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And it is BIG BIG business. Lot's of money goes to the town.
I keep telling people.....DUI does not mean you are drunk....all it means is that your Blood Alcohol Count (BAC) is either
.04 which in the state of Indiana is considered DWI Driving While Impaired
this consists of about a 1/2 glass of wine for a woman
.08 which in the state of Indiana and the rest of the states is considered DWI Driving While Intoxicated
this consists of a little over one glass of wine for a woman
There is no wiggle room. It is a zero tolerance policy for ANY booze in your system AT ALL.
The fines, probation, checking to see if you have drank while on probation is extremely harsh. So beware. Probation here in Indiana is 9 months and you have to pay for rehab and AA.
Had a buddy not to long ago break a 9 month probation by drinking in his home. He got a call to come and have a test done to see if he had been drinking. He got caught and got a 30 day house arrest and a HUGE fine.
Had an attorney friend of mine tell me that if you drink outside your home it will be not IF but WHEN you will be getting a DUI.
On another note. When I was a kid, all my mom had to do was give me a note to take to the mom and pop grocer up the street for her so that I could purchase a quart of beer for her Friday night. I was about eight!
Could you see that happening now!
My dad got a DUI 40 years ago. Paid a fine and that was it. The fine was not that large. Times have changed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtrader
Notice, that a big percentage of those that said it was easy to get liquor, involved things like getting someone to buy it for you, etc. It is the same today.
On the other hand, I drank in bars from 16 on in Washington, Oregon, California, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, New Jersey, New York, to name a few places (west coast cities were before going to the navy, and the others while in the navy). I also bought liquor in liquor stores, and was never carded.
Growing up, I had 3 close buddies, and we all would go into bars in our teens. We all reached our full height at 12. All tall, with 3 of us about 6 '2" and one 6'5" tall. By the time we were 16, all of us could pass for 25, going by size and looks. None of us were ever carded.
Just one aside, I don't think it's nearly the same today. If you read my post, we would most usually stand outside the liquor store and ask strangers to get it for us. Normally they did, no problem. I can't imagine anyone doing that now, as the legal consequences would be harsh today for getting beer for 15 year olds, back then it would have been a slap on the wrist. I would never do it now.
The first time I was ever in a bar I was 14. It horrifies me to say it. But it was on a dare, and so in I went. And sat right at the bar and was served. Everyone in there knew I was underage though. No doubt, being female was what made it "acceptable", and that I was with a drinking-age group who were regulars.
I'd be surprised if that could happen today....and angry.
Based on my anecdotal experiences, it was far easier in the olden days.
I remember being a teenager and a bunch of us got in a topless/bottomless bar when they were legal in California. Little Joe, the owner, knew we weren't of age but looked the other way as we were sitting in the far back and behaving while some of us were drooling at the front stage show.
One friend was scared to death as he shared how did father would kill him if he was caught there. He kept on saying this over and over.
Then I told him to look up front at the bar closest to the front stage. He did and saw his father there with beer in hand having the time of his life. I don't remember what happened next but don't recall most of us leaving the bar.
Little Joe got hit by a car trying to jaywalk on a busy road where his club was located and all of us grew up and went our separate ways.
This is just one of many stories from my past. Yes, without a doubt, it was far easier in the olden days.
People in those days judged the law and decided for themselves. Laws and enforcement were more realistic as well. Today, people are taught from both to worship laws as well as the politicians who create them. Liquor laws and enforcement have become worse and worse, but the problem is that laws in general, not just liquor laws, have become more oppressive. Those were better times that we'll never see again. We truly do live in the nanny state today—and nanny is very nasty.
Remember highways with no speed limits?
Remember when student-faculty dating was more than acceptable? It wasn't only older man and younger woman either.
Remember when you could order a gun direct from a dealer in another state?
Remember when a business decided whether people could smoke on its premises?
Remember when some bars were open all night regardless of local law?
I could go on and on, but I'll only mention one: remember when a young couple who looked under twenty-one, but who were dressed nicely and behaved as adults, could go to a restaurant and order cocktails and wine without any problem? Remember when police would ignore a faint aroma of alcohol on their breath. Remember when it was worthwhile for teenagers to consider themselves young adults, not children?
When I was 16 and 17 I spent hours in bars drinking beer. I could also buy it in one small store that catered to those of us who knew how to keep our mouths shut. Where I lived it was very common for teens to buy beer, most in my high school did it every weekend.
Coming from the U.K, it was a different ball game to the U.S.
The legal age to buy alcohol has been 18 for as long as I can recall, but at 16-17 y.o. you can drink beer, wine, and cider with food if with an adult.
You can be in a bar under 16 at the licensee's discretion, but you can't buy alcohol until 18.
