# Do you drink and drive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 15, 2011, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977 "2011-11-15T04:28:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/41 "2011-11-15T14:59:04Z")
These days, if I have a beer or 2 with dinner, yes, I’ll drive home. In my young & stupid days, I used to go out drinking after work, have WAY too much and drive on home. Stupid, stupid STUPID. There were a couple close calls-most memorably, coming home from my favorite bar, which was out kinda in the boonies on a dark, twisty road. I came around a curve a _little_ too fast and there was a car stalled in the road, the 2 occupants standing behind it. I slammed on my brakes, fishtailed, and came to a stop about 15 feet from them. I can still see their faces full of fright in my headlights. Yeah, I don’t do that any more. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/42 "2011-11-15T15:01:15Z")
I voted 4, because I have, but I don’t do it as a rule. I have no problem with one drink and driving, but mainly because 1) I always drink with a meal and 2) I always drink mixed drinks, which are not really very strong. Once, however, we made a big mistake. We went out to dinner at Olive Garden, and ordered their sangria. Somehow there was a mixup in the order andwe got a pitcher. Well, we took our time, and ate, and drank. The sangria didn’t taste alcoholic at all, but it was super yummy, so we drank it - and finished up the pitcher. By the time we were halfway home we realized we were impaired. We drove slowly and carefully and got home all right, but we learned our lesson. Nowadays he usually doesn’t drink at all, and so I let him drive. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/43 "2011-11-15T15:10:32Z")
Per the “drunk any alcohol” clarification, then yes, I have, frequently. My usual “designated driver” behavior is to have a single drink to start with, and then switch to caffeinated beverages for the rest of the evening. If you mean impaired legally, no, but I was a passenger in a car where both the driver and I were probably legally impaired, and also young and stupid and paranoid as all fuck. We drove home very cautiously, using back roads and driving under the speed limit, and I think the sole car we had around us during the mile or so drive was a police car that followed us for a bit (cue the chorus of swearing) and then turned off. So, at least the driving was sufficiently normal at that point, and our perception of it was that it was smooth and overly cautious throughout. No weaving, nothing like that. Neither of us ever did anything that utterly stupid again. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/44 "2011-11-15T15:12:17Z")
Define “drink.” Am I one of those people who calls a cab because I had a glass of Pinot Noir with dinner? No. Fuck me, but I’m well under the limit at that point, and my ability to navigate a car has not been compromised. It’s one glass of wine on a full stomach, not five rounds of Jager bombs. I don’t subscribe to MADD’s zero-tolerance bullshit. **Omar Little** is right. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/45 "2011-11-15T15:15:22Z")
I neither drive, nor drink enough to be over the legal limit, so chose other. Though I don’t think you’re stupid, I’m an extreme outlier in not knowing how to drive. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/46 "2011-11-15T15:42:50Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > Just out of interest (because this is pretty much my approach) do you have a specific definition of “small amount”? > > I only ask as I put my own absolute max limit at a pint of 3-4% lager, but I know other people who reckon two pints is still under the limit. One pint of average strength beer or two if consumed with lots of food. I’ve been breathalysed after drinking this amount and I was comfortably under the limit, so all other variables being equal, that’s what I consider my limit. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/47 "2011-11-15T15:48:09Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Lightweight! 😃 Well…yeah. 🙂 This thread is interesting to me, because I was raised by a near-teetotalling parent and never had the experience of seeing someone drink a glass of wine or beer with dinner and then drive home. And then all of the MADD propaganda you get in school implies that if you have a beer and you drive any time in the next 24 hours, you are a murderer who should get the death penalty. So as an adult, I’ve seen friends have a drink or two and then drive home some time afterward, and I’ve wondered, how do you gauge whether you’re OK or not? I mean, I feel OK to drive after one beer an hour or two ago, but am I really? (On re-reading, this sounds as though I’m implying that I know the answer to this and the answer is “YOU NEVER KNOW, YOU DRUNK DRIVING DOUCHEBAG.” But seriously, I wonder this, because I have no experience with it but would sort of like to.) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/48 "2011-11-15T15:54:20Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Well…yeah. 🙂 > > This thread is interesting to me, because I was raised by a near-teetotalling parent and never had the experience of seeing someone drink a glass of wine or beer with dinner and then drive home. And then all of the MADD propaganda you get in school implies that if you have a beer and you drive any time in the next 24 hours, you are a murderer who should get the death penalty. > > So as an adult, I’ve seen friends have a drink or two and then drive home some time afterward, and I’ve wondered, how do you gauge whether you’re OK or not? I mean, I feel OK to drive after one beer an hour or two ago, but am I really? (On re-reading, this sounds as though I’m implying that I know the answer to this and the answer is “YOU NEVER KNOW, YOU DRUNK DRIVING DOUCHEBAG.” But seriously, I wonder this, because I have no experience with it but would sort of like to.) I don’t drink a lot, but you get to know pretty quickly. Alcohol goes to my head pretty quickly but if I eat with it, and it’s just a light drink, I am fine. I just never ever drink more than 1-2 drinks, though, so perhaps I am a bad example. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/49 "2011-11-15T15:57:09Z")
I’ll have one mug of beer with my pizza and drive home. That’s still a safe amount and wouldn’t put anyone over the limit. I said never in the poll. The wording implied yes meant to excess. I haven’t risked driving intoxicated since I was a teenager thirty years ago. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/50 "2011-11-15T16:04:45Z")
