Drink Driving - Going to AA?

dublinshane

I was caught for drink driving a couple of weeks ago. I wasn’t going far and wasn’t drunk or anything but was over the limit and got stopped. It’s not normally something I do but I did it and am going to court in the New Year.

With all the talk about this at the moment I know the courts are taking all this much more seriously than they used to. Years ago I probably would have been under the limit but I know that’s not the point.

I know I will get the mandatory ban and maybe longer than that – only have a provisional license – and a fine but I am on a suspended sentence so could end up back in jail. So getting caught for me is definitely worse than it is for most people but that’s another story.

This is my first drink driving offence and I know you don’t usually get jail for that but because the previous charge was a drink related assault they could link the two.

What my solicitor has said is to sign up for AA and that this would stand to me in court. Now I don’t consider myself an alcoholic one bit – yeah I like to drink and would drink a fair bit at the weekends – but no more than other people my age. I would do anything to make things look good in court – but going to AA just seems crazy.

Does anybody know anything about AA and if it is just for alcoholics and if it would be good in this case or are there any other courses that might be better? I just want to be doing something like that when I have to go to court so that it looks that I am trying to change things?

I know I was stupid to do what I did and after getting things back on track – working again and have a great girlfriend. I haven’t told her or my folks about this yet and won’t until after Christmas as I know they are going to be really pissed off at me for messing up again.

Any info on AA/other courses would be great.

Faith

http://www.alcoholicsanonymous.ie/opencontent/default.asp

Tbh, you've now found yourself in court twice for an alcohol related incident. The last one resulted in your imprisonment. Most people never end up in court, never mind twice, and certainly never mind for problems stemming from the same thing (alcohol).

I think that you would want to have a serious think about the way alcohol affects you. I don't know all the details of your previous offence, but I think it caused you to become violent. This time, you drove under the influence and risked killing yourself and innocent others. This isn't normal behaviour.

Perhaps your not an alcoholic, but alcohol clearly causes you to behave in unacceptable ways. Yes, I think you should go to AA. Not only because it will make you look "good" in court, but also for your own sake.

Considering your past, I would strongly suggest giving up alcohol for good.

jhegarty

dublinshane wrote:

What my solicitor has said is to sign up for AA and that this would stand to me in court. Now I don’t consider myself an alcoholic one bit – yeah I like to drink and would drink a fair bit at the weekends – but no more than other people my age. I would do anything to make things look good in court – but going to AA just seems crazy.

Go, the worst that will happen is you waist a night... but to me (and I don't know you) it might do you a lot more good than just looking good in court...

seamus

There's a misconception in this country that to be an alcoholic, you need to drink 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That's the traditional pisshead, but it's far from what constitutes an alcoholic.

A alcoholic is someone who allows their alcohol consumption to affect their day-to-day life. Now, I'm not telling you that you're an alcoholic. That's for you to decide. However, your alcohol consumption is clearly affecting your ability to lead a normal life.

Going to AA is not admitting defeat or admitting that you have a problem. But it can't do any harm to go for just one session. You may be surprised.

Anti

If you wanna get a suspended scentance just go to AA, stop drinking completly. And do some charity work. even make a donation from yoru own money to a road death charity. But most of all. Are you a shagging idiot ? you should be old enough to know not to drink and drive at all. Do the constant radio tv and newspaper adverts not get through to you ? Christ i wouldnt even drive the next day if i was on the lash. Let alone drive after even 1 pint.

In my oppinion you will get what you deserve. Drinking and driving is wreckless and ****ing stupid. Enjoy the time you spend on the bus/train on the way into work now, and use that time to think what a twat you have been.

Anyway, best of luck in court.....And jail.

astrofool

you
have
an
alcohol
problem

easyontheeye

maybe the class will show you how much off a thoughtless c*nt you really are!
sorry bout the strong post but I have been on the receiving end of mindless drivers like you!

LegacyUser

'how stupid are you????
mindless, selfish b@stard!!!! people like you make me sick. you deserve what you get and more. then maybe you might learn to respect other people and their right not to be injured or killed by people like you!!!!!!
absolutely no pity for you!!!'

latenia

dublinshane wrote:

I would do anything to make things look good in court .................

