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Posts Tagged ‘Drunk Driving’

  1. The Wolf Pack

    June 9, 2012 by Britton_Riley

    I haven’t forgotten you, I promise!

    I know I haven’t updated you all week and I am terribly sorry I have neglected you, but it is not without good reason.

    I worked a 13 hour day AT WORK on Tuesday and the rest of the week we were HOUSE SHOPPING!!!! Yes, HOUSE SHOPPING!!! My mister and I have just bought our very first home! I am just so excited, I can’t even tell you. We will be moving in August, so there is lots to do in the next 45 or so days….like retire Scrammy! We will move into our new home SCRAM FREE!! I don’t have to arrange for a home phone, I don’t have to worry about those pesky monthly $300 payments, I won’t have to call Pecharelyse anymore (although I will miss her), no modem beside the bed…and the BEST part??? I will be able to FULLY enjoy my brand spankin new whirlpool bath! And I FULLY intend to….possibly every evening before bed! Yay for two-legged baths!! I haven’t enjoyed a two-legged bath in….oh, around 135 or so days. I miss it!

    And I can even put smelly lotions on after my bath! Oh, it’s the simple things in life that we take for granted. I long to be able to use perfume again. My Narciso Rodriquez probably smells more like roast beef these days, than something you would want to snuggle up next to. I may need to get a brand new bottle for Scrammy’s retirement party….which is in about 45 days…did I mention that?????? I really am sad, dear Scrammy, but SO looking forward to getting back to “normal” life. Only my “normal” life will not be my “normal” life as I knew it pre-Scram…..my new normal will be one of sober living. On my own! No one to hold me accountable but YOU, my friends!

    Which reminds me….one of my blog celebs, Joe Neighbor, has expressed interest in whether or not I am going to continue my blog, post-Scram. Well, the answer is OF COURSE! Y’all are my peeps, I’m not just going to disappear into thin air! You’re like my little invisible family now and I look forward to sharing my tales of sober living with you. I know that there will be ups and downs, days where I feel tempted to drink, but I know that I have people routing for me, cheering me on, hoping for the best. Plus, I hope to be able to continue to share my story and crusade to stop drunk driving.

    Speaking of which….remember these guys???

    Well, I have some SUPER exciting news….

    Remember when I said I was determined to get the Tipsy Transit listed on the National Directory of Designated Driver Services  Well, our friends at Drinkinganddriving.org heard my plea and got in touch with our pals at The Tipsy Transit (Okay, y’all, this is California contacting Georgia….California is like worlds away, but somehow they heard me! And they answered!!) Anyway, DADO (that’s what their peeps call ‘em for short….I think I can officially call myself “one of their peeps” :) ) called the Tipsy Transit and voila…..just like that…there they are…on the list!! I received an email from the president of DADO, telling me that he’d called and chatted with the Tipsy Transit dudes and that they were now officially on the list. I read that and I was beaming, grinning from ear to ear!

    I have never been a part of a community where I have felt so much support. The folks I have met just since I started writing this blog have inspired me in so many ways. In her book “Unwasted”, Sacha Scoblic describes the support group that forms around her as her “Wolf Pack”.  She says “Alone, I am a lazy git. Together, we are powerful.” (Now, I’ll be honest…..I like to think I have a pretty advanced vocabulary, but I was not familiar with “lazy git” so I looked it up. The Urban Dictionary defines a “lazy git” as someone who likes to sit on their sorry ass all day and watch the match while eating bags of chips…..hmm, a most appropriate description of who I was as a drunk!) As I read this, I thought of what I, along with the help of my “Wolf Pack”, had just accomplished….my town is now “on the map” of the National Directory of Designated Driver Services! I put it out there and they heard me and they helped me do something about it! Together we made a change! I realize this may be small, but it’s HUGE to me and what I am trying to accomplish!

    As we were driving home from our Friday night dinner together as a family, my mister, our son and I were talking about cars. Our son is looking for a new car and was saying that he didn’t want an SUV, rather he wants to get a car….not only that, but a FAST car. At that point, the words of my father came out of my mouth…”Speed kills!”. Me, the girl who used to take curves with reckless abandon, especially when I was drinking. I told him that no matter how good of a driver you are, speed kills. That was my father speaking, but it was my voice. What the heck, where did that come from? :)

    Then of course, I had to follow that up with….”and PLEASE, whatever you do, DON’T drink and drive!!!” I admitted that perhaps I sounded like a public service announcement, but that it is SO true and SO not worth it. I pleaded with him to never ever under any circumstances, drink and drive….EVER!!! I love our son so much and I don’t want to see him go through what I have gone through. I hope he uses his brain when faced with the situation. I hope he calls me from a bar, if he chooses to go to bars. I don’t care if it is 3 am (closing time in TN) and he is falling over drunk. I will get out of bed and GLADLY come get him, no matter where he is. The sad thing is that I know my parents would have done the same for me. I never called them though. There were many many times that I should have. But I didn’t. I hope my sweet son will call me if he needs me.

    Okay, I suspect that I am rambling at this point, so I will leave it at that.

    Do you have any cool services near you for toting drunks home?

    Is your town on the National Directory of Designated Driver Services?

    If not, let me know, I may be able to help…… (I’ve got peeps now!!  :) )

    Category SCRAM, Scram Bracelet Diaries | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,, | 4 Comments

  2. My Bavarian Angel

    June 9, 2012 by Britton_Riley

     

    It is 10:25 pm on June 8th, 2012.

    One year ago, I was drunk and getting ready to leave my house. I had no idea that I would never make it to my destination. I had no idea that my life would be forever changed, about an hour from now, one year ago.

    My Bavarian Angel was looking out for me that night.

    I can remember it as if it happened just yesterday.

    I planted my flowers……

    and drank vodka…..out of my new fun glasses, with my new fun friend

    and more vodka, and more vodka…..

    and then I decided to “go do something fun”…….which turned into this

    The night was not supposed to turn out that way, but it could have turned out worse.

