DUI

I don’t take this lightly. I have no time for drink drivers at all. As a young adult I got my license when I turned 18… pretty much on my birthday. This was roughly twenty-five years ago. About a year later I was picked up for a DUI. This was one of the most embarrassing ordeals I have ever been through. I honestly feel shame as I type this. So I should. When I got my license I didn’t treat it with the respect it deserved. I would get behind the wheel after indulging in a few beers, thinking I was fine to drive. I never seriously considered the potential consequences of doing this. I was young and foolish. I was on my P plates at the time too, which meant I had to have a BAC of zero to drive. That requirement never fazed me back then. I was reckless and thought I could get away with irresponsible choices.

I did eventually learn my lesson. I was pulled over and blew a small reading, but the limit for me had to be zero. My license was immediately confiscated and I was taken back to the police station, where I had another breath test, completed paperwork and spent the night behind bars. It was a real rigmarole to get my license back too — and rightly so: I lost it for six months, had to attend court twice, pay a fine, have an interlock breathalyser fitted to my car complete two drink‑driving courses. I deserved the consequences, and it was a real eye‑opener.

Can you imagine waking up in a police cell and being told you had killed someone? Add that to your hangover, the pounding head and queasy stomach. Wow — if that isn’t enough to terrify you, then something is seriously wrong. Before I got sober not long ago I would drink and drive, though I convinced myself it was safe because I stayed “under the limit,” which for me usually meant only a couple of beers. In Australia the legal limit is 0.05. I believe in the U.SA it’s 008 or something close to that. To me, that higher figure sounds more realistic, though it still doesn’t eliminate the real danger. Remain Sober people!