I’ll put my hand up and say that I drink and drive. Not hammered, but absolutely over the limit where I live. How do I justify this? 1. It’s very late at night and I will see only a handful of cars during the entire drive. 2. I am acutely aware of my condition and drive very conservatively. 3. It is a very short distance. Not more than 4 kim. 4. Again, I am not hammered, merely ‘buzzed’ Why do I do it? Very inconvenient to find alternative arrangements. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/51 "2011-11-15T16:06:35Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > And then all of the MADD propaganda you get in school implies that if you have a beer and you drive any time in the next 24 hours, you are a murderer who should get the death penalty. \ Yes. MADD has actually done more harm than good with their “zOMG half a sip of Merlot makes you a baby murderer!” hysteria. Somehow their focus has shifted from stopping impaired drivers from harming people to stamping out normal behaviors altogether. No wonder their founder cut ties with the organization, labeling them as a band of neo-prohibitionists, and actually worked _against_ their efforts to dwindle the legal BAC down to zero. Shouldn’t we stop this “No one is allowed to have a beer at the baseball game” lunacy and start with the “Hey, let’s go after people who are actually impaired while driving”? > [@aceplace57](#): > > I said never in the poll. The wording implied yes meant to excess. I haven’t risked driving intoxicated since I was a teenager thirty years ago. Huh. I put sometimes in the poll because I didn’t think the wording implied anything other than what it said. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/52 "2011-11-15T16:11:45Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > \ Yes. MADD has actually done more harm than good with their “zOMG half a sip of Merlot makes you a baby murderer!” hysteria. Somehow their focus has shifted from stopping impaired drivers from harming people to stamping out normal behaviors altogether. No wonder their founder cut ties with the organization, labeling them as a band of neo-prohibitionists, and actually worked _against_ their efforts to dwindle the legal BAC down to zero. Yeah, especially because then people have one drink, are fine, and think “If MADD is wrong about this, what else are they wrong about?” When your message is all hysteria, no one listens. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/53 "2011-11-15T16:21:56Z")
I did a lot when i was young, not anymore though. I feel bad about it sometimes, but at least i can tell myself i drove a lot worse when i was sober back then. ---
**Author:** ![FrancisCastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@FrancisCastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrancisCastle)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/54 "2011-11-15T16:30:24Z")
I used to drive “buzzed” fairly frequently in my mid 20s, until I got pulled over for a DUI. Spending the night in jail, losing my license for 6 months and paying a large fine was more than enough of a deterrent for me to never drink and drive again. I don’t see a problem with having a beer with dinner though. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/55 "2011-11-15T16:41:14Z")
Sure, used to drink a beer or two while driving, never had any trouble. I know driving is a very serious business but this was me alone driving on deserted roads, I was maybe getting buzzed but not swerving or running off the road. No harm done to anyone and I lived to tell about it. Several of my friends had parents that routinely went out for a drive after dinner, mixed drinks in hand. I guess it’s just a relaxing thing to do. Trouble is some people don’t know their limits and drive when they are blind drunk. That has led to very little tolerance so you better hope when you get in an accident that you don’t happen to have been drinking. So no more drink and drive for me. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/56 "2011-11-15T16:55:48Z")
When not pregnant, I’ll have one drink with dinner and feel comfortable driving, but that’s it. One glass of wine over a 2 hour dinner, and I seriously doubt there’s a significant amount of alcohol left in my system. My standard designated driver system for parties is that I’ll have one drink at the beginning, then switch to non-alcoholic stuff for the rest of the evening, because there’s no freaking way I’m impaired four hours after having one drink. If I’m going to be somewhere all day (a festival or a day at someone’s house), I might have two at the beginning of the day. That way, even halving the old saw that you can metabolize a drink an hour, I’m easily in the clear. If I were even close to feeling “buzzed,” I wouldn’t even think about driving. Now I’m not drinking at all, so it doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/57 "2011-11-16T03:05:28Z")
Dropping back in to clarify that I interpreted “drink and drive” in the OP as drinking to the point of being impaired, or over the legal limit wherever one lives. I most certainly have had a glass or two (two is my limit if I know I’m going to drive) of wine while dining out or at a get-together, then driven home on occasion. But haven’t been actually drunk, legally over the limit AFAIK, or even mildly buzzed, while driving in at least two decades. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/58 "2011-11-16T03:36:46Z")
I have a low tolerance for alcohol so I don’t drink much but I do drive after drinking. I’ve been pulled over and tested so I know my self imposed limitations are below any limit that shows impairment. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/59 "2011-11-16T04:06:02Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > I neither drive, nor drink enough to be over the legal limit, so chose other. Though I don’t think you’re stupid, I’m an extreme outlier in not knowing how to drive. You’re not as much an outlier as you might think. I’ve never had my driver’s license and I’m 32. If I drink, it’s hardly ever more than four drinks. I almost voted never, but voted other because of my non-driving status. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977/60 "2011-11-16T04:48:47Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > I’ll put my hand up and say that I drink and drive. > > Not hammered, but absolutely over the limit where I live. > > How do I justify this? > > 1. It’s very late at night and I will see only a handful of cars during the entire drive. > 2. I am acutely aware of my condition and drive very conservatively. > 3. It is a very short distance. Not more than 4 kim. > 4. Again, I am not hammered, merely ‘buzzed’ > > Why do I do it? Very inconvenient to find alternative arrangements. Does paying $9 for a cab qualify as “very inconvenient”. My old roommate used to pay several times that to avoid driving home. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-drink-and-drive/602977.md?page=4)