Really thinking about life this weekend. Got a call to help a good friend - picked her up at a hotel after she'd spent most of the weekend in jail... DUI stop. Had to take her to get her car at the impound lot and now the shit storm is just beginning. I have been through this process with another close person in my life before and it's really ugly. The thing is, my friend didn't do much different than I've done on some nights - some wine with dinner, a cocktail, then chilling with water to watch a movie and burn it off. She was so sure that she was fine that she didn't even consider trying to avoid the traffic stop. She blew a .083. Doesn't matter though - it's a DUI. I learned that you can even get a "wet reckless" when you are below .08. Harsh stuff.
When a DUI happened several years ago to another close friend, I really reevaluated things. I will say that I've definitely driven when I shouldn't have. In my 20's I was pretty reckless - I just didn't think anything bad would happen to me. I'm extremely fortunate that nothing did happen to me or anyone else. Getting pregnant changed things - I learned that I could actually have a social life without drinking (amazing) although I'm back in the drinking boat now. With Anna - I definitely take less chances. We try to take the bus or walk when we have drinks. But every time this happens to a friend I just take a step back and think of all the times I've been incredibly stupid even recently.
I went out for drinks just this Tuesday night - happy hour with girlfriends - and I had more wine than I should have before driving. It's really hard for me to just have one glass and then stop - especially when I'm enjoying myself with friends. Could have been me spending the night in jail. I used to always host girls nights at my place and now I remember why. I don't know why it's so hard for me to call it quits with the sauce. Sometimes I wonder if I should go to AA or something like that - but that seems harsh. I enjoy augmenting my life and times with wine and beer and the occasional cocktail. It's really fun. I like trying signature drinks at restaurants, pairing food and wine, wine flights, whatever. And lord knows I love a glass of wine or two (okay, two) at the end of each day.
Well, this has again strengthened my resolve. Not only for the safety of myself and others but for the example I set for Anna. Drinking and driving is not okay and I am not going to do it. It's too easy to walk, to take a cab, ride the bus, whatever. Just not worth it.
