Drunk Parent collecting kids from school!!

bicardi19

Ok so I was at the school today collecting my kids and I look over and see another parent (Father) swigging a can of what looked to be strongbow. He was sitting in the driver seat casually knocking back a can of cider.
Ive seen him get out of his car before and thought he looked a bit drunk by the way he was walking but thought that I must be imagining it. When I saw this today I was totally shocked.
So the kids come running out of school they get in and off they go.
I rang the school and let them know but really don't know where to go from here.
what do I do now????

ManOfMystery

Ring the Gardai. Only a matter of time till this Pillock knocks down a kid on his way in or out.

ceegee

Ring your local garda station? Would imagine that to be most peoples automatic reaction

Miss Fluff

There is an energy drink in a tall can that looks almost identical to Strongbow. Saw a couple of people in work cracking one open one afternoon recently and was HORRIFIED to see them blatantly boozing at their desks. Turns out it's very similar to Red Bull although looks identical to a can of cider so perhaps that is what this guy was drinking OP?

LegacyUser

My Dad was an alcoholic all through my schooling years and he used to drive us around all the time - how in the hell he managed not to crash is beyond me as he was steaming drunk 90% of the time.

Looking back on it now I wish to God that someone could have called the cops on him and mad him stop - eventually I got old enough and brave enough to put my foot down, refused to get in the car with him, but my little brother didn't want to rock the boat and let it go on for far too long.

This man is putting himself, his kids and every other driver on the road he encounters in grave, grave danger with no-one to blame but himself. If it was me, I'd report him.

bicardi19

Thats why I havent rang the guards yet cause what if I'm wrong?

leitrim lad

that guy doesnt deserve kids, a child is the highlight of every parents life not a can of cider

ceegee

bicardi19 wrote: »

Thats why I havent rang the guards yet cause what if I'm wrong?

If you're wrong then nothing happens, its not like theyll take his kids away on your say-so, i'd imagine if you rang them when you seen it theyd try and intercept the car and pull him in, if hes not drunk then no harm done

ManOfMystery

bicardi19 wrote: »

Thats why I havent rang the guards yet cause what if I'm wrong?

If you're wrong, nothing happens. They will not catch him with alcohol in his blood.

If you're right, you could potentially save lives.

Go and lift the phone now and don't deliberate any longer, you have nothing to lose by ringing the cops but imagine you hear of a kid being knocked down tomorrow morning by this guy (drunk) and you didn't ring?

bicardi19

Unregistered wrote: »

My Dad was an alcoholic all through my schooling years and he used to drive us around all the time - how in the hell he managed not to crash is beyond me as he was steaming drunk 90% of the time.

Looking back on it now I wish to God that someone could have called the cops on him and mad him stop - eventually I got old enough and brave enough to put my foot down, refused to get in the car with him, but my little brother didn't want to rock the boat and let it go on for far too long.

This man is putting himself, his kids and every other driver on the road he encounters in grave, grave danger with no-one to blame but himself. If it was me, I'd report him.

Thats good to hear it from that perspective. i really don't know why I even had to think about this. It has just happened and I suppose I just needed a little time to think about what should be done.

Victor

You need to talk to the local gardaí. Just tell them you have suspicions, not accusations.

Miss Fluff wrote: »

There is an energy drink in a tall can that looks almost identical to Strongbow. Saw a couple of people in work cracking one open one afternoon recently and was HORRIFIED to see them blatantly boozing at their desks. Turns out it's very similar to Red Bull although looks identical to a can of cider so perhaps that is what this guy was drinking OP?

I wouldn't be horsing back the Red Bull while driving either.

leitrim lad wrote: »

that guy doesnt deserve kids, a child is the highlight of every parents life not a can of cider

On-topic please.

bicardi19

Victor wrote: »

You need to talk to the local gardaí. Just tell them you have suspicions, not accusations

That seems like the best way to put it allright. Thankyou. Thats exactly what I will say . will call them right now. thankyou everybody.

lecheile

If you have an issue ringing your local Garda station why not ring the

Garda Confidential line
The Garda Confidential allows the public to call with confidential information relating to matters of crime or other activities.
Tel: 1800 666 111

Nervous Wreck

Miss Fluff wrote: »

There is an energy drink in a tall can that looks almost identical to Strongbow. Saw a couple of people in work cracking one open one afternoon recently and was HORRIFIED to see them blatantly boozing at their desks. Turns out it's very similar to Red Bull although looks identical to a can of cider so perhaps that is what this guy was drinking OP?

Yeah we sell that as a red bull sub in my job. Its called XTC... Very responsible name.... But yeah, EASILY mistakable for a can of cider/beer....

mikemac

Miss Fluff wrote: »

There is an energy drink in a tall can that looks almost identical to Strongbow. Saw a couple of people in work cracking one open one afternoon recently and was HORRIFIED to see them blatantly boozing at their desks. Turns out it's very similar to Red Bull although looks identical to a can of cider so perhaps that is what this guy was drinking OP?

I've seen this alright. Easily mistaken for a can of beer.

Cormb

Hi OP
As suggested by others, calling the Gardai is probably the best thing for it in my view.

If the person isn't drinking, no harm done.
If the person is, then you've probably saved that that person and others from a mishap or serious accident as result of the drinking - or at least reduced the chances of one.

While I don't have kids, I think its a bit irresponsible to be drinking when picking up one's children, alongside the dangers of drink-driving.

Regards

Redpunto

What the guards say?

cutymonalisa

Hi OP,

Whatever about phoneing the Gardai (who cant do anything retrpspectively and would have to catch him in the act of DUI and hopefully will) this is a child welfare issue. Now, you have already told the school and they have a statutory responsibility to report a concern to the services. i would contact the principal again about this. You yourself can contact your local Health Centre and ask to speak with the duty social worker. you do not have to give you name and all child welfare concerns / allegations have to be assessed, irrespective of whether the person making the report does so anonymously of not.

Please consider this - he needs a serious wake up call behaving like this.

username123

Hi OP,
Just want to re-iterate from a childs point of view, my father was alcoholic and would collect us/drop us off while under the influence, I can clearly remember one young friend saying to me 'your daddy smells like the pub' - while too young to know then he was drinking while driving I look back and wish that some responsible adult had reported it. By the time I was old enough to realise it was wrong he had already lost his licence for drink driving.

Please report it - as other posters have said you can report suspicions, not accusations.

LegacyUser

There's an energy drink called Rockstar which comes in 500ml cans. Maybe that's what you saw?