Ant and Dec- will it now be just Dec? Celebrity gossip alert

I have had 2 glasses of wine tonight Annie ( haven’t had any alcohol for almost 2 weeks as DH can’t drive and I’m very much on call ) I really am confused but that could be because I’m intoxicated .

There is never an excuse for drunken driving but who is making an excuse, there are reasons , reasons are not excuses . There are reasons why people murder, murder cannot be excused .

Oh for goodness sake Jane . I acknowledge that climbing is dangerous , but to compare it with drunk driving on any level ???? I really don’t understand .

Generally speaking Climbers aren’t drunk nor do they encounter children . There is no excuse for getting behind a wheel under the influence of any substance.

Climbers risk death and other people's lives just as smokers and drink drivers do. I could tell stories about that too but don't want to on a public forum. That's the connection.

Thank you Maryeliza54, for sharing your heartbreaking circumstances with us. I cannot believe that anyone after reading your story could try to minimise the severity & stupidity of Ants actions

I’m sorry Annie but I feel passionate about this subject and Jane10 implied that I was accusing Ant McP (himself) of being “off his face” which I didn’t . She also compared drunk driving to climbing which confuses me to say the least .

Gilly, no one has said anyone driving whilst intoxicated shouldn't have their licence remove.

My exact words .

I don’t understand anyone drunk/drug driving and if they are so off their faces on drugs or drink that they cannot help themselves, then isn’t it better that they ARE caught and have their licence removed before they become murderers

No mention of Ant McP at all .

I honestly give up . Is climbing illegal these days ? Careless maybe but not illegal !

I didn’t say he was Jane10 . I said “ I don’t understand anyone” !

Nobody said he was 'off his face'. He could just be slightly over the limit. We don't know.
I don't drink if I'm driving. It's better not to but stuff happens. People smoke, people insist on going climbing in bad weather. It's life. Sometimes it sucks. Nobody is perfect.

I understand why people in pain take pain killers ( I’ve taken plenty myself over the years ) . I understand why people drink to block out cruel realities. I don’t understand anyone drunk/drug driving and if they are so off their faces on drugs or drink that they cannot help themselves, then isn’t it better that they ARE caught and have their licence removed before they become murderers .

Are drunk driving laws not in place to protect us and our families .

I’m glad he was caught before he became a murderer .

Gilly, not pity, just the usual attempt to try to understand why some people do things they shouldn't

Not all are as courageous and strong willed as you gmelon , some of us have human weaknesses

I can’t believe some of these posts. Almost making excuses for his disgusting behaviour . Ok so call me brutal but I can’t help but wonder if joe bloggs would get such pity?

Pain is not an excuse for any type of abuse of substances.
I've been in pain round the clock for years.
Multiple Sclerosis.
Gas and air in hospital is the height of my experience.
I'd be ashamed to use my pain as an excuse to be weak and let my family down.

Of course non of us are perfect * Jane10* but personally if I am drinking I don’t drive. That’s really that .

It might sound harsh but I really don’t care how/why/ what his reasons were for being drunk behind the wheel . The fact is he was.

You may be right Iam, like a cigarette addict, but when they develop cancer those who love them suffer too . If it was as easy as you seem to think we have no need to feel pity for the homeless who have a drink problem, it's their responsibility to just stop

It's not as black and white though. A person who may be slightly over the limit doesn't automatically equate to a mobile murderer. In Ant's case we don't know any more than that he's been charged. Cars have been damaged but no one's hurt.

Yes, that puts it clearly maryeliza54, someone killed or maimed by a drunk driver doesn't recover, whether we say the driver is 'dependent' or simply drunk.
The devastation caused by people who continue to abuse alcohol or substances, can't simply be excused by minimising their own responsibility by saying eg 'ah well, s/he's an addict'.

It could be argued that someone who drink drives and is alcohol dependent should be banned from driving infinitely until they have not had a drink for a certain amount of time eg two years But either way the number of people killed or seriously injured by drunk drivers is huge and in terms of punishment the people are just as dead or badly injured whether the driver was alcohol dependent or just drunk

Does it matter whether drunk drivers are 'addicted' to alcohol? I don't mean to be confrontational, it's a genuine question.
Am I the only person who questions whether choice is an issue for all of us? Alcohol and substance abuse wrecks lives, not just for the person who says they have no choice about their use of substances but especially for everyone who loves them. I don't mean to be heartless either - it's another genuine question.

It may be what may happen that stop many from drinking and driving but sadly alcohol has an affect on our thoughts. I did not say drunk drivers are always addicts

What do you think the sentence should be for drunk driving ab. Also it’s surely not true that drunk drivers are always addicts - I guess most of them are just drunk. And it’s not a matter of being perfect - everyday, thousands and thousands of us as imperfect as we are are sensible enough not to drink and drive. Of course what might have happened is relevant in that the minimum punishment is usually a year and it’s the what might happen that stops most of us from drinking and driving