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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Son drove home drunk

68 replies

frozendigits · 24/01/2023 09:50

Bit of backstory.
Ds (22) moved back home last month after a 3 year relationship ended.
His ex didn't like us so they had no contact with us until the relationship ended and he moved back home, we've had no explanation other than "oh that was her, she didn't like anyone."

Anyway now he's home we feel like we're walking on egg shells, It's like having a teenager back in the house, he plays loud music and when asked to turn it down, we have to ask several times and then we get huffing and puffing.

He doesn't have any chores to do but finds it too much to put his plate in the dishwasher after eating the meal I've cooked him.
I put clean sheets outside his door on Saturday morning and they are still there, he steps over them every day.
I try and make light conversations but all I get is one word answers eg Me: did you do anything nice today? Ds: yeah.

Last night was a new low, he went out and came back visibly drunk after having driven home.
I have a breathalyser in the motorhome from when we went to France as it's a legal requirement to carry one there.
He blew 0.12 which bearing in mind he'd been home an hour already was probably higher at the time he got in the car, I think the legal limit is 0.3.
Worse bit is he'd taken a girl for a date so presumably she was also in the car. He could have killed both of them.

I didn't bring him up to be like this, he has a good job and before he left home we were all very close and we were proud of the lovely young man he'd become.
I just don't know what steps to take, he's a grown man, I can't discipline him now and he walks away when we try and speak to him but he's behaving so irresponsible and seems to disregard anything we have to say.
He has younger siblings who look up to him as well. I just don't recognise him anymore.
I don't want to rock the boat in case he goes nc again.

OP posts:
Justalittlebitduckling · 24/01/2023 12:38

He needs to leave your home. He can’t live their entirely on his terms with so little respect. If he goes nc then so be it.

SenseiOfDuty · 24/01/2023 12:40

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz you're out by a whole order of magnitude in your calculations.

OP son was nearly three times the breath alcohol level, and well over the blood alcohol level too.

Hankunamatata · 24/01/2023 12:44

Start telling him - if he doesn't put his plate away then call him down to do it. Ask him to cook one meal a week. If he doesn't pick up sheets go into room and put them on the bed.

Id also have a chat about sending his old mates some messages even if they don't reply its worth a shot

Carlycat · 24/01/2023 12:46

Sounds like his ex has dodged a bullet with this rude, selfish waste of oxygen. Stop enabling him ffs

MermaidEyes · 24/01/2023 12:52



I was thinking she was probably "controlling" because she was managing his shite behaviour

I agree. And even if she didn't like his family, there was nothing stopping him keeping in contact. The fact he had nothing to do with OP and family for 3 years was entirely his choice.

UnicornsHaveDadsToo · 24/01/2023 13:19

OP, 2 things:

  1. I think you're missing out a 0 in your figures. 0.035 limit, 0.12 reading for your machine seems more likely if he was that drunk. 35 micrograms isn't 0.35 mg, it's 0.035 mg. Therefore, if your machine read 0.12 mg, that's 120 micrograms, i.e., more than 3.5 times the limit.

  2. You need to be a lot stricter with your son and stop him acting selfishly and dangerously. Not just for his sake, but for yours and the society's in general. Stop enabling him and have a serious chat.

KarmaStar · 24/01/2023 13:19

Stop treading on those eggshells and give him some tough love
I've cleared up the effects of many drink drivers smashed up bloodied bodies.
by doing nothing you are condoning this appalling behaviour.
be strong ,
remove his car keys if possible until he can promise no more drink driving.

saltinesandcoffeecups · 24/01/2023 13:57

Going against the grain a bit here (although maybe not)… OP this is not your problem to solve. Stop being his mummy and start treating him like the adult with agency that he is. If he drives drunk, he owns the consequences. If he’s working he should be able to finance his life and that includes a new place to live.

He’s depressed because he just failed to launch. You know what will fix that? Launching

ButterCrackers · 24/01/2023 15:27

MermaidEyes · 24/01/2023 12:52



I was thinking she was probably "controlling" because she was managing his shite behaviour

I agree. And even if she didn't like his family, there was nothing stopping him keeping in contact. The fact he had nothing to do with OP and family for 3 years was entirely his choice.

Contact the police and see if they can talk sense into him to stop the drink driving.

WetBandits · 24/01/2023 15:35

ButterCrackers · 24/01/2023 15:27

Contact the police and see if they can talk sense into him to stop the drink driving.

For a one off where nobody was hurt, I probably wouldn’t get the police involved with my own adult child.

I would, however, personally come down on him like a ton of bricks and make it crystal clear that I would report him immediately if he ever did it again.

EarringsandLipstick · 24/01/2023 15:37

I'm mostly surprised he agreed to do the breathalyser at all.

I'm still not certain what the results even were, as OP had been so confusing with her figures.

OP, can you clarify?

Maray1967 · 24/01/2023 15:37

GoodChat · 24/01/2023 11:41

I was thinking she was probably "controlling" because she was managing his shite behaviour.

Yes, I’m mum to one this age - and if he behaved like this I would move him out.
He gets one warning now about his general behaviour - no more. The drink driving is appalling and he has to know that you will report him next time so he will face the police. Stop making excuses for him and kick him up the arse. Lots of us have relationship breakdowns at that age but we don’t behave like this.

ButterCrackers · 24/01/2023 15:40

WetBandits · 24/01/2023 15:35

For a one off where nobody was hurt, I probably wouldn’t get the police involved with my own adult child.

I would, however, personally come down on him like a ton of bricks and make it crystal clear that I would report him immediately if he ever did it again.

I would prefer the police had a word now rather than after a potential accident.

FromEden · 24/01/2023 15:45

And .12 is less than half the breath limit of .3

The limit is 0.03 surely? 0.12 is definitely drunk and 0.3 is extremely drunk verging on coma territory. Do people not understand decimals?

FromEden · 24/01/2023 15:47

The limit where I am is 0.08 and I'm pretty sure thats higher than the UK. He was still over that at least an hour after stopping drinking

PollyAmour · 24/01/2023 15:52

I think the drink drive limit should be a big fat zero. If you're driving, no drinking at all.

With regard to your son, OP, start treating him like a fellow adult, a lodger in your home, and not like a feckless teenager.

ButterCrackers · 24/01/2023 20:00

PollyAmour · 24/01/2023 15:52

I think the drink drive limit should be a big fat zero. If you're driving, no drinking at all.

With regard to your son, OP, start treating him like a fellow adult, a lodger in your home, and not like a feckless teenager.

Agree on that. Well said

slowquickstep · 24/01/2023 20:35

Depressed or not he needs a kick up the backside. Tell him to start acting like an a grown man or go live somewhere else.

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