NationStates Jolt Archive

I need serious help. Last Friday, me and a buddy finished a bottle of Vodka between the two of us (7 shots each), and I got arrested and sent to the hospital. Problem is, I'm only 18, so I'm being charged with disorderly persons and a minor in possession of alcohol charge. I have to appear in court 3 weeks from now, and my parents don't know yet, but I'm planning on telling them today. Is there any best way to tell them, and what can I do about the charged pending against me?

Thanks for your help.

Wait a minute here... you're 18, yet people have problems with you drinking alchol? WTF??

Rofl! :D

Not getting arrested for being drunk underage would've helped a lot.

Now that that's out of the question - sit down with your parents, tell them you need their help and support because you've done something stupid.

Be honest, polite, and hope that your parents are okay.

http://www.studip.uni-goettingen.de/pictures/smile/frown2.gifhttp://www.studip.uni-goettingen.de/pictures/smile/cop.gif

Wait a minute here... you're 18, yet people have problems with you drinking alchol? WTF??

Legal drinking age in USA is 21. :(

To the OP: 7 shots? Isn't that like.. 7 beers? O.o And how did they catch you?

Wait a minute here... you're 18, yet people have problems with you drinking alchol? WTF??
Man, he's from the USA where the legal age for alcohol is 21.

You could've known that, no?

Legal drinking age in USA is 21. :(

To the OP: 7 shots? Isn't that like.. 7 beers? O.o And how did they catch you?

I was passed out about 10 feet from the railroad tracks, so it was pretty obvious. I guess someone called the cops on us.

Legal drinking age in USA is 21. :(
Wow... That's stupid.

oh just fess up. its not that bad. they will deal with it.

surely you have done worse in your time.

*reads and laughs* Wow... lol, ahh that's just funny.

Seriously though, they're going to find out sooner or later, and they're going to chew you out worse if you hold it off, so man up and tell them that you were drinking, got drunk in public, arrested and now you have to appear in court. Remember, man up.

Wow... That's stupid.

In other news, water is...

I'm not even gonna do it, but it's obviously retarded.

I was passed out about 10 feet from the railroad tracks, so it was pretty obvious. I guess someone called the cops on us.

Ah.. shit.

In the criminal law of the United States, disorderly conduct is a name given to an offense that usually covers acts that generally disturb the public peace, and are not otherwise punished under other statutes. Disorderly conduct is typically classified as a misdemeanor.

..

They charged you with that, because you were passed out? How were you disturbing the public peace? :confused:

They charged you with that, because you were passed out? How were you disturbing the public peace? :confused:

He was farting very loudly.

Ah.. shit.



..

They charged you with that, because you were passed out? How were you disturbing the public peace? :confused:

Well, according to the official complaint summons, I was in the act of
"purposely cause or recklessly create the risk of public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm by creating a hazardous, physically dangerous condition by an act which served no legitimate puropose of the defendant specifically by stumbling around the railroad tracks intoxicated, approximately 10 feet from the track, causing a possible hazard to himself enabling himself to be struck by an oncoming train"

Basically, they're saying my splattered brains would be a public inconvenience.

I was passed out about 10 feet from the railroad tracks, so it was pretty obvious. I guess someone called the cops on us.

so you drank so much so fast that you passed out near the railroad tracks...

you know that you could have died eh?

jot this down

things that can kill you can kill YOU.

dont ever be that stupid again.

but really, you are 18, you are an adult. you need to inform your parents the same way you would if you were 48 and did something stupid that landed you in jail/hospital.

just suck it up and tell them.

Well, according to the official complaint summons, I was in the act of
"purposely cause or recklessly create the risk of public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm by creating a hazardous, physically dangerous condition by an act which served no legitimate puropose of the defendant specifically by stumbling around the railroad tracks intoxicated, approximately 10 feet from the track, causing a possible hazard to himself enabling himself to be struck by an oncoming train"

Basically, they're saying my splattered brains would be a public inconvenience.

Makes a little sense.

Tell your parents very soon, so they don't get even more upset to find out they've been in the dark about this for quite a while. It'll also give you more time to prepare.