..........I just want to be doing something like that when I have to go to court so that it looks that I am trying to change things?

So you just want to know the best way to manipulate the legal system or maybe tug a few heart strings without actually doing anything? In fact in what way is this a personal issue? One would think that your previous experience would have given you some cop-on. You have already interfered with someone's life (although you never said so, I presume there was a violent assault involved) and in drink-driving you could so easily have destroyed many more.

And yet your first instinct on both these occasions is to come here seeking pity.

I would advise you to see a psychiatrist.

If you don't think you need to go to AA then just give up booze immediately and permanently.

rossious

dublinshane wrote:

I wasn’t going far and wasn’t drunk or anything

I wonder how many times that has been said after an accident where people have been killed? :mad:

Victor

against_DUI wrote:

'how stupid are you????
mindless, selfish b@stard!!!! people like you make me sick. you deserve what you get and more. then maybe you might learn to respect other people and their right not to be injured or killed by people like you!!!!!!
absolutely no pity for you!!!'

Without getting into the subject at hand, but if you feel like insulting someone, at least do it under your own name.

DAVE_K

I don't think you're looking for pity. What you did was mindless and stupid alright but whilst not right it's not uncommon. The big thing is that you were lucky and nobody got hurt - you can make amends by not doing it again - ever.
Go to an AA meeting, listen to what goes on there and see if you can identify with it - you don't have to be a full blown alcoholic to be there. The only requirement is the desire to stop drinking. There's plenty of young people down there who may have just seen their weekend benders going too far and decided it was time to call it a day before something really bad happened.
If you hadn't been lucky in the car and had had an accident maybe you'd feel differently about it now.
I've been in a similar scenario to you (i wasn't caught drunk driving) in that sh1t happened to me that wasn't too bad at first, and i thought to myself - maybe best to hit the booze on the head, did it for a couple of weeks, then thought f*ck it and started drinking again, sometime later, worse sh1t happened and I went through the same stuff again, and so on the cycle continued until the sh1t got worse and worse. All the whilst going to myself - "hey i don't have a drink problem, sure I don't drink all week, I have a successful job, go to the gym, etc, etc". It could be said you have a drink problem once drink starts causing you problems.
Anyway it's you call - there's an AA helpline for Ireland - you could always call that, find out where there's a meeting close to you and go down and see what you think....as said above worse case scenario is you've lost an evening.

Carrigart Exile

Don't abuse the great people at AA just to get a light sentence. But, maybe this is an opportunity for you to relook at your life.

Hagar

Victor wrote:

Without getting into the subject at hand, but if you feel like insulting someone, at least do it under your own name.

It's probably fair comment given the likely consequence of drink driving. Maybe angry, harsh, not what the OP wanted to hear, but on the money.

If it's an unregged poster someone must have approved it.


Go to the AA but not just to get off the charge. Anyone that gets in trouble repeatedly with the law for drink related offences is either already out of control or heading that way. You need some help, take it before it's too late. Good luck with the court case, this may be a turning point in your life. If you get a second chance don't waste it.

Victor

Hagar wrote:

If it's an unregged poster someone must have approved it.

Yes, I did. I wouldn't have been able to complain (meaningfully) if it wasn't publicly visible.

Hagar

But... but.. but.. if you didn't allow it then there would be no cause to complain about it???
My headaches are coming back...

You're not my wife by any chance? Blonde, 5'2", blue eyes, lovely smile?

Nevyn

Hagar if you have an issue like that take it up via pm with the mod or in feedback it is off topic here; , unhelpful and off-topic posting will get you banned from this forum.
Do take time to read the charter which contains the rules and abide by them.
Have a nice day.
Thaedydal

Hagar

Responded via PM.

BuffyBot

latenia wrote:

So you just want to know the best way to manipulate the legal system or maybe tug a few heart strings without actually doing anything? In fact in what way is this a personal issue? One would think that your previous experience would have given you some cop-on. You have already interfered with someone's life (although you never said so, I presume there was a violent assault involved) and in drink-driving you could so easily have destroyed many more.

