To drink drive my neighbour to hospital?

[hanette]

So, had 2x 25 CL glasses of wine in pub w DH. He goes on to meet friend, I go to put D teenagers to bed.

Knock at door 11.10pm, neighbour asking me to take to A and E in car due to plummeting blood pressure and severe pains in left arm

I did - adrenaline kicked in - I tried to persuade them to call an ambulance or wait for my DH but they were so distressed I just took them in my car


Am shocked - am a rubbish driver anyway and have never driven after more than one glass of wine

So - was I over the limit? I had a plate of salmon and veg for din. And also WWTD?

Am shocked at myself and how I deffo felt different (less safe) behind the wheel.

[youretoastmildred]

OP, how did you get back from hospital? did you leave your car there and get the bus? It wasn't an emergency by then.

"adrenalin took over". At two thirds of a bottle in, if it were me, I would say booze-fuelled egotism and excitement took over. I am a shocking boozer and have a very high tolerance but even I know that at two thirds of a bottle I do love a drama and do over-egg my own importance.

If you ordered 250 ml of wine in France it would be brought to the table in a small carafe, so for two people, or for one person to have a few glasses. I think it is iniquitous that you can buy 250 ml of wine and think you have had "a drink", or two of them and think you have had "2 drinks". If you want to drink 6 drinks, know that you have had 6 drinks.

[lottieandmia]

I just don't understand why someone would not call 999 if they need to get to hospital, whether drinking is involved or not. If you get an ambulance you have trained paramedics to help on the way. I think the police would have seen it that way too if you had been pulled over and tested.

[Joysmum]

Hindsight is a marvelous thing and in hindsight the neighbor would probably got medical attention sooner by calling an ambulance.

Being in that situation and having 2/3 bottle of wine will affect your judgement which why drink driving is an offense.

I don't like the thought of a drunk driver on the roads putting everyone at risk (understatement of the year) but I'm human enough to appreciate why it happened.

Lesson learnt and hopefully by creating this thread, lesson taught to others from the ensuing discussion.

[changeforthebetter]

you had had more than half a bottle of wine and need to ask.... Aside from the alcohol, how would you have coped if your neighbour had deteriorated during the journey? a paramedic or other ambulance crew would be far better than a semi-pissed driver. I appreciate you feel like your motivations were good. it was really stupid. after a late night dash to a&e with a dc OOH told me to get a taxi, I was completely sober but panicked and so not fit to drive. as it turned out we were there for hours so parking would have been an issue.

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

You should have called an ambulance.

[ImaginativeNewName]

No you shouldn't have but you reacted unthinkingly and luckily nothing happened. It was stupid, you won't do it again, now stop beating yourself up.

[Rooners]

Not RTFT but in that instance you administer an aspirin I think and call 999

depending how far the hosp

ours is 5 minute walk so not an issue but for proper emergency you need an ambulance elsewhere, and they have the equipment to help en route.

[AuntieMaggie]

This thread has made me think about what I would do and I couldn't say I wouldn't do the same, though before this thread I may have tried to rouse another neighbour to drive.

Now I will call 999 because of the advice given about giving treatment straight away and enroute and I guess if need be they can give you advice on the phone as to what to do while waiting for the ambulance.

[hanette]

Just spoken to my neighbour's daughter, they have kept her in overnight and done some tests.

I just checked the website drinks menu of the pub I was in. They only serve 175ml wine so I was wrong - I'd had 350ml then in total. I thought it was more as the glass was big. I realise this is not really relevant to the original question as I should have called an ambulance for the medical benefit of facilities on board. But the website I think I was under the limit.

Would still call an ambulance next time though, obv.

[littlewhitebag]

My best friend did just what you did. She drove her DS to hospital after he fell and hurt himself. She had had about 2 glasses of wine. She was stopped by the police and banned for a year. It is so not worth the risk.

[lottieandmia]

The problem is you don't know how much will make you over the limit and it differs from person to person. Losing your license for a year has terrible consequences for most people.

[Grumpywino]

Has any one of you sanctimonious types sat with someone having a heart attack and the ambulance hasn't arrived? Waiting and waiting only to find it was never dispatched and the next nearest one is 50 minutes away?

I don't have the words to describe the horror.

[ReallyTired]

It takes one hour to get rid of a unit of alcohol. I think the OP was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

If she had the drinks before 10pm then she might have been below the limit. Did the OP feel drunk?

[ShowOfBloodyStumps]

hanette, well done you for being on this thread, not running away and accepting the abuse. Of course you know what you did was wrong now and I think there's little point in people continually berating you. I lost a very good friend to a drink driver and I abhor drink driving but you are human, you made a mistake and I don't think you'll do it again. Better to look at why you did it and learn from it.

