Do not drink

Good luck to you, after reading some of your posts you seem like an intelligent person, who wants to do the responsible thing. Keep working like you do and maintain your values and nothing but good will come your way. Will their be obstacles yes but with the right additude you can overcome anything. Take care.

 

Thanks man. I have great parents that pounded things into my thick head and more importantly always lead by example. They were a little nervous when I quit college to start driving but they were always supportive and fortunately it worked out pretty well..

 

So basically you can't touch alcohol within 4 hours of going on duty?

 

Any detectable amount which will vary with one's body weight and amount consumed.

 

So here's another reason for not drinking, driving, AND protecting your CDL. Came off of HT the other day, picked up a load, and was driving on a 2 lane hiway. # 100 to 150 ft in front of me, a car crossed the center line into my lane. Prevented the head on but she did get my tlr tandems. Got hauled in for a blood test. Shouldn't have any alochol in my system since it'd been almost 24 hrs since my last drink. You can never tell tho, when somethings going to happen.
Luckily the lady survived or I'd probably given up my CDL on the spot. Thats my 2nd wreck in 18 months, neither were my fault, and both have been ruled non-preventable. Gotta tell you tho, don't think I can survive in this business if I have a wreck, once a year!!

 

Maybe you have used up your lifetime quota and the rest will be trouble free.
One can only hope anyway.

 

I can sure hope so, eh.

 

Why even push it. Driving is your lively-hood and alot of us have others depending on us or looking up to you. If you loose your CDL then what IMHO do not even touch alcohol, unless you have at least 24hrs and even then a couple beers and thats it.

 

I'm very much aware that intelligence and character have nothing to do with addiction, as I've gone through that myself.. And not just with alcohol. And admitting you have a problem in the first place is, IMO, one of the harder parts associated with correcting the problem, though the DT's, depending on how long you've been at it, can easily come in at a close second.

I love my brother (Well, half-brother, really). In fact, besides my Mother he's the only 'family member' I consider family at all, (Long story, which I won't get into right now) but it does anger me that, at ten years older than me (I'm almost 30), he's still unwilling to even admit that he has any sort of problem, not only with alcohol but with depression, another thing he won't take care of in any way, shape or form. When prescribed anti-depressants, he -always- takes one pill, claims he gets every side effect possible.. and not, and doesn't take any more. I know when I had depression issues, before certain hormone imbalances were corrected, I went through dozens of medications before I found one that worked right, and didn't have the most horrible side effects imaginable (Anyone who's been on Paxil, for example, will understand fully what I'm talking about.)

I don't see anything said in this thread as 'preaching', but as concern for other drivers, which in all honesty is a very nice thing to see. I know many in the Trucking Industry aren't 'united' so to speak, on many topics, but I think this is one we can all agree on. Being drunk, and driving something that large is flat out dangerous, and.. to be blunt, stupid, though I see nothing wrong with drinking when one is at home and doesn't have to drive soon after. I don't see it as anyone's place to tell you what you can and cannot do in your offtime.

Due to my experiences, I no longer drink at all, and I no longer need anti-depressants, but I very much understand that not everybody is that way, and everyone has their own ways of relaxing and/or dealing with certain issues.