    As I planted my flowers, sipping my vodka and lemonade, never in my wildest dreams did I think it would have led to such a life changing event. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would escape a potentially fatal car wreck, nearly go to jail, and spend the night not in the comfort of my own bed, but laying on a hospital gurney in the emergency room in a neck brace while the medical staff waited for me to sober up so that they could release me….because this was my “reward” for being honest, my alternative to going to jail. I had no clue that I would be calling my insurance company to file the claim for my destroyed vehicle, telling my employer I had been involved in a drunk driving crash and I was the drunk driver, that I would be calling a DUI attorney for representation, that I would be “going downtown” to be booked & processed with mug shots taken…..

    There has never been a criminal bone in my body….or so I thought. I always knew that drinking and driving was wrong, but I did it anyway….because like most people, this stuff happens to everyone else. It won’t happen to me. I’m a great driver when I’m drunk. It’s the people driving the low riders or jacked up hoopties that get pulled over, not the clean cut blonde driving the BMW….I’m not the type that they “look for”…..I am sure you have heard this all before and possibly even thought it yourself.

    If there is one thing I can say, it is PLEASE do NOT under any circumstances drink and drive. It just isn’t worth it. It DID happen to me, it WILL eventually happen to you if you drink and drive. There is NO such thing as a “good drunk driver”. People DIE.

    I would have been the very last person anyone would have ever suspected to wind up as the poster child for anti-drunk driving, but I learned a very tough lesson and it has become my passion to share it with others….to try to help save even one life….not because I have been “sentenced” to do it or because I’ve turned into a teetotaler, but because I have realized how STUPID it is to drink and drive. I have 45 more days left with my Scram Bracelet and honestly, SCRAM is the best thing that has ever happened to me. For the last 135 days, I have thought about what has led me to this place. Every time my skin itches under my Scram, I think of that night.

    That police officer has no idea what a gift he gave me by not sending me to jail that night. Sure, sitting in the drunk tank would have been an awful experience for me, but I would have eventually forgotten about it. The judge who reduced my charges to reckless driving, if I would wear this mysterious  Scram Alcohol Monitor, this crazy “Lyndsay Lohan Bracelet” for not 3 months, but SIX MONTHS has no clue how he has changed my life by choosing this as my punishment as opposed to a DUI with 48 hours in jail. The 48 hours would have been terribly unpleasant for me, but I would have gotten through it….and I would have forgotten about it. One year later, this wreck, this choice I made to drink and drive is STILL so vivid in my mind because I am STILL paying the consequences for my actions. I am STILL enduring the punishment, which is a constant reminder of what I’ve done.

    It is 11:48 on June 8th and I can almost hear the police and ambulance sirens as they rush to the scene of the crash……

    Rest in peace, sweet Penelope, my Bavarian Angel. I think about you fondly, I think of you often. May you have sunshine and peace as you cruise down the big Autobahn in the sky.

    Auf wiedersehen, Penelope, thank you for saving my life and the life of my passenger.

    Category Life Pre Scram, SCRAM, Scram Bracelet Diaries | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

  3. Find A Driver Near You!

    May 28, 2012 by Britton_Riley

    Check out the new awesome video from our girl Missy  at Bitten and Bound and the fabulous folks at DrinkingandDriving.org!

    What great information! Have you checked out the National Directory of Designated Drivers? Did you even know such a thing exists? So cool! I looked up Georgia and at the top of the list was Butts County. Immediately my maturity level dropped to that of a grade schooler and I giggled….a lot.

    Then I scrolled down to my county and noticed it isn’t listed. DANG! You know, I think I will contact the Tipsy Transit folks and see if they would be interested in adding their service to the list. We need to get on that list, y’all!

    I am SO very happy to report that there is a service in Knoxville, TN (where I had my crash)! SO Knoxville friends…..there is NO reason for you not to call The Scooter Guy!! His phone number is so clever…855-scoot-4U !! I love it! I need to find out who exactly this scooter guy is and tell him thank you for the wonderful services he is providing!

    So perhaps by now you’ve noticed by now that I’ve mentioned Miss Missy Germain a time or two. Well, I keep learning more and more about her and I think she is a really amazing person. She and I have something in common, which makes me love her and respect her even more…sobriety. She has been sober for 6 years! For the longest time, I have always just known of  Missy as my friend A’s Bitten and Bound business partner who lives in Minnesota. (Being from Wisconsin, that part definitely caught my attention!) It was not until my crash, finding out the resulting punishment, and deciding to tell my story about it, that A told me more about Missy. Through my experience, I have slowly gotten to know more and more about her and feel so happy to be connected with such a strong, wonderful, inspirational woman! And I’m not the only one who thinks she’s awesome….“Her Social Network”  just featured Missy as their Inspirational Woman of the Week and did this story……

    If she can do it, I can do it! Here’s to sobriety!!

    Have you checked ou my countdown clock lately?…I have less than 60 days left with Scrammy. Oooh, scary! I’m winding down and sobriety will be completely up to me! No pressure….

    Category SCRAM | Tags: ,,,,, | 4 Comments

  4. Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag, Gabriele!

    May 18, 2012 by Britton_Riley

    Today is a really special day. Do you want to know why?
    Because it’s my Gabriele‘s birthday!! I happened to talk to her sidekick at the mothership today and he told me it was her special day. Did you know that my fabulous Gabriele has a sidekick? Yup, she sure does! They are like Bat(wo)man and Robin, but they are my real life Scrammy superhero duo! “Robin” called me today because he needed to clarify my card number for my next to last Scram payment!! Only ONE more payment left, I can hardly believe it!! Before I know it, Scrammy and I will be saying goodbye to one another…..what a bittersweet thought.

    We had our own little birthday celebration for Gabriele tonight at our house! She was here in spirit….we even had her birthday cupcakes on my GERMAN Rosenthal dessert plates! It was special :) Gabriele is special to me.

    My philosophy on unpleasant situations, or having to do things you don’t necessarily want to do…..like stop drinking, learn some lessons, wear something around your ankle that irritates your skin, itches, and makes dirty noises….it is all about your attitude. I had a good attitude AND I was lucky enough to have some really wonderful people helping me along the way in my Scram Journey.

