A Member of this site...

[duckcommander727]

That's the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard. The only thing a person should drive buzzed or drunk is a lawnmower for victory laps. If drinking didn't effect operation of motor vehicles then you wouldn't have MADD and organizations like it. You wouldn't have innocent dead people in lakes and plastered all over the road. Dipshits who drank and drove are responsible for the deaths of a few of my friends and a family member or two while the drunk walked away. I have zero tolerance for drinking and driving.

If your choice is to drink, then go ahead, I wish you the best. I've been there done that, got the trophies, scars and regrets from some of it. I put that shit down for good and don't miss it one bit but a man has to decide for himself. I will say this, if I see a person driving drunk, be it a boat or a car, I'm calling the law. It ain't tattling IMO, especially if it saves innocent people from someone else's stupidity.

Agreed.

[trentsmith]

That's the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard. The only thing a person should drive buzzed or drunk is a lawnmower for victory laps. If drinking didn't effect operation of motor vehicles then you wouldn't have MADD and organizations like it. You wouldn't have innocent dead people in lakes and plastered all over the road. Dipshits who drank and drove are responsible for the deaths of a few of my friends and a family member or two while the drunk walked away. I have zero tolerance for drinking and driving.

If your choice is to drink, then go ahead, I wish you the best. I've been there done that, got the trophies, scars and regrets from some of it. I put that shit down for good and don't miss it one bit but a man has to decide for himself. I will say this, if I see a person driving drunk, be it a boat or a car, I'm calling the law. It ain't tattling IMO, especially if it saves innocent people from someone else's stupidity.

Do you participate in the duck run?

[Saltydog235]

Do you participate in the duck run?

No. My weekends are spent with my kids and wife or hunting and fishing or woring on my property. That event seems to be for you fellows that are a bit more free spirited than I am these days. I don't drink anything with alcohol in it anymore, not even cough syrup, just a personal choice.

[trentsmith]

Nothing wrong with that brother.

[murraywader]

No. My weekends are spent with my kids and wife or hunting and fishing or woring on my property. That event seems to be for you fellows that are a bit more free spirited than I am these days. I don't drink anything with alcohol in it anymore, not even cough syrup, just a personal choice.

No wonder you're so bitter all the time.

But seriously good on you, I've currently been weighing out the pros and cons of alcohol. The cons seem to be outweighing the pros as of late.

[SC quacker]

That's the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard. The only thing a person should drive buzzed or drunk is a lawnmower for victory laps. If drinking didn't effect operation of motor vehicles then you wouldn't have MADD and organizations like it. You wouldn't have innocent dead people in lakes and plastered all over the road. Dipshits who drank and drove are responsible for the deaths of a few of my friends and a family member or two while the drunk walked away. I have zero tolerance for drinking and driving.

If your choice is to drink, then go ahead, I wish you the best. I've been there done that, got the trophies, scars and regrets from some of it. I put that shit down for good and don't miss it one bit but a man has to decide for himself. I will say this, if I see a person driving drunk, be it a boat or a car, I'm calling the law. It ain't tattling IMO, especially if it saves innocent people from someone else's stupidity.

You do realize that the founder of MADD resigned over the push for the .08 blood alcohol level because she realized the movement had become anti-drinking instead of anti drinking and driving?

[jwilliams]

No. My weekends are spent with my kids and wife or hunting and fishing or woring on my property. That event seems to be for you fellows that are a bit more free spirited than I am these days. I don't drink anything with alcohol in it anymore, not even cough syrup, just a personal choice.

Good for you Salty.

[Saltydog235]

No wonder you're so bitter all the time.

But seriously good on you, I've currently been weighing out the pros and cons of alcohol. The cons seem to be outweighing the pros as of late.

I'm not bitter in the least, I just know first hand the damage that alcohol can do to a person's life. If you want to drink, that is your perogative but I will openly give account of what it did to me.

2 years ago I was what is clinically refered to as a habitual drinker, different than an alcoholic who by definition is hooked mentally and physically. It bacame a habit where my body needed the shit or it would go into severe symptoms of withdrawal, a very unpleasant and painful experience.

I drank 4 handles of 90 proof whiskey a week and at least a case of beer. I was either hung over or felt like shit. I got to where I hated doing anything. One Tuesday morning my stomach and entire abdomen hurt. I went to work and felt worse through the day. My blood pressure was up and by the time I got home I felt like I was having a heart attack. My wifes family was in town at the beach and I had to call her away from them to take me to the hospital. I had pancreatitis, my liapase and amalaise numbers were 10-15X the normal numbers, any higher and my pancreas would have ruptured and killed me. I spent 3 days in a hospital bed, was honest with my doctors and got the help I needed. I haven't had one drink since then and never will again.

I went through withdrawls and sleepless nights. My wife had to change our sheets on a daily basis because I was sweating out all that poison built up in my system. I don't know how many of you have heard that you sweat toxins through the soles of your feet, but its true. The soles of my feet turned black during the night and peeled off getting it out. I tossed and turned but when I did sleep it was 10X more restful than the drunk sleep. It gradually got better as I became healthier. My appetite and metabolism returned too. I might be heavy now but I'm a helluva lot healthier than I was then. I can lose the weight a whole lot easier than I can replace a liver or kidney. I've had one flair up of gout in 2 years and it was 3 months after I quit drinking and had eaten shrimp for 5 days straight, even then it was minor. Prior to that it had gotten to once a month. Hunting an fishing on a boat all day isn't possible when that is going on. I don't have to worry about my pancreas exploding either, my amalaise and liapaise readings are normal now. Blood pressure is down too.