Probably as bang on the money as it gets. It appears you certainly have issues, but unless you have some intention to change (and, giving your transgressing again, it's hard to believe), using AA for your own ends is just rather selfish.

Kolodny

seamus wrote:

A alcoholic is someone who allows their alcohol consumption to affect their day-to-day life. Now, I'm not telling you that you're an alcoholic. That's for you to decide. However, your alcohol consumption is clearly affecting your ability to lead a normal life.

Agreed.

@dublinshane - you've had 2 serious incidents now where the common factor has been alcohol consumption. AA don't just deal with your 'stereotypical' alcoholic i.e. you won't go into a meeting to find a room full of red-faced roaring drunks. You'll most likely see some people like you, who like a few drinks at the weekend, some of whom get judgement impaired enough to cause serious harm to themselves and those around them. There are many different ways to define a 'drink problem' and I'm sorry, but I'd take the view that someone who gets arrested after a drinking session has one.

Yes, of course attending AA will show a judge that you're making an effort, but you certainly shouldn't just do it for show - do you not think you'd benefit from trying to find out why you act recklessly when drinking and learning how keeping it under control, better still cut it out altogether? This doesn't mean you'll be labelled as a chronic alcoholic. Surely you'd rather that than risk a third incident on your conscience, possibly going back to jail and letting down everyone important to you (again)?

Nevyn

Many people first come to the AA in many ways.

Many of them are in denail of the fact they abuse alchol in the first place and of the effect it has had on thier lives and the people in thier lives
and it is only after they are forced to attend or in some cases their attendance is court mandated they go.

dublinshane I think you should go for what ever the reasons are now and maybe you will benefit from it in ways you don't expect.

Miguel_Sanchez

Learn to drink less you tool. Hopefully you'll get a sentence befitting your crime.

You're clearly unable to judge how much is your limit. Assault? Drink-driving? I'm guessing you're still young because you obviously don't have much ability to handle drink or to learn when to stop drinking.

cournioni

First of all, fair play for coming on here as a registered user of this forum. It can't be easy to put yourself up for some hard hitting comments on here but I think you know yourself that you deserve some of them.

Now to my point, I think what alot of the people on here have said is absolutely spot on. You should definately go to the AA, as drinking is obviously having an effect on your life. You may say that it was only one drink, but think about it you are going to lose a years driving and possibly end up serving some time in the worst case. All over this one essential drink?! Think about it Shane.

Drink may be good for social situations, but when it starts to to effect your life outside of these social situations that is when you know that you have a problem. Drink is not essential. The sooner you realise this the better off you'll be.

HelterSkelter

dublinshane wrote:

Now I don’t consider myself an alcoholic one bit – yeah I like to drink and would drink a fair bit at the weekends – but no more than other people my age.

Hi Shane,

You don't have to be drinking 24/7 to be an alcoholic. If it is having a negative effect on your life and causing you do to stuff you wouldn't normally do then you already have an alcohol problem. You say that you drink no more than other people your age but I think that a very high percentage of young people are alcoholics so there is no poing in comparing your drinking habits to that of others. I have a family member in AA and he said the number of young people coming to meetings with serious alcohol problems is really increasing.

Anyway, have a look at this, some questions to ponder and help you decide if you do have a problem:

http://www.alcoholicsanonymous.ie/page5.html

greine

I am disappointed that there are ways to soften up the judge in a case like this. You have previous record, you deserve to be punished, you should count yourself lucky that you didn't hurt anyone when you got behind that wheel! If alcohol has this effect on you, don't drink! Stop feeling sorry for yourself, cop the f**k on, grow up and take responsibility, you might finally get the message if the judge is tough on you (I hope he will be), you might even thank him later!:mad:

Dragan

Shane my friend, I love seeing your posts. They are filled with a sense of denial and a refusal to take responsibility for your actions that just amazes me everytime. You went to jail because "the bouncers let you fight in the street" and now your in court because what, that law is too harsh now?

I would happily echo the sentiments of a previous poster but feel that it would be a waste of time.

I will simply ask this, next time you have a few drinks and want to do something silly, then don't? You will save yourself a lot of trouble. I suggest you go to AA and pay close attention to the people there. All will have some kind of weight on their shoulders because they too refused to accept responsibility when they needed to.