    Really, though I have some great people looking after me and Scrammy. Let’s see, we have Gabriele and her sidekick, Pecharelyse from the Sheriff’s Department, Kathleen from AMS, all of you awesome Scrammers who have shared your stories with me, Joe Neighbor, the awesome peeps at drinkinganddriving.org, Missy from bittenandbound.com and her AWESOME public service announcements about drunk driving (see my sidebar), my family, my mister, my rockstar attorney, my twitter peeps…….lots of great peeps! Everyone has been amazing!! THANK YOU!!! (And if I missed anyone, which I know I missed at least someone, my memory is horrible, but you ARE appreciated!!!!)

    Oh, and speaking of dirty noises…..as I told you before, my Scrammy is getting loud. Real loud. It’s kind of embarrassing. It sounds like a duck…..and you know what else sounds like a duck, don’t you? Farties! Basically I go around making obscene noises every 30 minutes, but without any odor….and people probably think I eat lots of beans and have little control of my faculties. Thanks, Scrammy!

    But, have no fear, for it’s Gabriele to the rescue once again!  Here she comes to save the day….Gabriele is on her way! - sung to the tune of the Mighty Mouse theme song – (Okay, now she has earned a cape…with sequins of course AND a super hero song!)

    When we spoke yesterday, she first informed me that I have the Special Edition Scram Bracelet…..you know, the one that makes animal noises! After we finished roaring with laughter, she asked me about the noise and said that if it had become too loud or bothered me, she could send a new Scram to the man who changed my battery and we’d see if he would just swap it out. Wasn’t that nice of her? She’s awesome! I told her let’s hold off for now, but I appreciate her suggestion and will definitely let her know if and/or when I am ready to take her up on her offer.

    Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag Gabriele!

    (Did I say that right? I hope so!)

    Category Awkward SCRAM Moments, SCRAM, Scram Bracelet Diaries | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, | 1 Comment

  5. Sobriety For Couples

    May 14, 2012 by Britton_Riley

    Okay, y’all I’ve got a riddle for you

    …what do you get when you send an alcoholic who CAN’T drink to the store to get beer?

     I’ll tell you a little story while you ponder that one….

     My mister really likes to drink but has been doing fairly well controlling himself while I CAN’T drink. What I mean by I CAN’T is that with my Scram, I don’t even have a choice. I can have all the cravings I want, but  giving in is NOT even an option. Will power has absolutely nothing to do with it. I just know that I CANNOT drink alcohol. My mister is really trying to be supportive. Well, Thursday night he lost control and drank LOTS. I’ll spare you the dirty details, both for your sake and to protect his “innocence”. After all, I chose to air my dirty laundry to you, he didn’t.

    To see someone that I love so much fall into the grips of my biggest demon – alcohol – and lose all control made me despise the stuff. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs “ALCOHOL, GET OUT OF MY LIIIFFFEEEE!!!” I wanted to yell into eternity “ALCOHOL, QUIT COMPLICATING MY LIFE!!!” To see the way that alcohol changes and manipulates one’s personality is frightening and eye opening into my own behaviors of addiction. How could this stuff change someone I love so much so drastically? Does my personality change this much when I am drinking?? (I already know the answer to that question….) It definitely gives me any additional reason I may have needed to solidify my commitment to indefinite sobriety….even though I know it will be hard.

     The next morning (that would be Friday), when he was at work feeling less than perky, my mister told me that he’s thinking about giving up drinking for a while…..music to my ears!! Great idea!!! Hooray!!! All the praying I did Thursday night for him just to pass out had paid off! (My mister gets awfully chatty when he drinks…definitely one thing we have in common!)

    Would you believe he even took the keys, got in the car, and was going to drive somewhere?? I was absolutely stunned. After all that we’ve been through, living with me being on Scram, the Walk Like MADD, seeing all of those families who lost loved ones to drunk driving, seeing how such a BAD choice negatively impacted my/our lives and SO many other lives….HOW COULD HE!! I felt like he’d just slapped me in the face. What was he thinking? He wasn’t. As it turns out, he never left the driveway. He obviously had some speck of sense left in his foggy state of mind. When my mister decided to leave the house, our son and I were chatting, talking about how ridiculous this situation was. I saw my opportunity and I TOOK IT! (Of course this was only after I knew my mister was in the driveway, not going anywhere, not going to harm anyone)

    Our son is getting ready to turn 21 years old in September and I knew this was my prime opportunity to do my best momma naggin’, finger waggin’ and I seized it…..I said to him just what my mom said to me when I was his age, only I had his dad right there to say  ”SEE? See? He clearly has a problem and you could easily have the same one.” I told him that when he turns 21, if he chooses to have alcohol in his life, he needs to be SO careful and cognizant that it could get out of control. I hope he is learning some very valuable lessons. The issue of alcohol, alcoholism, drunk driving, and consequences is an IN YOUR FACE subject in our household EVERY SINGLE DAY right now and will continue to be as long as Scrammy is with me. It has to be. It has changed my daily life. It effects everything I do. It’s more than just an “I can’t drink alcohol” type of situation. Our son hears me call Pecharelyse at the Sheriff’s Office daily, he hears me call my lovely Gabriele to ask her to please charge me another $300 each month, he sees us trying to replace a vehicle. I hope and pray that he makes better decisions than his dad and I have.

    Hmmm, I sound like a real parent, huh? WOW! :) (I love him so much! Have I mentioned that I think he is awesome?)

    So, in an effort to come crawling out of the dog house, my mister suggested Friday night date night, which we usually do anyway but this time he had it all planned out. It is my favorite time of the week! We went to dinner and then saw Dark Shadows

    …..Johnny Depp AND my dreamboat mister in the same room for 2 hours! It was awesome. (Sorry if you just puked a little in your mouth. I try not to be too sappy.) And do you see Scrammy peeking out the bottom of my dress? Still wearing the palm tree!

    The movie theater wasn’t full, which was surprising….especially for a Friday night….so we were able to be “those people” who prop their feet up on the back of the chair in front of them. It was nice and comfy. During my days of drinking, I would have had lots to drink with dinner, and then passed out in the movie theater. It’s not so bad until I start to snore and have to be woken up.