Makes a little sense.

Tell your parents very soon, so they don't get even more upset to find out they've been in the dark about this for quite a while. It'll also give you more time to prepare.

Thanks for the advice man.

Well, according to the official complaint summons, I was in the act of
"purposely cause or recklessly create the risk of public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm by creating a hazardous, physically dangerous condition by an act which served no legitimate puropose of the defendant specifically by stumbling around the railroad tracks intoxicated, approximately 10 feet from the track, causing a possible hazard to himself enabling himself to be struck by an oncoming train"

Basically, they're saying my splattered brains would be a public inconvenience.

No, they're saying that because you might have caused an accident if some poor shlub of an engineer tried to stop and hit you... and yes, someone would have had to hose you off a train.

Think about the poor bastard who'd have to live with knowing he'd killed an 18 year old because he couldn't stop the train in time to save your sorry self.

you passed out after 7 shots ..... man you lightweight

Ha ha. <Giggles.>

I take it that you live with your parents, then?

Well, according to the official complaint summons, I was in the act of
"purposely cause or recklessly create the risk of public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm by creating a hazardous, physically dangerous condition by an act which served no legitimate puropose of the defendant specifically by stumbling around the railroad tracks intoxicated, approximately 10 feet from the track, causing a possible hazard to himself enabling himself to be struck by an oncoming train"

Basically, they're saying my splattered brains would be a public inconvenience.

They're awfully slippery. *nod*

Seven shots? As in 175-245ml vodka? Please tell me you'd been drinking before this, even passing out after 7 doubles would be a bit extreme. Unlucky though. Are your parents generally tolerant and understanding of little life mistakes like this? Unless they're strictly against booze or something, I'd say just tell them.

They're awfully slippery. *nod*

At least it isn't a pile of mud or syrup... those will mess up a train. :cool:

At least it isn't a pile of mud or syrup... those will mess up a train. :cool:

It would have to be a fairly large pile. *nod*

Tell your parents right now. Don't wait. They are going to find out anyway, so you might as well bite the bullet.

Secondly, get a lawyer, like yesterday. This sounds like the type of thing that should be dismissed if you are properly 'repentant' about the whole deal. But if you continue to try and cover the whole thing up and hide it from people it could go bad for you in court, and in the long run that will suck a lot more than your parents being grumpy with you. (After all, they'll probably be dead long before you, but a misdemeanor conviction will follow you to your grave).

Seven shots? As in 175-245ml vodka? Please tell me you'd been drinking before this, even passing out after 7 doubles would be a bit extreme. Unlucky though. Are your parents generally tolerant and understanding of little life mistakes like this? Unless they're strictly against booze or something, I'd say just tell them.

This is actually my second time drinking in my life. The first was in 9th grade.

Tell your parents right now. Don't wait. They are going to find out anyway, so you might as well bite the bullet.

Secondly, get a lawyer, like yesterday. This sounds like the type of thing that should be dismissed if you are properly 'repentant' about the whole deal. But if you continue to try and cover the whole thing up and hide it from people it could go bad for you in court, and in the long run that will suck a lot more than your parents being grumpy with you. (After all, they'll probably be dead long before you, but a misdemeanor conviction will follow you to your grave).

That's good advice. They told me to get a lawyer in the hospital. I was thinking I'll have to do some community service and maybe pay a fine, but if I can get it dismissed, great.

By the way, your parents have been expecting this. They might even have some advice for you from when this happened to them. :)

Well, according to the official complaint summons, I did
"purposely cause or recklessly create the risk of public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm by creating a hazardous, physically dangerous condition by an act which served no legitimate purpose of the defendant specifically by stumbling around the railroad tracks intoxicated, approximately 10 feet from the track, causing a possible hazard to himself enabling himself to be struck by an oncoming train"



:D
At least you got a cop who could sling together a few words. Should read "self" not "himself" and have "by" before "enabling" and perhaps a colon after "defendant" but for cop-speak it's pretty damn good.

I had a mate who was fined for having his foot out the passenger-side window of a car (well, mate of a mate really.) The offence? "Improtruding."