Maybe you can learn something.

Gone West

Carrigart Exile wrote:

Don't abuse the great people at AA just to get a light sentence.

Yep, you do deserve some jail time for this.
Otherwise you will end up doing something similar again.

HelterSkelter

FuzzyLogic wrote:

Yep, you do deserve some jail time for this.
Otherwise you will end up doing something similar again.

Will you cop on. Do you think everyone who is caught drink driving should go to jail? 374 people were caught in the first week of December, 396 the week before that (http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1207/drinkdriving.html). Should all these people be in jail? I am not excusing the crime but going to jail is not the correct punishment for this.

humanji

HelterSkelter wrote:

Will you cop on. Do you think everyone who is caught drink driving should go to jail? 374 people were caught in the first week of December, 396 the week before that (http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1207/drinkdriving.html). Should all these people be in jail? I am not excusing the crime but going to jail is not the correct punishment for this.

In fairness, the OP has a drink problem, but instead of wanted to get help, he wants a way out of going to jail. Screw him, if he goes away for a nice long period, it might teach him something, or at the very least keep him away from the rest of us.

DAVE_K

the OPs got problems - sending him to jail isn't going to fix anything - it rarely does anything except turn criminals into bigger criminals.
Fines, a ban from driving and if any punishment were to be forced on him - a STACK of hours doing community service would be much better......in that way he can make amends to the community that he let down by assault and drink driving

tbh

I'd echo what Dragan said. Shane, with respect, if I'd been sent to prison for something I did drunk, I'd never drink again. Not only are you drinking again, you're drinking and driving. The judge will judge you by your actions, not your words - which just seem hollow.

Ideo

OP i read your whole original post titled 'Advice Needed - May Be Going to Prison ' and tbh i felt somewhat sympathetic towards yourself. having read this post however and especially your original statement in which you more or less said you're considering AA to excape conviction you have definitely crushed that sympathy. while i am not here to judge, i feel that your first offence was quite serious and while the was drink involved you were given a sentence to punish you for that crime. the punishment showed you the consequences of your actions and for most this would straighten you out. having committed the second offence however you clearly haven't appreciated your time in prison and the cause of that jail term.

'I just want to be doing something like that when I have to go to court so that it looks that I am trying to change things?' - you clearly havent changed and have no intention of changing by the sounds of things so you fully deserve the sentence coming to you. in my opinion AA will do you no good, nor will giving money to charity or your time for that matter. if you go to prison again, and on a more personal note i think you deserve to be sent to prison, i hope you will further consider the consequences of your actions. you clearly havent learned your lesson in the first place. and furthermore if i were you i would consider going to AA not to escape conviction but to help you overcome your alcohol problem. two serious offences which were both alcohol related should highlight the fact that you do indeed have an alcohol problem. good day

kindle

FuzzyLogic wrote:

Yep, you do deserve some jail time for this.
Otherwise you will end up doing something similar again.

In fairness with a drink driving conviction on a provisional license its unlikely that the OP is going to be behind the wheel for a while...12 month ban, 5 year endorsement and unaffordable insurance (for at least 6 years is not for life)......

OP AA is not something you do to stop you going to jail...think you need to rethink your priorites.esp around drink...

BeardyGit

Shane,

Anyone who thinks you're going to learn anything other than how to be more deceitful from these experiences is sadly mistaken.

You beat someone up while drunk before, badly enough to end up locked up for it. Like many others here in P.I. I followed your thread with interest and hoped you'd come out the other side of the experience as a better person. It's shocking to now find you'd learned NOTHING from the experience - certainly not how to respect innocent members of the public. If you had done so, you would never have got behind the wheel of a car after having even a swift half.

I'm sorry to say this Shane but I hope you get sent down again - You're a timewaster, a liar and a criminal and I'd hope for no less than jail time for you and anyone else caught drinking and driving....