    We had a wonderful date, which was a great start to Mother’s Day weekend!

    Then it happened….yesterday (Saturday). I was out doing some errands and my mister calls to ask if I will pick up some beer for the weekend. My heart sank and I felt really disappointed. What happened to his trial sobriety? I could identify because I’ve been there..I mean, haven’t we all? The hangover is gone, you have an ounce of your pride back, and it’s time to drink again! Yup, been there. It is a vicious cycle I know too well…..until Scrammy happened to me. Yet another reason Scrammy is one of the best things that has happened to me. I seriously doubt that without Scrammy, I’d have had the willpower to get 6 months of sobriety under my belt. I’m not there yet, but by the time Scrammy and I have to say farewell to each other, I will have 6 months sobriety! I plan to continue that sobriety and I hope that my mister will give some thought to his own drinking habits. He definitely has more control than I do, but he also likes to enjoy a drink or several from time to time.

    After I got my mister’s request, I was disappointed and then angry. I didn’t want to get the beer he was asking for. I don’t want a repeat of Thursday night. A relapse already??? I mean, no judgements, I’ve been there, but REALLY??? Are you freaking kidding me? He almost DROVE the car in that state of mind!!! And now he wants to get back to drinking??

    So….back to my riddle! Can you see where this is going? Have you figured it out? Do you think you know what you get when you send an alcoholic who CAN’T drink to the store for beer???

    Wait for it….

    wait for it…..

    Are you ready to see what I brought home??? Any guesses?

    Here we go….

    BAM! HOLLA!!!

    I sent our son a text message from the store to tell him what I was thinking of doing. We had a great chuckle over my plan to either come home with a 6 pack of O’Doul’s, you know…the non-alcoholic beer OR the nastiest, cheapest, most ghetto fabulous, grossest, most rookie beer I could find. I opted for the latter, the second I walked up to the beer case at the gas station and laid eyes on that 18 ounce Colt 45! Oh man, I was cheering myself on inside my head! Nicely done, Britton…Nicely done! What a genius little scheme! I picked up the Natural Light as the icing on the cake. All you drinkers out there probably think I’m mean and nasty. All you fellow alcoholics out there are probably thinking at least I didn’t get the non-alcoholic beer! I think it was absolutely genius!

    When I arrived home with my little gift, I casually announced that I wasn’t sure if he wanted cans or bottles, so I got both. HAHA!!!

    My mister didn’t think it was funny….but do you know what? He has been drinking that beer and thanks to me, probably at a slower pace than if it had been his beloved Miller Lite! He asked what he was supposed to do with the Colt 45. I told him to mix it with some orange juice and have a Brass Monkey. Oh I was rolling laughing!

    I wonder if there is a book out there called “Sobriety For Couples”. If not, perhaps I should write one.

    By the way, my Scrammy has been sounding rather sickly the last few days. When it takes a reading (vibrates), it is louder than normal and actually sounds less like vibrating or buzzing and more like a sick cow. That’s the best description of the sound that I can come up with. I know that I have read complaints that people have written about their Scram getting louder over time with the vibrating. Perhaps this is what is going on with mine. Who knows. I just know it’s going to be even more awkward when I am in a meeting at work and it goes off. “Oh sorry y’all, it’s just the sick cow under my pant leg.” I don’t think anyone will go for that.

    Category SCRAM, Scram Bracelet Diaries | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,, | 3 Comments

  6. Scram Friends

    May 11, 2012 by Britton_Riley

    Happy Thursday, y’all!

    I am so jazzed about all of you Scrammers out there who have contacted me! Who knew there were so many of us, right? It sure is nice to know we’re not alone in this.

    Do you let your Scram show or am I the only one? So far, most of you have told me you keep your Scram hidden. Nothing wrong with that :) I just chose not to. It’s too stinkin hot for pants AND how boring would this blog be if I wasn’t conducting a “social experiment” and collecting stories to entertain you with?

    One of my fabulous Scram friends sent me pictures of her Scram bracelet….she has bedazzled hers too! She has since gotten it off, but never let it show when she had to wear it. I guess you could say this is her big debut….

    Aren’t they fun little Scrammy ‘outfits’? I just love her style!

    Hers looks just like mine!

    She has graduated from Scram now and was on the portable breath-alyzer for a little while….this guy:

    I didn’t know about this little device, but I am told that it has a camera so that the Mothership can see exactly who is blowing into the device. Pretty cool technology, huh!

    If you have a Scram, send me a picture! Are you a bedazzler? I want to see!

    I just love hearing from you! It is so nice to know there are lots of us out there.

    When we were at the Cheesecake Factory this weekend, my mister thought he spotted a girl with a Scrammy…she was in a dress and had this black thing around her ankle. Oh, I was SO excited! Then I was let down…it turns out it was a pair of good ol’ gladiator sandals. Bummer!

    We were out looking at cars the other day. I really liked this little Fiat, but everyone else thinks it’s silly looking. I think it’s rather cute!

    My mister & I and several of the car sales peeps were standing around checking out this little beauty when one of them said “You know, Charlie Sheen has one of these in his house.” To which I replied “Yeah, Charlie Sheen and I have a lot in common.” No one got it but me and my mister….until I hiked up my pant leg, and THEN they all got the joke!

     Have you seen Charlie Sheen’s Fiat commercial? His Scram bracelet is so small. It is definitely a fake.

    “House Arrest”….I suppose his is just a tracking device, so maybe it really does look like that.

    We went out for pizza tonight. The restaurant was literally called “Fabulous”….our son decided that it should really be named “Mediocre”…..he’s funny and he’s right! There’s nothing worse than soggy pizza, yuck!

    Send me your Scrammy pictures, Scrammers!!

    Psssst…..I’m 115 days sober!

    Category Awkward SCRAM Moments, SCRAM | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, | 1 Comment

  7. Beach Time!

    May 9, 2012 by Britton_Riley

    “Reality is a hallucination brought on by lack of alcohol.” – Anonymous

    I have started a new book that was recommended to me by one of my fabulous readers. This quote was included in the introduction and I loved it.

