# In your opinion, is it ok for the POTUS to get drunk? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 23, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413 "2014-11-23T17:51:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/1 "2014-11-23T17:51:19Z")
Not like frat boy shit faced drunk, but drunk. Oh, and not Just Obama but any POTUS present or future. For the purpose of the poll, let’s say that said Presient would only do so on very rare occasions, like maybe once or twice a year on holiday or something. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/2 "2014-11-23T19:04:58Z")
Are we talking “Dude, let’s go egg the capitol building and moon the Speaker of the House” drunk? If the President took, or failed to take, any action drunk that he wouldn’t have done sober, he’d (perhaps rightly) catch hell from the press and his political opponents. Thus, I don’t think a President should drink so much that there’s any risk of that happening. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/3 "2014-11-23T19:16:11Z")
Supposedly, both Johnson and Nixon got into the bottle pretty heavily while in the Whit House. I think their successors have been a bit less inclined to do so. _Gratuitous Betty Ford remark omitted._ ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/4 "2014-11-23T19:22:25Z")
Wait until you’re out of office. Then, I don’t care. But while you’re POTUS, you’re on call 24/7. Nothing more than two drinks in a sitting. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/5 "2014-11-23T20:30:18Z")
I agree with **bup**. The presidency is a 24/7 job, and IMO it’s best to only get drunk when you don’t have to do anything responsible for the next little while. I feel like I’m not at 100% sharpness the next day after getting drunk, even after any headache has passed. A drink or two at a state dinner or somesuch should be fine, though. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/6 "2014-11-23T20:37:19Z")
I have no problem with it. I don’t think there’s much that couldn’t be done by a department head or West Wing employee while the prez sobered up. That being said, he shouldn’t be blackout drunk or throwing-up drunk ever, as any responsible adult shouldn’t be (and I say that as an adult who _has_ been throwing-up drunk within the past five years. Not something I’m proud of, or will probably do again). ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/7 "2014-11-23T21:22:19Z")
I don’t have any particular problem with it morally etc but for someone who might be called upon to make incredibly weighty decisions at short notice (I’m thinking of breaking open the nuclear football or reacting to 9/11 style event) it would probably better that he kept a clear head. Then again Yeltsin managed to not annihilate us all during the Norweigan Rocket Incident so maybe there’s something to be said for being a little tipsy on occassion…or all the time… ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/8 "2014-11-23T21:47:34Z")
Define terms. If the prez had a glass of wine with dinner, or a glass of champagne at a wedding, he would likely have enough blood alcohol for a couple of hours to lose his drivers license in Sweden. Is that “drunk”? However, given that the red phone could ring right after that fatal glass of beer, it is probably better if he not imibe. I think President Grant was probably pretty stiff through quite a bit of his administration. Temperance was not widely practiced before the 20th century, and a tee-totalling president would have been an exception. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/9 "2014-11-23T21:59:27Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Define terms. If the prez had a glass of wine with dinner, or a glass of champagne at a wedding, he would likely have enough blood alcohol for a couple of hours to lose his drivers license in Sweden. Is that “drunk”? > > However, given that the red phone could ring right after that fatal glass of beer, it is probably better if he not imibe. I think President Grant was probably pretty stiff through quite a bit of his administration. Temperance was not widely practiced before the 20th century, and a tee-totalling president would have been an exception. I think **Shakes** defined it well enough. > [@](#): > > Not like frat boy shit faced drunk, but drunk. I read that as somewhat impaired, maybe goofy and loopy, but not trashed. I voted for OK, once or twice a year. And only in private - not around staffers, press, other heads of state, etc. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/10 "2014-11-23T22:03:28Z")
God knows he/she is going to give us enough reasons to get drunk, so Hell yeah! The fights with his wife, nookie on the side, and general frat boy behavior were the ONLY parts of the Billery years I really loved and respected. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/11 "2014-11-23T22:06:40Z")
As long as he doesn’t think it would be the most _hilarious_ thing and Joe would _love_ it if he nuked Moscow, sure. Presidents are only human, and while yeah, getting drunk isn’t great, every once in a blue moon isn’t going to tear apart the nation. Plus, it probably relieves some of the stress of being in office, at least for a brief time. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/12 "2014-11-23T22:16:30Z")
No, I’m thinking he should never get drunk. An extra glass of wine or something here and there maybe, but otherwise sober. Same goes for Congress. (Ha! I kill me.) ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/13 "2014-11-23T22:30:23Z")
If he’s drunk then the VP should be the sober sister. Give Biden something to do, although I think he’d be more fun to party with than Obama. And a few decades ago, Presidents like Johnson were constantly trashed. Ideally, they should drink much while doing work, but when Bush was was clearing brush on the ranch I hope he was allowed to have a few Shiner Bocks. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/14 "2014-11-23T23:28:17Z")
Biden says he doesn’t drink, due to a family history of alcoholism. If that’s true, I guess that means you actually don’t need alcohol to have a good time, because he’s clearly enjoying his life more than Obama. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/15 "2014-11-23T23:52:46Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Biden says he doesn’t drink, due to a family history of alcoholism. If that’s true, I guess that means you actually don’t need alcohol to have a good time, because he’s clearly enjoying his life more than Obama. Spoilsport! The Onion headlines write themselves: “Biden gives up all brown liquors.” Or “Biden: ‘I Need to Cut Back,’ switches to Coors Light.” ---
**Author:** ![Waymore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Waymore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waymore)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/16 "2014-11-24T03:25:15Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Spoilsport! > > The Onion headlines write themselves: “Biden gives up all brown liquors.” Or “Biden: ‘I Need to Cut Back,’ switches to Coors Light.” I think the way The Onion has characterized Biden has been consistently hilarious. Wasn’t he in a cognac commercial in one article? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/17 "2014-11-24T04:58:38Z")
A mild buzz, something a surge of adrenaline could dissipate in seconds, is OK. Otherwise, no, the Prez has to be ready for emergencies. After his Presidency, he should be legally allowed to get drunk, toke up, screw whores and gallivant around naked on the front lawn if he wants to. He has served his country, cut him some slack. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/18 "2014-11-24T05:10:01Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > **A mild buzz, something a surge of adrenaline could dissipate in seconds, is OK.** Otherwise, no, the Prez has to be ready for emergencies. After his Presidency, he should be legally allowed to get drunk, toke up, screw whores and gallivant around naked on the front lawn if he wants to. He has served his country, cut him some slack. See, this is why we need to go to space, so the Ferengi can give us synthehol. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/19 "2014-11-24T12:20:35Z")
I vote, unless he’s in public and negligent of his duties, on his own time he can get drunk if he wants. If the VP can step in should he become ill, the same should apply if unforeseen disaster were to strike while the president is drunk. Drunk while in office, representing us publicly etc, no. But on his off hours? In his own home? In private? I don’t see why not. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413/20 "2014-11-24T12:49:50Z")
I’m totally on board with the president enjoying intoxicating substances as (s)he sees fit. Maybe not in a _Leaving Las Vegas_ way. It would actually be a breath of fresh air to hear the POTUS say “Fuck that noise” to a reporter’s question. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-is-it-ok-for-the-potus-to-get-drunk/705413.md?page=2)