Gil

hairyfairy00

I think the judge should send you to visit an Intensive Care Unit and see some people who have been critically injured by drunk drivers or even to visit a morgue.....
Maybe then you could realise that your actions are stupid and selfish, it's time you grew up.

ats

HelterSkelter wrote:

Will you cop on. Do you think everyone who is caught drink driving should go to jail? 374 people were caught in the first week of December, 396 the week before that Should all these people be in jail? I am not excusing the crime but going to jail is not the correct punishment for this.

in a word Yes. so what a slap on teh wrist and a fine and a few penilty points will solve it? like fuk it will. the fact that sentences are lenient or theer are loop holes are excatly why we have almost 800 people in 2 weeks DUI, i wonder how many of those are reoffenders? the way i see it no one forced them to get behind the wheel it was premeditated. they went the pub in the car, they bought a pint. no one held them at gun point and said "take the car, right now have 10 pints" or what ever they had. premeditation is teh difference between murder and manslaughter. so lets assume that a person DUI kills someone do you thing they should go down for DUI causing death or murder? teh way i see it murder. there was nothing accidental about them being behind teh wheel, it didn't just happen they decided to go out in teh car, they dedcided to drink they decided to drive all premeditated. leave teh car at hoem if ya want to drink simple as.

any vehicle has the potential to cause serious harm when the driver is sober, but when they decide to drive coz "sure i'm only going down the road" well tell that to the family whos son/daughter/father/mother etc has been seriosuly injured or killed by these idiots. publicly flog them thats what I say. yeah i know i may be a bit harsh here but i've lost loved ones to people like this.

and as for using the good people at the AA to get you out of court, hopefully the judge will look at his record. sure thats like claiming to have cleptomania when caught burglarising someones house,.

heres how i hope it goes down.

Judge: Ok one conviction for alcohiol related violence. did you seek help from eth AA after this incident?

Shane: no your honour i didn't but I am now.

judge: right so only after facing a second conviction will you seek help. eh right feck off with ya, Guard dont forget to loose the key after ya lock him up

shane you deserve everything that you get IMO, the more people like you get caught and banged up the better. Cant believe you had the audacity to even consider using the people of eth AA or any charity to keep you out of teh prison cell you so rightfully deserve. why not face up to what you've done like a man instead of wasting AAs resources that could go toward helping someone that genuinly wants/needs help coz drink is ruining their lives and not coz they want a lighter sentance.

dublinshane

Thanks for some of the helpful posts. Last time I posted on here I got some decent advise so I thought I would post here again. I knew i would get some flak but I'm used to that after the last time.

HelterSkelter wrote:

Will you cop on. Do you think everyone who is caught drink driving should go to jail? 374 people were caught in the first week of December, 396 the week before that (http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1207/drinkdriving.html). Should all these people be in jail? I am not excusing the crime but going to jail is not the correct punishment for this.

I didn't realise that that many people were caught - there's alot of people in the same situation as me so. Having looked at some other links you'd be amazed at the number of people who have been caught for this - ex leader of a political party, a weather presenter etc.

I sort of agree with some of you in that I do feel like a bit of a fraud in going to AA. Since all that happened about 2 years ago I really have sorted myself out drinkwise and really don't drink that much. That's why it feels strange thinking about going but I am a normal person who would do whatever it takes to not end up back in prison - it seems even worse now with all that has happened over the past months. Wouldn't everybody in this situation do the same? I will go anyway just after Christmas - read the links on it.

I've always tended to do some things on the spur of the moment and this is another one of those things. I'm not stupid and know I shouldn't have done it but loads do. I wasn't much over the limit anyway - I only ended up driving because my mate had alot more than me.

I know I'm going to get a ban and restrictions, a fine and as somebody said I don't know what any insurance will be in the future - this type of thing will cost me alot. I know that with a record I'll get a worse punishment than most and maybe the worst. The weird thing is that only a few months ago this would never had happened - before the random testing began. I just got caught up in that and the result is much worse than me.

Just to say as well that I've read what people have said about people being hurt by people who are drunk when driving and I do feel really sorry for them. It makes me think alot more when the stuff is aimed at me rather than just in general. I wasn't drunk when driving but was over the limit and I shouldn't have been. I know that.

BeardyGit

dublinshane wrote:

Thanks for some of the helpful posts. Last time I posted on here I got some decent advise so I thought I would post here again. I knew i would get some flak but I'm used to that after the last time.

