Er, um, something went wrong, Buddy. I went to the wrong bar and met a young lady who also needed a ride home. You know me; one thing led to another and . . . well, when she and I got to the motel, at least I called a taxi to go and pick you up. I'm busy right now, so call me tomorrow after you sober up.
Randy, If this is your story and you and are sticking to it, I can appreciate that and don't want to tarnish your reputation. However, The boys in the band called the other day and told me about the whole bar scene. They even wrote a song about you and how it went down. According to them, you were sayin' somethin' like this:
Now, who are we to believe? And all the while, you didn't swing by to pick up Element? You were in a tour-bus with the band. Maybe the driver was driving too fast?
I would, if I could, come to drive you home but after 65 years of having a car and a driving permit for same, I'm now without either...
This post was edited by Beans/SilentGeneration at September 28, 2018 12:52 PM MDT
I do know this. When you are professional, you don't carry-on with these silly college antics. Moderation is learned. Your body makes sure of this. Through the longevity of practicing, you become aware of certain formalities. Respect. Proper drinking etiquette and develop a style. Like good wine. With age come taste. And this is certainly not in good taste.
There's only one way to deal with alcoholism and addictions and that's tough love - let them experience the full consequences of their actions. The sooner they do, the greater the chances are that they'll choose rehab and AA or NA. Any kind of help is just a band-aid that prolongs both the addiction and the suffering of everyone one else in the addict's life.
I had far too much of that stuff happening at home when I was a kid - mother in an alcoholic coma or bashed up by father when he was drunk - having to call the ambulance to save her life. Or having to do other kinds of stuff like undressing, showering and putting mother or father to bed - not easy with an adult who is incoherent and uncoordinated - and then clean up the blood, vomit and broken crockery.
I understand tough love, but one must think about how many lives a drunk driver puts in danger. A person becoming drunk once doesn’t make them an alcoholic.
This post was edited by Rizz at September 28, 2018 9:35 PM MDT
True, but a drunk can sleep it off in one of the bedrooms above the bar, and thus be no risk to other drivers.
If a friend was going through something exceptional, I would help. But if the call was just part of the person's normal patterns, I'd take the tough approach.
I've actually had an instance where I was called by a friend's panicking husband to take her to hospital. The blood test showed we'd rescued her life in the nick of time. People rarely get to that state unless they have a serious problem with alcohol in the first place. The test proved her liver was shot to bits. She knows now that I won't go near her except when she's sober between 7 and 8 am. And in the meantime, her hubby is doing all the "rescuing" - helping her stay in the delusion that she's in control of her addiction. She will die of it. It's only a matter of how and when. :(
This post was edited by inky at September 29, 2018 4:37 AM MDT
I don't see why not. And nothing wrong with getting drunk in a bar long as you don't do it all the time. Or at home. Drink at home and you won't need a ride home.
Randy D 