    The book is called “Unwasted: My Lush Sobriety” by Sacha Z. Scoblic. I’ll keep you posted!

    What a glorious weekend on Jacksonville Beach! It was so relaxing and wonderful! And Scrammy was dressed ever so festively in a palm tree!

    I stopped at the grocery store that morning before we left for the beach and I nearly bought a case of beer, simply out of sheer habit. It just didn’t feel right to take a cooler to the beach that wasn’t filled to the gills with beer.

    We found ourselves in the middle of a surf competition. I’ve seen surf competitions on movies before….Blue Crush, Soul Surfer, and my absolute favorite, Back to the Beach (with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello), but never in person until now. It was totally tubular, dude!

    We witnessed a little girl learning to surf!

    It was Cinco de Mayo weekend. Did you drive safely? Did you designate a driver if you went out to celebrate? I hope you did.

    We ate at a restaurant called Taco Lou’s. It received great ratings, but I wasn’t that impressed. It was just okay AND we had to walk an entire mile to get there. Normally a one mile walk wouldn’t bother me, but I was in wedge heels & a dress and it seemed to be a questionable area…I was a tad scared and held on to my mister real tight.

    It was windy our first  day on the beach, but not the second day so I pulled my chair right down to where the waves washed up on the sand! When I saw that a big one was coming, I just raised my left leg to keep Scrammy from drowning. It definitely kept me nice and cool….and I LOVE the salt water.

    As I sat there, a group of young girls were coming out of the water. My mister told me they were looking at and talking about what was around my leg, trying hard to figure out what it was. I sure wish they would have asked. I would have gotten to tell some young impressionable folks about the dangers of drunk driving….

    Lots of people look but hardly anyone ever asks.

    My mister and my S went out to enjoy the waves. I was so jealous. I decided that as soon as I get my Scrammy off we are heading straight to the beach. I love to frolic in the waves. It is one of my most favorite things to do. I love to stand in the knee-deep water and wait for a wave to come and try to knock me down, then pull me further out into the ocean. As I sat there alone on the beach, watching my husband and friends enjoy themselves in the water, I did lots of thinking. I did lots of thinking about my Scram, about my crash, and about the consequences of my old habits. I thought about how different the weekend would have been, had I been able to drink. It really made me  appreciate sobriety…..A LOT.

    There were lots of cool critters on the beach….

    I had never seen a real live starfish before. It was awesome!

    The pier was full of people fishing and I saw this guy get reeled in….

      As I snapped the picture after the man reeled it in, I gasped and said “Oh no! He’s dying!” The fisherman was so proud of his big catch. I’m pretty sure he was less than thrilled with my commentary.

    My mister spotted this lovely gal. Her outfit was amazing AND she had rubber grapes strapped to the front of her flip flops! She was definitely making some sort of fashion statement, but I don’t know that she’d make the best dressed list.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Before we headed home, we decided to have lunch and do some shopping. They have the BEST outdoor mall in Jacksonville not far from the beach. For lunch, we went to the Cheesecake Factory. As soon as we walked through the door, I evaluated their selection of delicious cheesecake…my mouth watered!

    Once we had our lunch, it was time for dessert. I had the Pecan Turtle cheesecake, S had the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup cheesecake, and her friend had the Carrot Cake cheesecake.

    It all tasted even more amazing than it looks, I promise! They were so rich and delicious that I couldn’t finish it so I took it home and had it for breakfast on Sunday. It was amazing…again!

    After lunch, we did some shopping. Since it was Cinco de Mayo, they had a special little celebration at one end of the shopping center. It was basically a liquor garden. It was right outside of the Louis Vuitton store. (It was a very upscale shopping center) Of course I had to go into Louis Vuitton and of course I received dirty looks as soon as they saw my ankle. Seriously? Have they seen Lindsay Lohan? This is a very expensive piece of jewelry. I could’ve had a really nice LV bag for what this bracelet has cost me!

    There was even a Jaguars football player sitting on the Louis Vuitton couch, drinking Louis Vuitton mimosas, looking at Louis Vuitton bags! I didn’t get any dirty looks from him. He must know Lindsay Lohan…..He totally knows that the Scram bracelet is the new David Yurman!

    As we left Louis Vuitton, we saw 2 middle aged women leaving the fun Cinco de Mayo celebration (you know, the liquor garden I told you about)….the one lady had to hold the other lady up. We KNOW the passenger was clearly drunk. They really enjoyed themselves at the liquor garden, but their big mistake was not calling a cab. They carefully got into their pretty white Mercedes. It was really sad and I desperately wanted to say something. I didn’t have the courage. I hope the driver wasn’t impaired. I hope they didn’t hurt anyone.

    THEY didn’t get dirty looks from anyone but me for getting in the car in their condition, but I got dirty looks in Louis Vuitton for wearing my Scram. I’m not sure that makes much sense to me. Does it to you?

    People just don’t take impaired driving seriously. It is really disturbing how lackadaisical some people actually are. (That used to be me.) It became clear to me how ignorant people are to the dangers of drunk driving during a recent conversation I had with one of my peers. The person I was talking to was telling me a story about a night of drinking…..about how much they’d had to drink, almost in a boastful way……they ended the conversation with “and I drove home”. I looked at them and said “you WHAT?” His reply??? (Here’s where the ignorance really comes in to play…..) “You couldn’t tell.” (speaking of how much he’d had to drink, implying that he handled all that liquor like a champ) You couldn’t tell…..now THAT is ignorant. But that’s also the way I used to rationalize my drunk driving behaviors. It’s how lives are lost. It’s how crashes happen.

    This thought process HAS to change.

    Category SCRAM, Scram Bracelet Diaries | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, | 6 Comments

  8. Sheriff’s Office, Pacharelyse!

    May 4, 2012 by Britton_Riley


    Scrammy isn’t loving life on my left leg. I think we’re having a temper tantrum…in the form of blisters and lots of weeping. Get over it, Scrammy…change is good!