Don't discount all your critics in life. Many are the type of people you should strive to become - Decent law abiding citizens who want only the best things for each other.

dublinshane wrote:

I didn't realise that that many people were caught - there's alot of people in the same situation as me so. Having looked at some other links you'd be amazed at the number of people who have been caught for this - ex leader of a political party, a weather presenter etc.

So what? I'm not in the least bit surprised. All around this nation of ours we'll find assholes with no respect for the law and less respect for my safety. The fact they are found in various professions means nothing. So what's your point?

dublinshane wrote:

I sort of agree with some of you in that I do feel like a bit of a fraud in going to AA. Since all that happened about 2 years ago I really have sorted myself out drinkwise and really don't drink that much. That's why it feels strange thinking about going but I am a normal person who would do whatever it takes to not end up back in prison - it seems even worse now with all that has happened over the past months. Wouldn't everybody in this situation do the same? I will go anyway just after Christmas - read the links on it.

Yeah, you are a fraud. And a liar. Like a rat caught in a flooding sewer, you'll do anything to get away from the trouble you're in....

dublinshane wrote:

I've always tended to do some things on the spur of the moment and this is another one of those things. I'm not stupid and know I shouldn't have done it but loads do. I wasn't much over the limit anyway - I only ended up driving because my mate had alot more than me.

There it is again - The 'loads do it' bullsh1t excuse. I'm not surprised you use it.... Any way out, eh?

dublinshane wrote:

I know I'm going to get a ban and restrictions, a fine and as somebody said I don't know what any insurance will be in the future - this type of thing will cost me alot. I know that with a record I'll get a worse punishment than most and maybe the worst. The weird thing is that only a few months ago this would never had happened - before the random testing began. I just got caught up in that and the result is much worse than me.

Yeah - The great thing is that it's not a few months back. The great thing is that scumbags who drink and drive will start to pay a price. Lies and excuses aside, I hope each and every one of them pays a hefty price.

dublinshane wrote:

Just to say as well that I've read what people have said about people being hurt by people who are drunk when driving and I do feel really sorry for them. It makes me think alot more when the stuff is aimed at me rather than just in general. I wasn't drunk when driving but was over the limit and I shouldn't have been. I know that.

Excuses. Nothing but bullsh1t to make people feel sorry for poor oul' Shane. Sure isn't he a good lad at heart after all.....

Shane - You're full of it - Spewing out the rubbish you think people need to hear so they'll cut you some slack and help you feel good about yourself.

You know what you've done and you wouldn't have thought twice about doing it again if you hadn't been caught. Well, I'm glad you were and I hope you pay the price.

ats

dublinshane wrote:

I sort of agree with some of you in that I do feel like a bit of a fraud in going to AA. Since all that happened about 2 years ago I really have sorted myself out drink wise and really don't drink that much. That's why it feels strange thinking about going but I am a normal person who would do whatever it takes to not end up back in prison - it seems even worse now with all that has happened over the past months. Wouldn't everybody in this situation do the same? I will go anyway just after Christmas .

How can you possibly say you sorted your self out drink wise you just got caught DUI.
If you where that committed to sorting your self out and not using the AA as a smoke screen in the courts you would go before the holidays.

dublinshane wrote:

I've always tended to do some things on the spur of the moment and this is another one of those things. I'm not stupid and know I shouldn't have done it but loads do. I wasn't much over the limit anyway - I only ended up driving because my mate had a lot more than me..

oh well that makes it all right then doesn’t it! Here’s a novel idea get, a cab, or walk. Given your username then access to a taxi, bus, night link or even walking home while leaving the car in the car park would have been an option. Pity ya didn’t think of those. Was it too cold for ya or something?

dublinshane wrote:

The weird thing is that only a few months ago this would never had happened - before the random testing began. I just got caught up in that and the result is much worse than me..

Whys that coz they wouldn’t have been out testing or you wouldn’t have been stupid enough to have been DUI? I have a funny feeling it’s a case of the former and not the latter here.

dublinshane wrote:

It makes me think alot more when the stuff is aimed at me rather than just in general. I wasn't drunk when driving but was over the limit and I shouldn't have been. I know that.

