken my right foot. Not something I am proud of, believe me. Come to think of it, I’ve never confessed that…
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PatriceA
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A lot of this discussion also depends upon the SIZE of that one beer. Any bar has a range of beer sizes from 12oz to 22oz and up. I can say I had one beer and have the special 22oz size and odds are I’d be well over the legal alcohol limit and but still justify in my mind that I was ok to drive because I had only ONE beer technically. Like I said, I’ve seen my husband pretty buzzed off of one beer and he’s a pretty big guy, his body chemistry at that particular moment allowed only ONE beer to greatly affect him. Other times he’s perfectly fine after that one beer. You never know how alcohol may affect you even if you tell yourself its only one beer or one glass of wine.
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fbl9
Guest
Look at the OP yes he was drunk, hazing out isn’t something that sober people do.Yeah rolleyes whatever, real smart donkey you are.Come on now, you really think you can guess someone’s blood alcohol content by what they type on the internet? I think you’d better go down to the local PD and volunteer yourself as it would be a great ministry to be able to tell someone’s BAC from their typing!
:rolleyes
If he is an average-sized male, he WAS NOT drunk from one beer! Knowing that he is scrupulous, he is vigilant and maybe hyper-vigilant by nature, so what he considers “buzzed” might be something the rest of us wouldn’t even register. That being said, I know a pub where the beers ARE strong enough to get a buzz on the first one.
But OP, you haven’t committed a mortal sin. Tell it to your confessor during your next session with him.
I’ve driven while more than buzzed. My guardian angel was watching out for me. Once, I was pretty drunk AND had just broken my right foot. Not something I am proud of, believe me. Come to think of it, I’ve never confessed that…
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Deo_Gratias42
Guest
Be advised that drinking water will not sober you up. The only thing which will sober you up is time.
You might have thought you drove fine, but there is a high possibility that you weren’t driving as fine as you think. Your reaction time is reduced, as is your peripheral vision, depth perception, and your judgment. That’s why provinces are lowering their tolerance for mixing alcohol and driving with 24 hr suspensions.
If I were you, I would confess this as driving while buzzed and tell the priest the circumstances so he can make a proper judgment of the gravity of your sin. Driving buzzed and driving drunk aren’t the same, which is why I would use the term “buzzed”.
Also, knowing you have a low tolerance for alcohol, I would refrain from driving after drinking unless you have a significant amount of time between driving and drinking (ie minimum one hour).
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Deo_Gratias42
Guest
This reminds me of my probation clients.
ME: “How much did you have to drink that night?”
CLIENT: “A few beers. Not too much.”
ME: “And how much was ‘a few beers’?
CLIENT: “A flat”
ME: " And how many were in a flat?”
CLIENT: “24 cans”.
ME:
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LilyM
Guest
Reminds me of one of my clients who insisted that he wasn’t drunk in spite of having had so much alcohol that he was staggering, slurring his speech, bumping into things :banghead:This reminds me of my probation clients.
ME: “How much did you have to drink that night?”
CLIENT: “A few beers. Not too much.”
ME: “And how much was ‘a few beers’?
CLIENT: “A flat”
ME: " And how many were in a flat?”
CLIENT: “24 cans”.
ME:
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TheRealJuliane
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clem456
Guest
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=9482285#post9482285
Great timing. Fr Serpa just addressed this issue on the forum.
Great timing. Fr Serpa just addressed this issue on the forum.
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PatriceA
Guest
I hope the OP has seen Father’s answer as well.
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