    S and her manfriend arrived yesterday! It was so great to see her again. Do you have one of those friends who, no matter how much time passes since you’ve seen them, when you are with them it feels like you just saw them yesterday? That’s how it is with me and S. She is awesome and looks fabulous! We each checked out one another’s new accessories and got caught up on all the latest gossip from the homefront. And then I made homemade pizza on the grill! Oh my, y’all, have you ever made it that way? If you haven’t, you are seriously missing out! It is SO good! So good, you’ll want to slap your sister!

    I just roll out my dough and place it on the grill on low heat. Once it is nice and crispy but not burnt, I take it in the house and put all my toppings on the grilled side. Once I have my toppings all smothered on and piled high, I take it back out to the grill. Now the side of the dough that had originally been face up is getting all grilled up and crunchy and yummy! It tastes like a wood fired pizza and has been a real hit at our house! Y’all should seriously try it! Oh and I cheated…usually I make my own dough, but Publix is the best place on earth…they make the dough for you! You can buy a ball of dough already made in their deli! It’s genius!

    We are on our way to the beach, hip hip hooray! My mister, my best friend S & her manfriend, and I are all packed into “Flo”, headed to Jacksonville beach. “Flo” is S‘s mother’s SUV. I named her a while back. We thought we might need the extra room of an SUV and as it turns out, we definitely did! We don’t pack lite….a girl’s gotta have options, and beach chairs and towels and an umbrella for when we need shade and a few coolers and not one bathing suit but THREE bathing suits. Oh and a few dresses and a couple pairs of shoes…..yeah, we’re just going for one night. Just a simple overnight trip to the beach. :) We’re low maintenance.

    As soon as Sir Higgins and Fletcher saw us packing the car, they were all ready to jump in the car to go with us, especially when they saw the frisbee being packed. Sir Higgins LOVES playing with his frisbee!

    So as I’ve told you before, one of the terms of my “unsupervised probation” is that I must call in to the Sheriff’s office in Tennessee 3 days a week. I have been very diligent and haven’t missed a single day! The same sweet lady answers each time. She says “Sheriff’s Office, Pacharelyse”….I have always thought what a unique name that is. I wonder if it is a family name of some sort. OR did her parents just really love lots of names..Patricia, Charlotte, and Elyse, couldn’t make up their minds, so they made up their own combination of all 3 and came up with Pacharelyse! Either way, I’ve always commented to myself what a special name this lovely lady has.

    One day, a man answered and he said “Sheriff’s Office, Pacharelyse”. I thought to myself “hmm, he’s answering HER phone, so he’s answering it with HER name, how cute!” I nearly commented “My my, Pacharelyse, your voice sure has gotten deep!” But I didn’t. Our conversations typically go like this….”Sheriff’s Office, Pacharelyse.” ….and I say who I am and that I am calling to check in. They say “Okay thank you.” A brief interaction, but always pleasant!

    This week, the lovely Pacharelyse must be on vacation because a man has been answering the phone. He must be southern because he speaks a lot slower…..and I realize that I’ve been wrong all this time. It turns out, I don’t know what my lovely lady’s name is! It ISN’T Pacharelyse at all! She is saying “Sheriff’s Office, Pretrial and Release”.

    Ooooohhhhhhh, now don’t I feel silly!

    That’s ok. In my mind, she’ll always be Pacharelyse. And she talks real fast! But she’s awesome and 3 days a week she brightens my morning :)

    Category SCRAM, Scram Bracelet Diaries | Tags: ,,,,,,,,, | 5 Comments

  9. Harsh Judgement: A Slap Of Reality

    April 28, 2012 by Britton_Riley

    The weekend is finally here and I have lots to catch you up on, but before I do…something happened to me last night that I have to tell you about. I have tried to write other posts about the exciting things that have happened over the past week, but I just can’t. I have to get this out first. I’m all about being “chronologically correct” (did I just make that up?), but this time I will just have to get over it. So here goes….

    I have been a bit under the weather this week. Everyone around me has gotten a case of the crud and it was just my turn. The biggest, most annoying symptom is my sinuses. You don’t realize how nice it is to be able to breathe until you can’t! When you can’t breathe, you can’t sleep and when you can’t sleep, you can’t focus during the day. It really stinks! Oh, which reminds me…I can’t smell either! I can’t enjoy my food because I can’t taste it. Oh, I am just so pitiful! I won’t bore you or gross you out with all the details, but let’s just say I’ve gone through quite a few tissues! Finally Friday came and I was ready to rest, but I STILL couldn’t breathe. Nothing I’ve tried has helped me. All of the great stuff that typically clears me up hasn’t worked.

    The sweet girl who is renting our Tennessee condo is studying to be a Nurse Practitioner got wind of my situation and  recommended that I try Mucinex with Sudafed. She recommends that a lot to her patients, has had great results with it, and gave me strict instructions. I would need to go to a pharmacy to get it. She instructed me to ask the pharmacist for this miracle cure. It is one of those lovely medicines that, thanks to the peeps who think they are chemists and like to make Meth, is now kept behind the counter…..

    I’m sure you can see where this story is going….but if you can’t, I’ll just tell you because I’m still  fuming….DOWNHILL! Downhill is where this story is going.

    As soon as I had gotten home from work, I washed my face, changed into comfy clothes, and crawled into bed. I looked sick, I felt terrible, I was feverish, I just needed to be able to breathe and get some rest. When I got the recommendation for this wonderful cure, I rolled out of bed and my mister & I headed for the store. There I was, mismatched clothes, cropped pants & hoodie with flip flops, bed head, no makeup, watery eyes, chapped lips….I was absolutely breath-taking!! I didn’t care, I was on a mission. I walked into Rite Aid, greeted the nice girl at the front cash register and headed straight for the Pharmacy. I approached the counter and the woman asked if she could help me. I told her I needed Mucinex with Sudafed (just as I had been instructed). Her response?????? “I’m sorry but we’re not selling any more of that tonight.” WHAT??? “Yes, I’m sorry, but the pharmacist has already said he’s done selling it for today and he’s just not fooling with it.” WHAT??? My miraculous cure was within my eyesight, it was going to make me able to BREATHE again and get the much needed rest I so needed……and THIS SNOT NAZI was keeping it from me!!! I just could not believe my ears! I couldn’t believe what she was telling me. I thought this has got to be a joke!