EDIT: Your name is damn funny btw. And LuGoo is right and funny at the same time, as usual.

Thanks for the advice man.

Ruffy gave good advice. :)

I need serious help. Last Friday, me and a buddy finished a bottle of Vodka between the two of us (7 shots each), and I got arrested and sent to the hospital. Problem is, I'm only 18, so I'm being charged with disorderly persons and a minor in possession of alcohol charge. I have to appear in court 3 weeks from now, and my parents don't know yet, but I'm planning on telling them today. Is there any best way to tell them, and what can I do about the charged pending against me?

Thanks for your help.

send them a telegram or use a skywriter

don't put it off. the sooner you tell them, the better. (in fact, I'm surprise the Hospital/police didn't call them... are you still living at home?)

That's good advice. They told me to get a lawyer in the hospital. I was thinking I'll have to do some community service and maybe pay a fine, but if I can get it dismissed, great.
yep, get a lawyer, or a public defender.

and next time, be more careful, don't wanna read about a drunk person getting splattered by a train as (s)he was stumbling about in a drunken stupor! :mad:

I honestly cannot fathom that the legal drinking age in the US is 21, it's insane.

I need serious help. Last Friday, me and a buddy finished a bottle of Vodka between the two of us (7 shots each), and I got arrested and sent to the hospital. Problem is, I'm only 18, so I'm being charged with disorderly persons and a minor in possession of alcohol charge. I have to appear in court 3 weeks from now, and my parents don't know yet, but I'm planning on telling them today. Is there any best way to tell them, and what can I do about the charged pending against me?

Thanks for your help.

first off, i've got to say: sucks to be american.

now that's done with, i got arrested last summer for assault and breach of the peace while i was so drunk i couldn't see let alone remember anything. spent the night in jail but i actually had to go back 36hours later to ask them what i'd been charged with. yeah i was that drunk.

basically what you've got to do is get a lawyer, in britain you can get free representation if you earn less than £100 per week (i think, i got free representation anyway), i've no idea what the situation is in the US but the general impression i get is you have to pay throught the nose to take a shit (which raises some interesting... err no... anyway). so find some legal advice any way you can. and then hope for the best. for me it turned out that the procurator fiscal (the main prosecutor type person) couldn't be bothered to prosecute so i was let off the charges, so there is still hope. they also said that if i ever get arrested again they will prosecute me to the full extent of the law though so i now have to be careful.

good luck mate.

Sit them down and tell them. Don't try to sugar-coat it, because you'll need their support.

Get a lawyer. If you can't afford one, go with a public defender, but make sure you have one. Even if all you want to do is come up with some sort of plea deal, lawyers are going to know their way around in the system much better than you.

Plea deal. Especially if this is a first offense, I think chances are high that you can give a no contest plea and get a fine and/or community service. If not, go ahead and plead guilty to get the lowest punishment you can. (Obviously the lawyer will advise you on this one).

Don't do it again. This one, I suppose is obvious. I won't pretend that I didn't drink underage, but you have to be more careful. Don't binge drink and definitely don't stumble around in a dangerous place while drunk. Make sure whatever friends you are with if you drink are pretty responsible people and will stop you if you seem to be drinking too much or if you go and do something stupid (like trying to get in a car - thank goodness that didn't happen).

Good luck. The justice system can be pretty fickle and a DA with a bug up his butt can make your life a living hell - at least for a while. Hopefully, you've got a good one.

Meh....now I notice you've already told them. Hehe. Oh well, I think the above is good advice for people who get into such troubles, so I'll leave it. =)

*...*

Plea deal. Especially if this is a first offense, I think chances are high that you can give a no contest plea and get a fine and/or community service. If not, go ahead and plead guilty to get the lowest punishment you can. (Obviously the lawyer will advise you on this one).

*...*

Excuse me, I know I was joking before, but are you saying he could get jail time for a charge like that? First offence, non-violent, no actual consequences of the foolishness ... jail?

It hardly seems worse than a traffic offence e.g. speeding.

Excuse me, I know I was joking before, but are you saying he could get jail time for a charge like that? First offence, non-violent, no actual consequences of the foolishness ... jail?

