Too much to drink for driving?

[IceBergJam]

Is drinking 9 - 10 drinks, finishing at 0100 and driving at 0830 too much or not?

Yes, too much. If you have to ask, it is too much.

The potential risks are not worth it.

Yep, over the limit.

It's not whether he gets away with it, it's whether the person he runs over does.

He said he didn't feel drunk. Felt fine.

It's way too much. Don't drive until the afternoon.

Or only have a few drinks.

You don't need to feel drunk to be over the limit.

^ This.

Your step sons an idiot.

I think that is way too much. Also he would be driving with a hangover which is very bad.

Is it really that bad?

He is a wonderful boy but is making a stupid choice. Youth and the invincible feeling I think.

I was worried I over reacted when I told him I felt slightly disgusted and that he may find himself without a licence or in prison if he had a bad accident.

He said he didn't feel drunk. Felt fine

That's one of the classic delusions of the intoxicated driver. Of course they feel fine. But that's mainly because alcohol induces a sense of confidence, well-being and worse, over-confidence. In reality, you don't have to be a stumbling, vomitty drunk to find yourself seriously impaired so far as anticipation and reactions are concerned. That's fine if all you are doing is walking home. But when you get behind the steering wheel you can be lethal.

He wasnt hungover. Got in at 0400.

So he had lots to drink, no sleep, and you seem to be giving excuses for him that he was ok to drive. Really?

I know a lad who got a year ban when caught driving the evening after the night before.

He got drunk, drove to work that morning, did a day at work , and was stopped on the way home, well over the limit still. (hadn't been drinking whilst at work)

Year ban, retest, and pretty much uninsurable. Bloody lucky he didn't kill someone.

I haven't given a single excuse. I'm stating what he said. I am zero tolerance when it comes to alcohol and driving. I think, on this issue, he is either a complete idiot or isn't grasping / not understanding what could happen.

Like I said, I told him I was disgusted. I was worried that the hurt look and silence meant I had over reacted.

It does take your body about an hour to metabolise a unit but it does this from when you start drinking not from when you finish. So if he started at 8 he would have already metabolised a about 4 or 5 units by the time he finished at 1. Therefore I would say he probably was not over the limit at half 8 the next morning.
This of course is assuming it was 9 to 10 units he drank. If the beers were pints its more likely to be 2 units and there he would have been over limit.

Pound a pint.

A pint that's 5% (as some are, esp. larger) could be about 2.8 units. A pint is only a unit if it's weak beer (about 3.5%). That is worth knowing.

I think he shouldn't have risked it. It's got nothing to do with him feeling drunk.

Aside from anything else, if he'd drunk that much, he probably didn't sleep as deeply as he should, and being tired is in itself dangerous.

Well 9 to 10 pints is 18 to 20 units in which case there is n chance he was clear in 12.5 hours. I know you said he had shots (which i think are 1unit)as well but even if it was 5 pints and 5 shots thats 15 units, so he'd still be over. He was lucky to get away with it.

*no chance

If he drank 7 pins of Fosters that alone is 14 units. Add the shots and that makes your SS a twat for driving.

We have spoken with him about this before as a caution.

He is your normal caring, bright teen so I don't know why he isn't listening or reading up on it.

Any ideas on making him see sense? 0830 is driving through 3 local schools' traffic.

Look at the drink aware films on YouTube. Show him this. Tell him I would kill him if he killed my kid whilst driving past my school drunk on his way to work. He clearly isnt that bright.

My FIL was killed by a drunk driver.

Your SDS is an idiot. It's all very well for him if he feels invincible. The child that he hits isn't likely to be. He needs to a) sort out his binge drinking and b) take some responsibility for himself and give himself a proper, sensible amount of time before he gets behind the wheel again.

Could he not get a taxi? Or is it just that he would not because he doesn't see why he should?

DSS, not SDS. Sorry.

He thinks he is fit to drive because he thinks he is not over the limit . Are breath testers accurate , as a tool to demonstrate, or is it likely to give a false negative reading?

Trazzletoes , I think this type of drinking is extremely common in young and old people. So much so, that people hear the binge drinking health risks, but don't actually listen. Sadly, it has eaten away at other members of my family.

I also have a toddler daughter, and my feelings are similar to yours IsIt.