I don't write this as a sermon but as a caution to anyone that thinks alcohol can't seriously fuck you up beyond some Friday/Saturday night fun. Contrary to what some of you believe, you aren't 10ft tall and bulletproof. It can mess up a marriage, ruin your finances, business, health and freedom.

Again, I'm not preaching. I didn't do AA when I finally quit. I did try it once and that shit made me want to drink even more. My point is, that if you have a problem or even think you do, QUIT NOW. Quit before you end up like this fellow the thread is about or have a story like mine to tell.

Anyone who wants a frank, honest answer feel free to PM me. I might not have the specific answer you want or one you want to hear but I won't BS you either or beat around the bush sugar coating it.

If you handle it with no problems then more power to you, somedays I wish I could. I realize that some sponsers on here sell booze but I damn gurantee you they wouldn't want to sell to anyone with the problems that I had or if they had any inkling that it would have the consequences Steve is now suffering.

That's my story in a nutshell. Flame away if you want or take it as a testimonial from someone who's seen the worst of it.

Thanks for reading.

[duckduckdog]

Thanks for sharing that Salty - kudos to you for taking the necessary steps to make sure you are around for your family!

[ktownduckhunter]

Thanks for sharing that Salty - kudos to you for taking the necessary steps to make sure you are around for your family!

X2

[SOUTHERN WOODS]

Everything in moderation if you can handle it. If you can't there ain't no need in even taking one sip. I'm no preacher but I've seen a bunch of lives ruined by people that couldn't handle it. Thankfully they haven't killed anyone over it yet. There was a guy here in my hometown that was a star football player, had his choice of women, and just about anything else.

His drinking got out of hand, and he never was able to make it on his college scholarship. Ended up living with his mother until she died. Now he rides around town on a three wheel bicycle wearing sweatshirts and pants year round selling her possessions just to afford to buy a drink. He won't even spend what money he makes on cigarettes, he'll dig through the ashtray outside the post office looking for anything he can smoke. I have no idea why he still has a liver. I hate to see him in that condition and sometimes even think about buy him a pack of cigarettes just so he won't dig through a ashtray. Then I think he'll just blow the money and nothing will change.

The decisions you make can have a lasting effect. I'm with Salty on if I see someone drinking and driving, boat, vehicle, golfcart, you name it. I'm calling the law, it isn't worth one damn life, certainly not mine.

[Saltydog235]

Everything in moderation if you can handle it. If you can't there ain't no need in even taking one sip. I'm no preacher but I've seen a bunch of lives ruined by people that couldn't handle it. Thankfully they haven't killed anyone over it yet. There was a guy here in my hometown that was a star football player, had his choice of women, and just about anything else.

His drinking got out of hand, and he never was able to make it on his college scholarship. Ended up living with his mother until she died. Now he rides around town on a three wheel bicycle wearing sweatshirts and pants year round selling her possessions just to afford to buy a drink. He won't even spend what money he makes on cigarettes, he'll dig through the ashtray outside the post office looking for anything he can smoke. I have no idea why he still has a liver. I hate to see him in that condition and sometimes even think about buy him a pack of cigarettes just so he won't dig through a ashtray. Then I think he'll just blow the money and nothing will change.

The decisions you make can have a lasting effect. I'm with Salty on if I see someone drinking and driving, boat, vehicle, golfcart, you name it. I'm calling the law, it isn't worth one damn life, certainly not mine.

One only has to look at William Perry. The guy had it all, fame, money, etc. His wife says, or so its been reported, the only thing he'll get off the couch for anymore is a drink.

[BigBrother]

Thank you for sharing Salty.

Your stock went up with me, significantly.

I too have seen what it does to people, and their families. The ones who have it the worst, seem intent to drag everyone down with them.

As with all things, moderation. If you cant moderate, you have no business with it.

[Mergie Master]

One only has to look at William Perry. The guy had it all, fame, money, etc. His wife says, or so its been reported, the only thing he'll get off the couch for anymore is a drink.

I saw the Refrigerator here in town driving a fork lift about 10 or 12 years ago. He was half-owner of a construction company and they were building a new Winn-Dixie at the time. When I drove by he was driving a fork lift with a pallet of bricks on it. Even back then he looked bigger than the fork lift.

But he's not the only one who's made it big and then crashed with nothing much to show for it. Sadly it's probably more common than not. Read up on Super Bowl rings and see how many fell so low they had to sell theirs just to survive, or to buy drugs or alcohol. It's a lot like people who win the lottery. These folks, just like a lot of ball players, don't know how to handle lots of money. Most of them come from lower class or working families who live paycheck to paycheck. All of a sudden they have multi-million dollar bank accounts but they still have a welfare or check-to-check mentality. These guys were good athletes, not financial counselors.