    My mister was dumbfounded. I was fuming. I was headed back to the front of the store to exit, thinking I would just go over to good ol Walmart. The nice girl that I greeted as I walked in acknowledged me as I was leaving, telling me to have a good evening. AHA! THIS was my opportunity to blow the whistle on those awful pharmacy peeps! I told her that I had a problem and proceeded to tell her what I had just been told. The look on her face said it all….exactly what I was thinking…..WHAT??? This is the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life! That’s what I was thinking, and clearly that was the expression on her face! She apologized to me and proceeded to call back to the pharmacy and spoke with the awful pharmacy peeps, looking for answers. She hung up the phone and sent me back to the pharmacy. Needless to say, my mister had not expected me to make such a stink….but wouldn’t you?

    When I went back, the original woman was hiding between the drug shelves and the pharmacist was now at the counter. “Can I help you?” I explained that I was the one looking for the Mucinex with Sudafed. (as if he didn’t already know…) He asked which one I wanted….was there more than one kind?? Oh I was so frustrated! I explained to him that my friend who is a nurse practitioner instructed me to get Mucinex with Sudafed. It is kept behind the counter, you have to ask the pharmacist for it. She tells patients all the time to get it and she has had great results with it. AND THAT’S THE ONE I NEEDED.

    He was not very warm and fuzzy. He did not apologize, rather he explained that he had told the woman that if they get anyone at the counter asking for this medication, who has “METH MOUTH…you know, where all their teeth are rotting out” (really, that’s exactly what he said!), that she should refuse to sell it to them. It then occurred to me….she saw my Scrammy and judged me. How could I have missed this. Now I was MAD! I had a small temper tantrum right there at the pharmacy counter. “I may be a drunk driver (pointing to my Scram), but I do NOT do Meth!” Yeah, I said it. I didn’t just SAY it, I ANNOUNCED it. The kleenex in my hand was NOT a prop! Mortified, I think my mister was hiding in the Tylenol aisle.

    *Now, let me just clarify…I have always had my regular 6 month cleanings at the dentist. I have always gone to top notch dentists who use only the finest, most current technology. EVERY tooth that ever was in my head is 100% accounted for. They are STRAIGHT and they are WHITE. I have no dark fillings, only the tooth colored ones for the few that I do have. I have always been complimented on my smile, in fact I feel that it is one of my assets….can you tell I’m mad? When I open my mouth, NOTHING would lead you to suspect I would do anything with some Mucinex with Sudafed but clear my head of SNOT*

    With my purchase in hand, I walked to the front of the store to leave. The nice girl who helped me asked if I got what I needed. I told her yes and that perhaps next time, that lady will not pass judgement on people. She looked horrified. I was horrified.

    So of course, being me, I called my mom to tell her what had just happened. I was looking for my cheerleader, an Oh Britton!  THEY DIDN’T!, I was expecting her to share in my anger and disbelief, my feelings of wrongful judgement and discrimination. I told her I was so mad I could BLOG! The reaction I sought from my mother was not the one I heard on the other end of the telephone line.  First she advised me not to write about it tonight…..wait until in the morning when you are clearer headed, was her instruction to me….isn’t my mom so cool? I’m really glad I listened. 

    My mom was not surprised by my experience and maybe neither are you. I mean, maybe as I was telling you my story you wondered why I would go in to buy a “controlled substance” with my CRIMINAL BELT plainly displayed for all to see. I wasn’t thinking of that. Blonde moment, or perhaps just too sick to care. I didn’t expect that I would be turned away from buying cold medicine because Scrammy was visible. I didn’t expect to be judged as a hardened criminal, a home chemist, a meth user. I mean, sure…I like to cook, but Meth is not in my repertoire.

    My mom identified with the woman…the woman who was hiding between the drug shelves when I went back….She said that with Scrammy showing, people don’t necessarily know what that is or why it is there…they just know I broke the law. I did SOMETHING wrong. She reiterated that there are so many people with BAD intentions, that they HAVE to protect themselves. She reminded me that this was one of the risks I knew I was taking when I chose to let Scram show. My mom mentioned that I was cautioned at the Walk Like MADD event that people may not be very nice to me when they see my Scram. Darnit, why does my mom have to be so dang smart, so logical at a time like this….a time when I want her to be mad with me. I guess that’s what parents are for….to help provide clarity….and I know she’s right. Y’all, I’m pretty sure my mom just slapped me….with reality!

    On the bright side, I feel like a million bucks! That Mucinex with Sudafed was well worth the hassle….AND gave me a good story for you!

    The next time my mom calls, asks what I’m doing, I think I’ll casually say….”Oh you know, just cookin up some meth….”

    Bad joke? Maybe.

    Category Awkward SCRAM Moments, SCRAM, Scram Bracelet Diaries | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

  10. The Power of Forgiveness

    April 24, 2012 by Britton_Riley

    X3 Wreck C

    I am a huge fan of drinkinganddriving.org! They are awesome and always full of great info. By the way, have you taken their Sober Drivers Pledge yet?? If not, you should. Go here and sign!

    They recently shared this video on their Facebook page and I found it to be extremely touching.

    Wow! What a powerful, inspiring story. What a strong woman and mother! I can’t even begin to imagine how much inner strength it took for her to get through such a tragic situation. My mom watched that video and told me that it brought her to tears….I mean, how could it not? My mom said that as she was watching the video, she thought about how I could have been Eric Smallridge……She’s right. Eric was not unlike any of us who have gotten behind the wheel of a vehicle after putting alcohol into our system…only he took 2 lives and is forever paying for that choice.

    I can’t imagine how he must have felt. I can’t contemplate the feeling of guilt he lives with every single day of his life.