In the U.K. it is legal for anyone over FIVE yes, FIVE! to drink alcohol.
In the 50s and 60s, 16 and 17 y.o. kids were often seen in pubs, rarely were we asked our age, plus no one carried I.D. in those days, if you looked old enough no questions were asked.
Another thing that's different here, is that all pubs serve any alcoholic drinks, there are no beer and wine places, and separate liquor lounges, any pub sells beer, vodka, lager, bourbon, gin etc.
If a bunch of teens were going to a house party, they'd all, (well the guys), kick in a few bucks and buy cases of beer, rarely liquor, from an 'off licence', this was a kind of liquor store that was licenced to sell alcohol for consumption OFF the premises.
The breathalyser was introduced here in the mid sixties, until then, you had to be driving really erratically to get pulled over by the police.
I'd never heard of anyone getting a "pass" from a cop after failing a breath test, but in the late nineties, I got pulled over after coming out of a bar in Spring Hill FL., failed the test, as did my wife, and the cop said, "I think you're a gentleman sir, who's just made an error of judgement, there's a strip mall a quarter of a mile along the road, park in there, and I'll take you home."
That was a wake-up call, I never, ever, did that again, I wouldn't do it at home, but for years I'd ignored the law when on vacation, Spain, Greece, Germany, Portugal etc., from that night in Florida it's been taxis all the time, everywhere, even if I've only had one or two vodkas with tonic.
For those of you who would have been say young teens in the 50s/60s/70s was it really easy for a young person to buy alcohol? With store keepers not caring? I also heard back then if a cop pulled you over you could be super drunk and there would be a good chance he'd drive you home, or let you walk home, is that true?
I never drank as a teen, but I know plenty who did and it was amazingly easy to get alcohol. There was always an older adult (not a parent, for sure), who would go to the liquor store and buy whatever the teen wanted.
For those of you who would have been say young teens in the 50s/60s/70s was it really easy for a young person to buy alcohol? With store keepers not caring? I also heard back then if a cop pulled you over you could be super drunk and there would be a good chance he'd drive you home, or let you walk home, is that true?
I started driving in 1961 at the age of 16, and was able to score quarts of beer to take to the local drive in with a date. I either had an older friend get it for me, or we knew local bars where the bartender would not question your age. A quart of beer was about 50 cents back then.
When I got to be about 18, I started going to nightclubs and altered my drivers license to make me 21. I also carried a girls drivers license that I had found somewhere, and used it to get my teenage dates into the same clubs.
Getting stopped for being impaired wasn't like it is today, it was not until MADD got involved that it became a big deal. I was stopped a few times, and the cop asked how far we were going and sometimes would follow us home.
One night, when I was about 21 and coming home from a nightclub with a date and a buddy and his date in the backseat, I was stopped by the cops. I was totally smashed, and as the cops were questioning me, I remembered the name of a local "supposedly connected" guy I had done some financing for, and I said to the cops " I'm sorry I made that wrong turn, I'm not familiar with this area, but I work for Mr. ______________. One cop looked at the other, handed me my license back, and said "Have a nice night and drive carefully."
My girlfriend and the other couple said "What just happened there ?" and I said "I guess I said the right name !"
I'm a child of the 70's, and yes it was easy. We didn't go in the store, my bff and I used to stand outside the liquor store and ask someone going in if they would get us some (we gave him/her the money) and back then it wasn't difficult because if caught the consequences were not a big deal like today. We'd also just get older kids to get us beer or whatever.
The bars then were easier to get into, because no one had photo i.d yet. Also again the consequences were not severe back then so it wasn't as strict as now. We'd go with our borrowed licenses, and the bouncer would look at it and say "what's your zodiac sign?" and we'd guess, and they'd say "close enough" and let us in.
Yes, cops seemed different back then, and also driving drunk, while illegal, was not looked at as the crime it is today. So between the two factors, yes, you'd be likely to get a ride home.
Regarding the bolded parts --
1) I was on both ends of that, younger and older. People were more trusting and friendlier compared to now.
2) I admit to driving both under the influence of alcohol and high countless times. Enforcement was almost non-existent until the early 1980s. But I never put anyone or myself in danger. Never had an accident or a close call either. I knew when I had too much and remember about 3 times when I drove about a block or less and pulled over to sleep. I know most won't believe that but it's true. And I'm in no way condoning any of that behavior.
When the drinking age was 18 there were a couple of bars and liquor stores that I went into when I was 17 that would not card you. This was 1972 in Washington, DC. Way different times than now. Overall I loved the 1970s and wish I could go back, but without the alcohol.
I hardly ever drink anymore and I've been relatively alcohol free (only a beer here and there) for a very long time. It's been 20 years since I was last drunk and frankly I don't miss it.
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