It hardly seems worse than a traffic offence e.g. speeding.

it would be baised off of how serious the state/city views their underage drinking to be. all you need is one DA to decide to "make an example" of him/her...

You passed out after 7 shots? You should get your liver checked, i'm sure that's not normal even for people with zero tolerance.

America the land of the free :rolleyes:

Where you can drive a 3 ton SUV at 16 and cant drink a beer at 20.

I need serious help. Last Friday, me and a buddy finished a bottle of Vodka between the two of us (7 shots each), and I got arrested and sent to the hospital. Problem is, I'm only 18, so I'm being charged with disorderly persons and a minor in possession of alcohol charge. I have to appear in court 3 weeks from now, and my parents don't know yet, but I'm planning on telling them today. Is there any best way to tell them, and what can I do about the charged pending against me?

Thanks for your help.
First things first - you had to go to hospital after 7 shots of vodka?

Haha you lightweight.

Secondly - I'd tell your parents exactly how it is, and just let things happen. Since you can't change a damned thing now, you'd best just plead guilty to the charges and accept community service or whatever you're likely to get.

it would be baised off of how serious the state/city views their underage drinking to be. all you need is one DA to decide to "make an example" of him/her...

aka one huge asshat of a DA...

My advice: Drink more. Then you'll get used to this, and it wont happen again!

7 shots of vodka is what you should be drinking before you leave the house, to get in the mood to party :)

Hell, I had seven shots in one drink last night. That was fun.

More seriously. Hide nothing. Parents have an irritating way of finding things out. Give it to them straight,

it would be baised off of how serious the state/city views their underage drinking to be. all you need is one DA to decide to "make an example" of him/her...

Better pray you have a light skin colour then....

Otherwise these sort of laws get you screwed...

A true bastion of freedom...

Apparently the 2 most recurrent comments made on this topic are :

-21 is far too old for a legal drinking age.
-The OP poster is a lightweight.

I heartily agree with both.
Legal drinking age should be 16 worldwide. ;)

You passed out after 7 shots? You should get your liver checked, i'm sure that's not normal even for people with zero tolerance.

Depends how quickly you drink them.

I need serious help. Last Friday, me and a buddy finished a bottle of Vodka between the two of us (7 shots each), and I got arrested and sent to the hospital. Problem is, I'm only 18, so I'm being charged with disorderly persons and a minor in possession of alcohol charge. I have to appear in court 3 weeks from now, and my parents don't know yet, but I'm planning on telling them today. Is there any best way to tell them, and what can I do about the charged pending against me?

Thanks for your help.

Easy brother.

It isnt your parents problem.

You are 18, you wanted to act like a man, so act like one.

Directly tell your parents that you broke the law by being an ass, and that you dont expect them to pony up for your stupidity.

Then go into court and plead guilty, take your fine and more then likely nothing else will happen.

These are not felonies, and you didnt get a DUI/DWI you made a mistake a lot of kids make(yes "getting caught" is indeed the mistake I am talking about) but as an 18 year old man you or old enough to vote, old to work, old enough die for your country...but you cant drink, and even past 21 you cant be drunk in public...thats makes walking home instead of driving hard but that's another thread.

Finally,
If you need to be hospitalized after seven shots of 80 proof vodka then i suggest you start drinking Budwieser instead of drinking liquor...because my 120lb wife will drink you down, keep drinking until you are sober and drink you down again. The hospital? wow.

STOP DRINKING LIGHT WEIGHT.

Depends how quickly you drink them.

Undoubtedly an inexperienced drinker would be quite drunk if he drank them all in a minute, but I still doubt that amount would cause a healthy person to pass out.

That's good advice. They told me to get a lawyer in the hospital. I was thinking I'll have to do some community service and maybe pay a fine, but if I can get it dismissed, great.

It's great advice. You need a lawyer right away. Other than telling your parents, discussing this with a lawyer is the only thing you should do.

You shouldn't be seeking legal advice on the internet. Technically, you've probably made a confession here (not that the authorities would ever use the resources to find that out).

