I really don't want to sound mean but I have to say I have no sympathy for people who drink and drive. IMO the acceptable BAC is 0.0. In other words people should not drink a(any amount ) and then drive. The same number of drinks can affect two people differently and can even affect the same person differently depending on other factors such as how much they ate with the drink. The potential consequences of drinking and driving are too great. The "pleasure of alcohol is not worth risking someone's life or limbs or even your own. We all do make mistakes but drinking and driving is particularly bad because it puts innocent people at risk.

OP it sounds like you have learnt a lesson and I hope that you will put that into practice by never drinking and driving again. If you do that, you may find peace in knowing that your prior indiscretion and getting caught may have saved you from worse DUIs in the future. Perhaps you can also feel better if you do some voluntary work (even for a limited time) for organizations or programs against drinking and driving.

I do not believe that our penalties for drunken driving are stronger than most western countries. I was told by a friend that Sweden, for example, has zero tolerance for drunken driving. I've never known anyone in this country to get anything other than probation for a first offense.

For those who are arguing that 0.8 in not "drunk," my response is that that is a meaningless term. It is clearly "impaired," and when one is driving a huge, speeding metal missile, any impairment can be too much. I don't know if you've seen the videos they do of people driving on obstacle courses after consuming minor amounts of alcohol, but, to me, they made quite an impression on me.

My parents were killed by a drunk driver. The guy had no priors, and by all accounts, wasn't a big drinker. I am devastated that my parents never got to know their grandchildren and that my children never got to know them. It is the greatest sadness of my life, so far. However, I do not hate the young man that killed my parents. He made a terrible mistake. However, when he got drunk and ran that red light, in my mind, he did commit manslaughter, just as surely as if he had shot a gun into a crowded room. The fact that he will spend 15 years of his young life in jail is the second greatest tragedy in this story. However, I do believe he should stay in jail, as a warning to all those who might consider drinking and depriving some other children of their parents and grandparents.

OP, everyone makes mistakes, and I do not think you should hate yourself. I don't know if you are religious, but, I do think that, if you are, you should thank God that you did not hurt anyone, and are being given a second chance to live your life and raise your children. Think about what would have happened to them if you had not been so lucky. There is no way that the temporary "buzz" of a couple of drinks is worth that. You seem to understand that you were wrong, so just pay your penalty, and learn from your mistake, and count your blessings every day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But if you don't feel buzzed, who cares if your blood alcohol level is the same as someone who does feel buzzed?

What an ass. Did you know even though you don't "feel" the buzz you'r motor skills and coordination are already affected?

What does that make me an ass? Obviously not everyone is affected to the same extent, even if they have the same blood alcohol level. that was the point.

The ass was because you said "who cares" with a dismissing tone to a very important issue and said something WRONG. Just because someone doesn't feel buzzed it doesn't mean they're not impaired.

OK, I see you have had a few. Never mind.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But if you don't feel buzzed, who cares if your blood alcohol level is the same as someone who does feel buzzed?

What an ass. Did you know even though you don't "feel" the buzz you'r motor skills and coordination are already affected?

What does that make me an ass? Obviously not everyone is affected to the same extent, even if they have the same blood alcohol level. that was the point.

The ass was because you said "who cares" with a dismissing tone to a very important issue and said something WRONG. Just because someone doesn't feel buzzed it doesn't mean they're not impaired.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But if you don't feel buzzed, who cares if your blood alcohol level is the same as someone who does feel buzzed?

What an ass. Did you know even though you don't "feel" the buzz you'r motor skills and coordination are already affected?

What does that make me an ass? Obviously not everyone is affected to the same extent, even if they have the same blood alcohol level. that was the point.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:0.8 is on the high side of limits compared to other countries:

"Established maximum legal BAC thresholds range from 0.0 mg/ml—the level of “zero tolerance”—to 0.8 mg/ml. Only a handful of countries do not set a legal BAC limit. Out of all nations reporting to a WHO survey published in 2004, 28% set their BAC limit at a “lower” level (0.0–0.3 mg/ml), 39% set limits at a “middle” level (0.4–0.6 mg/ml), and 26% have adopted a “higher” limit (0.6 mg/ml and above)."

Our car was hit and badly damaged by a driver who, according to the police, had been drinking. He didn't seem "drunk" when we talked after the collision, but I know that people have increased risk of being in an accident at much lower than 0.8. In our particular case, the accident resulted from a combination of alcohol use, icy roads, nighttime driving, and bad luck. I feel lucky that none of us were injured.

but our penalties are much more severe than in other countries. its is insane.

care to share your sources?

