so.... do you think that you should be sober enough to drive somewhere in an emergency or at least one person be?

[sunnyshine]

thats it really. After discussions with friends last night, do you think one person should always be sober enough to drive somewhere in an emergency?

we had an emergency one NYE oddly enough, I phoned 999 and couldn't get through - drove drunk to the hospital like a bat out of hell, there was nobody sober to do it

amazing how quickly you can sober up when a child is not breathing and you can't find a pulse

I don't feel comfortable getting drunk anyway, but I definitely wouldn't be drunk in charge of the DCs. Tipsy, yes, so that I couldn't drive, but never enough that if there was an emergency I was able to deal with it.

I don't care/don't judge what other people decide to do, I just stick to my own comfort levels, which have pretty much dictated that I've essentially become tee-total since I had the DCs.

was = wasn't (haven't had anything to drink, honest!)

Parents are sometimes allowed to let their hair down in their own houses without worrying about things which may never ever happen. Looking after children is worrying enough without imposing extra demands on ourselves.

You can relax without getting drunk.

I think one of you needs to be together enough to call 999.

However we don't ever get pissed together anymore but do drink too much to drive on occasion.

i am similar serenity but friends seem to differ in opinion and i thought i would see what others thought!! not judging anyone just interested!

I used to drink a lot and relied in it to provide confidence and relaxation. As dp does not drink I don't drink a lot and it has been a revelation to me that I don't need to get drunk to relax or enjoy myself. I do still drink, I love a glass of wine but never drink to get drunk any more.

You shouldn't live your life expecting an emergency around every corner.

Neither of us would contemplate driving after more than one glass of wine, so there are occasions when we couldn't drive anywhere. But depending on the situation, we would call a taxi or ambulance, though we do live in the centre of a big city. I very rarely get "drunk" to the extent I couldn't make decisions - nor does dh, really. So it's not something that really arises as an issue.

What abra1d said.

Can see exactly what you mean if you have someone in the house who is likely to need medical treatment but you can't really legislate for the totally unexpected. We live quite a long way from anywhere and taxis are difficult to come by without three weeks of planning. I had to take my neighbour to hosp once as she'd fallen over walking the dog and put her shoulder out so couldn't drive herself. No drink involved but if she'd been the "soberee" and had herself had an accident, all the sensible plans would have failed.

Of course you need to be sufficiently compos mentis to put the children in their beds and not the freezer by mistake or whatever.

Neither me nor DP drive, so staying sober enough to drive is irrelevant.

Being sober enough to DEAL with a emergency is the important thing.

You have reason to, Riven, but most people don't. It's a statistical thing. If the odds of something extreme happening are 1/1000, then you should really plan for it. If the odds are 1/4, then you do need a strategy.

I don't live my life expecting an emergency, I am probably one of the most laid back parents I know. As I said dp does not drink anyway, it just seems quite sensible to me to be sober enough to look after your children and deal with what may arise, especially if you live in an isolated area with no neighbors to call on.

I'd have to drink a hell of a lot to not be capable of cleaning up sick / comforting a ill child / first aid etc.

The other day my completely sober DH, put my 2 year old to bed but forgot to put her nappy on.

When she woke in the night crying because she was wet, he couldn't work out what was wrong.

I came in from the pub after several drinks, noticed she was damp straight away, changed her clothes and put a nappy on, changed her bedding, comforted her and got her back off to sleep.

So obviously I'm STILL better drunk, than my DH is sober

I'm glad I don't live near some of you - me being the sober neighbour that gets her door knocked after midnight cos you are all too pissed to drive if your DC's need to get to hospital

If I needed to get a child to a hospital I'd call a taxi or ambulance, drunk or sober!

No.

If it was a real emergency, you'd call an ambulance.

We would never get into a state where we couldn't look after DS - but surely that applies once you have your own home? I wouldn't want us to be so drunk that we would forget to lock the doors or turn the oven off.

Over the space of several hours and with a meal involved DH and I would happily have the equivilent of a bottle of wine each if it was a birthday or an anniversary. While neither of us would drive, we would be able to make all necessary decisions etc in the case of an emergency.

it was not about making a decision really. i know everyone could do that drunk (pretty much) it was having to call an ambulance because you were over the limit that i was asking really. have got lots of different viewpoints here, some simalar and some oppisite! it just shows how different everyone is i suppose!

Hmmm difficult one... not something I had ever considered until a month ago when I had to rush my elderly dog to the out of hours vet at 11pm in an emergency. DH had had 4 glasses of wine and I'd had 2 so i had to drive Vet wouldn't/couldn't come out and we have no family/friends locally to help out (moved 2hrs away from family in June). She had a gastric tortion which kills rapidly if not dealt with quickly.

Did make me think though about the children but then I thought that if it was that level of emergency with them I'd obviously call an ambulance. If it required a trip to the out of hours GP and was less urgent I guess I would call a taxi.