Drunk Friends

[Booter]

Ok, so here’s what happened. I met my friends at a bar last night to watch
the football game. They all drove. After the game they decided they wanted to
go to a different bar. I drove, because I’m not a big drinker (1 beer)
and they were all smashed. We finally came back to the first bar, which is by
my friends house, and I told them I would take them home if they didn’t want to sleep on my friend’s couch. Well my one friend walked home, I drove 1 of them home, and the other two got out of my car and drove themselves. I told them I would drive them but they got out the car and left. I followed the one to his house about a mile or 2 away, and the other I didn’t. Everyone’s alright, Thank God, but I feel pretty terrible about the whole thing. What do you do when someone doesn’t want to take a ride home? Am I sinning if I don’t try harder to get them to come with me (wrestling away keys)? I mean I definitly could of tried harder, but it seems to me like they were gonna drive home regardless of whether I went or not (which is stupid). The only good thing that happened that night was My Giants beating the Cowboys.

 

[Catholic1954]

I live across the street from a bar and see this kind of thing almost every night at 2:00am. The next time, tell your friends, up front, that you will be happy to take anyone home at the end of the evening, and ANYONE who insists on driving home under the influence will have their license plate and descripton called into 911. You might annoy some friends, but better that than to see a family of five wiped out because of bad judgement and a stupid mistake, that you can’t take back or fix. :dts:

 

[kage_ar]

Sounds as if it is time to find new friends.

 

[prodigalson12]

On my 22nd birthday, I was informed that my best friend was in an accident, he and his friend were drunk, it was also his friends birthday. They smashed through a curb that overlooked an embankment, he went head first through the windshield, landed around 20 feet head first and was declared brain dead. They pulled the plug a week later, his brain swelled beyond repair. My friend for all conceivable purposes, died in that accident, he was an athiest before I was able to get through to him, just months prior. I swore off drinking and driving that moment and it has never happened again, it is out of respect for him, out of a very tough lesson learned in the process, his life was ended at the age of 20…

Now, at my current age, 42, I’m an anomoly, why because I have never had a DUI, I have never totalled a car because I was drunk, I have not killed someone driving drunk, in fact, just a few weeks ago, my cousin and her husband, both drunk, almost killed a carload of people in a head on collision, he’s now facing attempted manslaughter charges.

If these guys cannot heed your advice, it doesn’t matter if they were drinking or not, you know darn well that you aren’t legal to drive regardless of your state of mine, you need to find new friends. What will happen if you continue to hang with these people, you will either become like them or will continue to be a fly in their ointment. When they come back with some sob story, getting pulled over or worse, you can say you have said your peace and it’s their decision to ignore your pleas. Drinking within moderation or not, what are YOU doing in a bar? The people that go there are never the good crowd to hang out with, it’s just a degrading place to be.

 

[Booter]

Thank you for your replies. I am in full agreement that drunk driving is NEVER acceptable. Although, I wouldn’t paint a broad stroke over all bars and everyone who goes to bars. I’m sorry about your friend and family members.

 

[cjellis27]

Sounds like a difficult situation for you, wanting to keep your friends safe, but them not listening. I’m sure most of it is due to the type of bravado you get from drinking, thinking that you can do anything and that nothing can hurt you. I would encourage you to share a friend or family member’s personal story with your friends about why you feel drinking and driving is unacceptable…maybe even the one posted above. Maybe your friends will be more apt to listen when confronted with someone’s actual pain.