You need to treat this as the serious matter that it is. A criminal matter.

Talk to your lawyer. ASAP.

aka one huge asshat of a DA...and those are around... :eek:

I know you! You were going on about how awful Muslims are!

I apologize for being unable to sympathize with you.

You shouldn't be seeking legal advice on the internet. Technically, you've probably made a confession here (not that the authorities would ever use the resources to find that out).



I think he has to identify who he is in order for it to be a confession.

Excuse me, I know I was joking before, but are you saying he could get jail time for a charge like that? First offence, non-violent, no actual consequences of the foolishness ... jail?

It hardly seems worse than a traffic offence e.g. speeding.

It sounds like they may be getting him on multiple charges all with a single incident, which can get ugly. If he isn't willing to plead guilty or at least no contest, a DA with a bug up his butt may push for some amount of jail time. It wouldn't be much, most likely, but it could happen. (Believe it or not, it is possible in some places to get jail time for a traffic offense like speeding - especially if you try and fight the charge).


Undoubtedly an inexperienced drinker would be quite drunk if he drank them all in a minute, but I still doubt that amount would cause a healthy person to pass out.

It depends on a lot of things. Was it on an empty stomach? How inexperienced a drinker? What else was going on at the time?

The first time I ever got drunk was on shots. I doubt it was more than 7 or 8 shots (although I don't really remember how many it was) + a mixed drink. I blacked out for part of the night and slept like the dead when I finally went to sleep (apparently after being hosed off in the shower by my best friend). Had an awful hangover the next day. I had a very light dinner that night and the shots were taken in fairly quick succession.

I wasn't at all unhealthy - I'd just never had that kind of alcohol and here I was having straight shots of booze following a light dinner. I was also upset that night about some things - which can increase the effects of alcohol.

They charged you with that, because you were passed out? How were you disturbing the public peace? :confused:

He was farting very loudly.

Well, according to the official complaint summons, I was in the act of
"purposely cause or recklessly create the risk of public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm by creating a hazardous, physically dangerous condition by an act which served no legitimate puropose of the defendant specifically by stumbling around the railroad tracks intoxicated, approximately 10 feet from the track, causing a possible hazard to himself enabling himself to be struck by an oncoming train"


An "act" usually is something that cannot be accomplished by a person that is sleeping.
And I didn't know that american trains are usually 20 ft wider than the rails.

Oh well. Silly laws.

I need serious help. Last Friday, me and a buddy finished a bottle of Vodka between the two of us (7 shots each), and I got arrested and sent to the hospital. Problem is, I'm only 18, so I'm being charged with disorderly persons and a minor in possession of alcohol charge. I have to appear in court 3 weeks from now, and my parents don't know yet, but I'm planning on telling them today. Is there any best way to tell them, and what can I do about the charged pending against me?

Thanks for your help.

If you were sent to the hospital for only 7 shots then perhaps you shouldn't be drinking.

Oh, and I wouldn't worry about the charges. Most likely you'll get some community service or sent to AA meetings.

come to portugal. legal age here is mostly 16-18yo

most people drink with no problems with bar owners and police at 16. and if you go to some discos, you can even spot 12 and 14yo without anyone monitoring them. silly, but happens

If you were sent to the hospital for only 7 shots then perhaps you shouldn't be drinking.

Oh, and I wouldn't worry about the charges. Most likely you'll get some community service or sent to AA meetings.

If I drank all those in one go it would give me a peak blood alcohol concentration of about 235.29mg% (assuming I used this damn equation right) and thats a pretty dangerous level. Yay nationstates is helping me study

The solution here, don't drink in public. Although it is fun to drink in public specially parks, or random fields. I love drinking in public.

Depends how quickly you drink them.
If I drink 7 shots vodka in 10 minutes, I'd be pretty far away too.

Didn't they send him to the hospital just to check that he was all right? I would do that if I found someone sleeping next to the track.

7 shots and drunk? pfff, lightweight!:D

Just tell them. You're 18 after all, and, provided your parents have some sense of perspective, they should accept it as part of your maturing, provided you are sufficiently contrite.