    In another video I watched, Eric said that he heavily contemplated suicide following the crash. As I put myself in his position, I would have thought the same. How could you go on with your own existence, knowing that you had just taken a life…in his case, TWO lives because of the choice he made to drive impaired….a night he  probably still replays over and over in his head, a choice he can never take back. Somehow, he dug down deep and forged ahead, facing the situation.

    Here is a letter written by Eric from prison. In it, he describes what his life was like before that particular night when he chose to drive drunk and what it is like now. He describes his feelings about taking 2 innocent lives and the impact it has had on their families. Eric is just like you and me. He made a mistake. He never thought it could happen to him. I can’t plead with you enough to MAKE A DIFFERENT CHOICE! There are valuable lessons to be learned from Eric’s story and mine. Don’t let the death of these two beautiful and innocent young girls be in vain. Please oh please DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE!

    I’d like to quote Eric in his letter from prison because I just think it is so powerful:

    If you have a drink, enjoy yourself but remember that driving simply is not an option. Don’t risk it, not even once, because it only takes a split second to go from a great future to Inmate P22679. Please don’t ever hesitate to designate a driver or to call a cab.

    Haven’t we all felt that invincibility when we are foolishly drinking?

    I feel it is finally time to get something off my chest, something that has bothered me since the night of my crash. I mentioned to you that I had a passenger in my car that fateful night. The truth is, she suffered some injuries. Her side of the car took a great deal of the impact when we hit the tree. Her neck was jarred, as was mine, due to the harsh jolt of crashing into the tree. The footwell on the passenger side crunched in as a result of the impact, causing injury to her foot and ankle.

    I still remember that next morning, calling my boss (who is now a dear friend). I had not been to sleep, heck I’d just been released from the Emergency Room. I was in shock and I didn’t know what to do. At that point, I hadn’t told my parents or my fiancee. I was completely honest with Lisa, my boss. I explained what had happened and immediately she was nothing but supportive. She was an angel in my time of need.

    At first, my friend & passenger and I clung to each other. Only WE knew what we had just been through. We experienced this together, we walked away from what should have been a tragic scene together, we were there to support each other. We went the next morning to visit Penelope where she’d been towed. As we drove to the towing lot, we were both unsure if we could even handle seeing the car in it’s condition. Just as we’d suspected, Penelope was a tough sight to behold.  It was raining that day and together we circled the vehicle in awe, snapped some pictures, and gathered my belongings.

    As the days passed following the crash, my passenger’s swelling & inflammation lessened (with the help of Steriods) and the doctors found that she had a hairline fracture in her wrist. At this point, she was already undergoing regular physical therapy sessions for the injuries to her foot and neck. Physically, she was a wreck, and emotionally & mentally we were both in shambles. She needed me and I needed her. She was going to physical therapy and I was off to the city/county building in Knoxville to be booked and processed so I could officially be registered “in the system” as a drunk driver.

    Time went by and she became bitter. Medical bills were rolling in, she was missing work due to her injuries & physical therapy appointments, and she was in significant pain. I felt horrible and found myself profusely apologizing every time we spoke. I felt her pulling further and further away from me. I became terrified that she would sue me. I knew she was being told lots of horror stories about the nightmare of trying to get the insurance company to pay  medical bills after a car accident. Eventually she quit speaking to me altogether and I was wrought with guilt and blame. It was an eerie feeling that try as I might, I couldn’t shake.

    Once I realized that she’d written me off, our friendship was over, her outlook toward me had become that of “it’s as if you don’t exist”, guilt and blame quickly turned to anger. In my mind, I replayed the events of our little “planting party“, our vodka and lemonade drinks, my suggestion to “go do something fun”, and the eventual crash, and I finally came to grips with the fact that I couldn’t take all the blame on myself. We drank TOGETHER. We BOTH made the decision to leave the house in our impaired state. She KNEW how much I’d had to drink. I didn’t have my first drink that evening until she’d arrived at my house….. I could no longer torment myself with 100% of the blame. It was destroying me. I had to focus on the fact that she moved her vehicle so that I could get mine out of my garage that night….so that I could drive us. She had a CHOICE to get into that car with me. She CHOSE to get in the car with me. No one FORCED either of us to drink. No one forced either of us to leave impaired. No one FORCED me to drive. No one FORCED her to get in the passenger’s seat.

    It was a chain of events, one bad decision after another and I was not alone. I was the drunk driver, but she was not the innocent victim. She was the impaired passenger, who together with me, made an impaired decision.

    Still, I was the driver. If she hadn’t survived the crash, I would have been the killer, I would have been Eric Smallridge. Nothing will change either of those facts. I also know that we all make our own decisions and we have to take accountability for those choices. My passenger decided to hire legal representation and together with my insurance company, they reached a settlement. I know that it is probably better that we are no longer a part of each other’s lives. I can only HOPE that she learned an ounce of what I’ve learned from the situation. I HOPE that she will never make the same choice again to get in the car with an impaired driver. I hope that she herself will never again be an impaired driver. I hope that she will take a stand against drunk driving. I hope that she stops her friends from getting into the car impaired.

    I may never know, but I know our lives will never be the same after that one fateful night. I can’t change the decisions I’ve made in the past, but I am STILL HERE. I am NOT behind bars like Eric, I have NOT taken a life like Eric did, but I easily could have. Unlike Eric, I still have my identity. I am not a number in the system.

    Like Eric, I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE……. AND. I. WILL.

    Eric is truly taking his situation and making something positive out of it. He is making a difference from prison. I will continue to do everything I can to take a stand against drunk driving. I will take every opportunity to make a difference in ways that Eric can’t because he is behind bars.

    Meagan Napier’s mother has forgiven Eric. I think that’s huge. She saw that carrying anger for her daughter’s killer was not getting her anywhere, wasn’t helping the cause, and certainly wasn’t honoring her daughter’s memory. Forgiving Eric was a giant step in her healing process. I love her slogan: Promoting Forgiveness * Mending Hearts * Saving Lives

    My passenger never forgave me, but she doesn’t have to…I have forgiven ME…and I think that’s huge.

    Category Life Pre Scram, SCRAM, Scram Bracelet Diaries | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, | 5 Comments

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