DH was taken very poorly when dd was a baby and I don't drive. It was out of hours. I phoned NHS 24 and they assessed the situation and said it didn't warrant an ambulance but he had to get to OOH sharpish for a full assessment. I knocked on the neighbour's door, clutching a howling baby, crying myself and begged for help. The neighbour took DH straight to the OOH for assessment (where he was assessed in seconds and taken by ambulance to A&E!). Neighbour realised after the fact, he was over the limit (in drinking wine with wife) and was very, very shocked at his actions. He left his car at the OOH and called a taxi home. He was ashamed that he'd driven over the limit and couldn't explain it. He was an older, professional, intelligent man who would never even have one drink and then drive. It was the situation and thank God everything was okay.

I don't think you're the only person who doesn't cope with emergencies. We all like to think we would, but few of us are trained and when it actually happens, the majority struggle. Have a look on here at some of the 'have you ever done anything dangerous/stupid and not realised until afterwards' threads. See how many people are ashamed at how reckless they've been in hindsight.

Perhaps you'd benefit from a first aid course? Help you think about how you'd manage situations as they occurred, knowledge of when an ambulance is necessary. DH is a copper and he said the hardest thing about his training was learning how to walk towards a dangerous situation and not laugh/choke/run/balls up. He said you have to switch off some of your natural instincts and re-learn how to react.

I do hope your neighbour is okay.

[specialsubject]

you are a good neighbour, but....

if you are a rubbish driver, get off the road until you've had some lessons to sort this.

you should have called the ambulance. The person could have collapsed in your car and you don't have a defibrillator.

also get some first aid lessons too (that goes for everyone)

hope the neighbour is ok. Glad you didn't kill anyone en route as you would probably have been uninsured.

[ShowOfBloodyStumps]

Grumpywino, when my SIL died, my brother waited 45 minutes for an ambulance. My Mum happened to be there too and he was desperate to drive her himself after 15 minutes and no show. The ambulance operator who hung on the line and my Mum both stopped him driving as he was in no fit state but ever fibre of his being just wanted to get her to hospital. He needed to DO something. He would have been a total danger to everybody on the road but had nobody been there to advise him, he'd have done it. It was panic.

[MurderOfGoths]

Glad the OP has taken all the advice on board, amazed that any posters seem to think it was the right decision though! Worrying that even having read the thread they still can't see the problem(s) with it.

[Grumpywino]

I'm once again amazed at how sheltered peoples lives are here. Unless I misread there is only one other emergency services worker here, and that person was far more realistic and understanding. Easy to judge others when you are sat behind a computer screen fretting over your children and what to cook hubbie for dinner. Live a little and you might be less sanctimonious.

[jammiedonut]

Hanette I run a restaurant, by law we only need to advertise the price of a standard 175 measure. I can assure you that they will still sell you both 125 and 250 measures. Either way one half a bottle is still too much to drink and then drive. Glad your neighbour is okay and you know what to do next time. I can't honestly say that were it my own child or partner I would be able to make a reasoned judgement but hope that I would so don't worry about it now!
O

[IamInvisible]

I agree with you MurderofGoths.

I am not sanctimonious, btw. My dad was a fireman for many, many years. He does not touch a drop of alcohol before driving, he's seen too many lives ripped apart by drunk drivers.

[NearTheWindmill]

500ml at 12% is 6 units which is just over twice the legal limit. I have also googled a bit and it seems that one hour after the first drink you start to metabolise the units. Therefore it looks as though if you finished your first drink at 8pm, at 9pm you would have burnt of one unit, at 10pm another unit and at 11pm yet another unit.

Depending on your weight it seems that the legal limit is not more than 2-3 units. Only you know what time you drank and when you stopped and how heavy you are. It doesn't sound as though you were blind drunk or incapable and you took a risk on the outward journey - you were probably fine driving home after another hour.

On that basis I think the jury's out to be honest. Can I give you a little tip though. You can buy breathalyser kits from Halford's it is essential that you travel with them in France where the law is much stricter and the alcohol limits are lower. It might be helpful to keep a couple in the house in case of emergencies. We have teenage children and have once or twice checked ourselves before heading out in the early hours when the "I'm stranded" emergency call has come in. If we have been over the limit we have paid for a cab rather than risk it.

[NearTheWindmill]

Just read the OP's last message. She wouldn't have been over the limit. What a lot of hysteria and vitriol when nobody was basing anything on the actual facts. In fact even if she had had 500ml it is very likely she wouldn't have been over the limit.

Shocked at the level of judgement.

[Vikki88]

Grumpywino is one of the only people I can see speaking sense.

When a neighbour (or anyone) is clearly having a very serious episode & asking for help, you'll act impulsively and do all you can to help them.

Well, at least that's what I assumed most would do. Apparently the majority here would ask the neighbour to wait while they go online and try to workout if they're a shade over or under the legal limit?! Scary.

[MurderOfGoths]

"Apparently the majority here would ask the neighbour to wait while they go online and try to workout if they're a shade over or under the legal limit?!"

Are you even reading the thread? The majority said they'd call an ambulance.

[Vikki88]

MurderOfGoths I was being overdramatic to emphasise how much of a farce it is that the OP is being judged harshly by so many.

I know who I'd prefer to have as a neighbour.