Define drunk? It’s a real pity you didn’t think before you stuck the keys in the ignition. The fact remains you where under the influence and should not have gotten behind the wheel of a car. Ya better learn how to duck coz I hope they throw the book at ya.

And I’ll come down off the pulpit now.

I personally hate anyone that tried to give an excuse for being behind the while with any alcohol in their system. I have lost a loved one coz of an idiot like that, hence my harsh tone. And they said exactly the same as you “I wasn’t drunk, I only had one or two”


Shane I hope to God you learn a valuable lesson. You’ve already been banged up once man, that in itself is going to hinder your life in relation to future employment. Now you face a second possible conviction.

My advice go to the first AA meeting you can before the holidays even if its over the other side of the city, it will in my opinion show you in a better light. Look at it from a judge’s point of view. You wait til after the New Year to enter the program. This can mean 2 things. 1) you wanted to party over the holidays or 2) there was no meetings close to you that you could attend. With your previous conviction the judge may lean toward the first option and see your AA enrollment as the smoke screen it is intended to be.

But if you actually contacted AA today and maybe even enrolled in a program today, or at least can show you where actively trying to enter a program by having contacted your local AA branch, and them maybe offer to help out with the Simon Community or some other charity over the holidays instead of spending it in the pub or possibly being DUI again that may actually look good for you because it shows actual remorse, it shows you are active in sorting yourself out.

Use this as an opportunity to sort your life out. As other said having an Alcohol problem does not mean you spend every minute in a bottle that is an extreme version. I myself faced what I considered an alcohol problem 10 years ago. At the tender age of 20 I went to a pub, drank more than of a liter of JD, about 10 pints and a couple of shots of schnapps and while drunk was not to the point of blacking out or not remembering what I had done. The opposite in fact I had a clear recollection of the night, at the time I considered myself to be fairly sober though in hind sight was as pissed as a fart. The next day I vowed to stop drinking. About 4 months later I suffered with trembling and shaking all over. I went to the local hospital in France where I lived and they found nothing wrong until a full blood work up was done including liver function and thyroid gland tests. Turns out at 20 I had the liver of someone in their early 40s. the shakes? I was going through cold turkey. To this day I don’t drink and I’m in my mid 30s because the amount of alcohol I consumed that night scared the life out of me (not to mention my bank balance).

Talliesin

The best thing about banging your head against a wall is that it feels better when you stop.

Unfortunately:

1. You are invested in not admitting that you are banging your head against the wall. "Oh, another one of those flying walls. I got hit by one of those just a minute ago. I have such bad luck".
2. One of us could suffer a fatal head injury due to your stupidity. Indeed, maybe you should take up literally headbutting walls instead.

It's always good to do the "which is more likely".

Is it more likely that:

1. Being "a little" over the limit really is a bad thing, considering that a fraction of the limit seriously impairs your ability to drive.
2. Your being caught doing something stupid twice is due to you having a problem.
3. You should seek help in dealing with your problem.
4. It doesn't matter a damn what other idiots share your idiocy. Come on, if weather presenter is the best you can do as an example of someone respected you're stretching things pretty far.

Or:

1. You are the one person on this planet who isn't fooling themselves when they say they are capable of driving at or around the alcohol limit.
2. You've had really bad luck.

Unfortunately you may be so far invested in lying to yourself about this that you can't see that the second is as likely to prove true as that drunk-ass politician you mentioned being done for drunk driving was to keep every election promise.

Bill Andrex

I remember the first incident you posted about fairly well so I am not going to criticise you here.

In my opinion for some people alcohol just doesn't suit them. It doesn't mean they are alcoholics but for some it does seem to effect their normal personality & behavior negatively from my own experience.

I would suggest that you should perhaps try avoiding alcohol and going to AA could be quite a positive step. Certainly I think if I was in your boots that I would at least go along to a couple of sessions to try and find out more about them & there is a good chance that you will be able to get some good help and support.

I hope you manage to get your life sorted and back on track & I am sure the Irish Courts system will deal with you fair and honestly.

Mighty_Mouse

If ever there was a case for having an IQ test for a driving licence.