Anonymous wrote:0.8 is on the high side of limits compared to other countries:

"Established maximum legal BAC thresholds range from 0.0 mg/ml—the level of “zero tolerance”—to 0.8 mg/ml. Only a handful of countries do not set a legal BAC limit. Out of all nations reporting to a WHO survey published in 2004, 28% set their BAC limit at a “lower” level (0.0–0.3 mg/ml), 39% set limits at a “middle” level (0.4–0.6 mg/ml), and 26% have adopted a “higher” limit (0.6 mg/ml and above)."

Our car was hit and badly damaged by a driver who, according to the police, had been drinking. He didn't seem "drunk" when we talked after the collision, but I know that people have increased risk of being in an accident at much lower than 0.8. In our particular case, the accident resulted from a combination of alcohol use, icy roads, nighttime driving, and bad luck. I feel lucky that none of us were injured.

but our penalties are much more severe than in other countries. its is insane.

To respond to OP's request for a recommendation for a lawyer, I practice in Howard County. I don't handle these cases, but send my clients to Jason Shapiro for any criminal cases. His partner, paul, and associate, David, are very good as well, but I think Jason is the best option in Howard county. I agree with all the other posters that a good lawyer makes a difference, especially in howard where all the lawyers, judges, and cops know each other. Good luck to you!

Anonymous wrote:But if you don't feel buzzed, who cares if your blood alcohol level is the same as someone who does feel buzzed?

What an ass. Did you know even though you don't "feel" the buzz you'r motor skills and coordination are already affected?

But if you don't feel buzzed, who cares if your blood alcohol level is the same as someone who does feel buzzed?

Anonymous wrote:Wow, this is a wake up call for me. I had no idea two glasses of wine could make anyone legally drunk.

Really, you didn't know this? When I was in college, some people had those college posters with drinks on it and it would show how much your BAC would go up per drink, depending on what you weigh.

For a petite woman, it goes up by .04 per drink. That doesn't mean per 8 oz upscale bar wine pour, btw, but per 12 oz beer, 5 oz glass of wine, 1.5 oz hard liquor. This also means one large martini is way more than "one drink". So if she had 2 drinks, then yes, .08 is exactly right.

Your tolerance has NOTHING to do with your BAC. You may feel less of a buzz if you drink frequently, but your liver doesn't process the alcohol any faster (the only way to lower your BAC). It's not like your liver works better with extra practice.

Wow, this is a wake up call for me. I had no idea two glasses of wine could make anyone legally drunk. I'm sure people do this every single day without issue. How are people getting home from happy hour?

That said, I know someone who struck and killed a pedestrian. She was a new driver, a teenager, and he was a senior citizen. A bad combination of two people not able to make quick decisions or act quickly, no alcohol involved. She had that to live with for the rest of her life. Really horrible.

Anonymous wrote:DUIs today are a witch-hunt. .08 is NOT DRUNK, you did nothing wrong, but unfortunately you have to pay the price of an overreaction. seriously don't feel bad in the least. get a good lawyer and fight it and most likely it will get dismissed.

Spout this crap after someone you know and care about is killed along with wife and two children by a drunk driver who claimed he only had two beers. OP, you do not drink alcohlic beverages and drive. It is just this simple. Also, I don't believe you only had two glasses of wine because if your friend couldn't hold it until you could find an appropriate place for her to use a bathroom, then that says she had a hell of a lot more than two glasses of wine and you were probably keeping up with her. I have ZERO sympathy for you. You should be concerned because the charge will be on your record even if it is dismissed and I doubt that it will be.

In my country the tolerance is ZERO.

If you drank you should not be driving PERIOD.

Alcohol intoxication levels depend on so many factors. It's ridiculous to set up a limit for everybody. OP is tiny, there are big guys out there. Does it sound fair to you both being judge in the same BAC level?

0.8 is on the high side of limits compared to other countries:

"Established maximum legal BAC thresholds range from 0.0 mg/ml—the level of “zero tolerance”—to 0.8 mg/ml. Only a handful of countries do not set a legal BAC limit. Out of all nations reporting to a WHO survey published in 2004, 28% set their BAC limit at a “lower” level (0.0–0.3 mg/ml), 39% set limits at a “middle” level (0.4–0.6 mg/ml), and 26% have adopted a “higher” limit (0.6 mg/ml and above)."

Our car was hit and badly damaged by a driver who, according to the police, had been drinking. He didn't seem "drunk" when we talked after the collision, but I know that people have increased risk of being in an accident at much lower than 0.8. In our particular case, the accident resulted from a combination of alcohol use, icy roads, nighttime driving, and bad luck. I feel lucky that none of us were injured.