7 shots and drunk? pfff, lightweight!:D
I weigh a staggering 60 kg.:p

An "act" usually is something that cannot be accomplished by a person that is sleeping.
And I didn't know that american trains are usually 20 ft wider than the rails.

Oh well. Silly laws.

He passed out. It is not a fair assumption that someone who was wandering about the tracks and passed out in a random location was careful enough to consider the width of the train.

And it's not about him being hit, but the fact that had the conductor seen him that he could have caused someone else to injured when the conductor tried to stop the train. Playing on the tracks is dangerous. Playing on the tracks drunk before passing out is just plain stupid.

That's good advice. They told me to get a lawyer in the hospital. I was thinking I'll have to do some community service and maybe pay a fine, but if I can get it dismissed, great.

You got charged with underage drinking in NJ too, right? I wouldn't be surprised if you lost your driver's license for a little while. My advice is don't drive while suspended. They tend to suspend your license even longer, hit you with some serious fines, and you'll have to pay motor vehicle surcharges as well as even higher auto insurance premiums. You're 18. Your parents expect shit like this. They'll take it ok, but don't make it worse by driving if they take your license.

Talk to your lawyer. ASAP.

*this message brought to you by the cat-tribe, attorney at law*

If I drank all those in one go it would give me a peak blood alcohol concentration of about 235.29mg% (assuming I used this damn equation right) and thats a pretty dangerous level. Yay nationstates is helping me study

Who said anything about drinking it all in one go? Granted, I didn't read the whole thread...

If I drank all those in one go it would give me a peak blood alcohol concentration of about 235.29mg% (assuming I used this damn equation right) and thats a pretty dangerous level. Yay nationstates is helping me study

At 16 years of age(120lbs) I drank half a fifth(25.6 fl oz / 2 = 12.8 oz or approximately 13 shots )tequila in fifteen minutes, precisely half, and precisely 15 minutes. This doesnt count the 40oz beer chaser we used to wash the bastard down with...Aztec Tequila and Red Dragon Malt Liqour to be precise.
My compatriate (the guy who drank the other half) then walked few blocks to a Muslim friend of ours family reunion.

7 shots is not a large amount of alcohol. I think your calculation is off, or not taking specific factors into account.
I can drink 7 shots of any common 80 proof liquor and appear completely sober...thats 7 shots in ten minutes.

7 shots? You got that messed up off 7 shots? Back when I drank 7 shots was barely enough to get me buzzed let alone pass out. I say wait to you can handle drinking.

Not 7 shots. Half a bottle. These guys weren't pouring consistently proper shots, most likely. That's not the point regardless. A shot is 30 mL or about 25 shots to a 750 mL bottle. So he did more like 12 or 13 shots in 7 increments.

At 16 years of age(120lbs) I drank half a fifth(25.6 fl oz / 2 = 12.8 oz or approximately 13 shots )tequila in fifteen minutes, precisely half, and precisely 15 minutes. This doesnt count the 40oz beer chaser we used to wash the bastard down with...Aztec Tequila and Red Dragon Malt Liqour to be precise.
My compatriate (the guy who drank the other half) then walked few blocks to a Muslim friend of ours family reunion.

7 shots is not a large amount of alcohol. I think your calculation is off, or not taking specific factors into account.
I can drink 7 shots of any common 80 proof liquor and appear completely sober...thats 7 shots in ten minutes.

Yeah its probably off somewhere.

Vodka = 40% ABV (40 ml in a shot so 16 ml per shot. therefore 112 ml alcohol total which is 88.48g
My weight = 70 kg
Widmark factor = 0.68

Peak BAC = (88.48g(alcohol) x 100) / 70 x 0.68 = 185.9mg%

Yeah its definitely off. Forgot to change to grams. I stand corrected

I was in a WoW Guild on the realm Shadow Council called Drunk in Public. IT was an awesome guild. But yeah. That really, really sucks. Were you caught in 9th grade? IF you were, then it's probably gonna be worse. If not, first time, it shouldn't be more than just community service and crap. But, then again, I'm not a lawyer, so..... good luck.