LegacyUser

'It absolutely sickens me lately to hear AA being used as a resource for PR (see Lindsay Lohan and other "celebs") and now this fella using it as a means to get out of a suitable punishment for the crime committed.

You're not a bit of fraud for going to AA in this capacity. You ARE a fraud.

YOU ARE USING AND ABUSING a fellowship that millions of people worldwide, rely on to keep them alive. You've some neck on you.

Go and try and identify as a previous poster suggested. But you're an awful little bollix, so you are. I hope you are spared the misery of an alcoholic existence, it's absolute torture. To belittle and make light of AA in this manner absolutely disgusts me.'

Nevyn

Personal while I do think that going to AA should be for the right reasons and not getting brownie points else where. I would not be quick to condem someoen who starts going there for those reasons.

It could be the only reason they would ever go and if there is a chance it will help them take stock and get the help they need in thier lifes so be it.

Gone West

kindle wrote:

In fairness with a drink driving conviction on a provisional license its unlikely that the OP is going to be behind the wheel for a while...12 month ban, 5 year endorsement and unaffordable insurance (for at least 6 years is not for life)......

OP AA is not something you do to stop you going to jail...think you need to rethink your priorites.esp around drink...

HelterSkelter wrote:

Will you cop on. Do you think everyone who is caught drink driving should go to jail? 374 people were caught in the first week of December, 396 the week before that (http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1207/drinkdriving.html). Should all these people be in jail? I am not excusing the crime but going to jail is not the correct punishment for this.

In fairness read the full story.
The OP has a previous suspended sentance for drink related violence.
This means that his sentance will be imposed if he is up in front of a judge for anything really until his suspended sentance is up.
It is very likely that he will get at least some jail for this.
I don't think that the good plebians of boards.ie/PI should be giving him tips on how to get off light. What would you think if someone in your family was killed by a drunk driver? Or beat up on the street by some drunk person?
The laws are there for good reason. If you don't like it, you can petition the oireachtas to change it, or you can leave.

Yes, going to AA is a good idea. But it is obvious that the OP doesn't even remotely consider himself worthy of it. The only reason he would go is for a nice public facade, brownie points, and the shiney PR of it all. Like others on this thread, it disgusts me.
What about the counsellors in AA who are giving up their free time to help people. They think they are helping people who want to be helped, people who go because they know they have a problem.
Not people who are going for brownie points.

I hope I'm not going off topic here. I just really believe that the only support posters should be giving dublinshane is emotional/counselling advice etc.
Not legal freebies on how to avoid the slammer.

fits

Goodness do any of the posters on this thread realise just how easy it is to be caught while barely over the limit??? A lot of self righteous talk going on here. I just love it when people equate 81mg with murder while 79mg (or being stoned, on prescription drugs, tired etc.) is cool!

Dublin Shane, I'm glad and believe you when you say you've sorted yourself out. Dont know anything about AA, and it seems your motives would be less than honourable in going but perhaps you should be extra-extra careful when it comes to alcohol in the future. It mighnt be a bad thing to examine your relationship with the booze a bit.

Victor

fits wrote:

while 79mg (or being stoned, on prescription drugs, tired etc.) is cool!

Actually the tide is turning against all these things. However, alcohol is still the leading killer.

http://www.rsa.ie/NEWS/News/Link_Between_Alcohol_and_Road_Deaths.html

fits

Victor wrote:

Actually the tide is turning against all these things. However, alcohol is still the leading killer.

I dont deny it... People just seem to love getting into a mad frenzy over it.

Nevyn

Personally I would have a zero present tolerance.
If you now you are going to drink and then do not drive.

chump

Why is everyone being so critical of shane.

It could just be bad luck that in the only two incidences where he was drunk and broke the law and put lives in danger, he happened to get caught.

Unfortunate for him.

Victor

chump wrote:

It could just be bad luck that in the only two incidences where he was drunk and broke the law and put lives in danger, he happened to get caught.

On balance, I suspect this isn't the case. There simply aren't enoung gardai to do that.

In addition with 400 deaths and 5,000+ injuries per year, people are intolerent of inappropriate drunken behavior.