Drunk

It's not that you've been drinking.
It's not that your're drunk.
It's not that you're in public.
It's that you're so drunk
you've fallen into the intersection
of two busy streets
and a woman called dispatch
after nearly running over your head.
I can tell by the cut of clothes
and the quality of your cellphone
you are wealthy.
It's irrelevant.
You're a danger to yourself.
I'm not going to call you a cab.
I'm not going to take you home.
I'm not going to call your dad,
you're an adult, and almost thirty.
You don't get a phone call.
You don't go to jail.
You're civil rights are on hold.
You do go to the drunk tank,
a sobriety center.
You get to sleep it off, if you choose,
or a rage in a safety room if you want.
Either way, you'll be treated
not by your social status,
but what you are: a vulnerable drunk.

Comments

[Jade]

What percentage of them yell the following:

"Do you have any idea who I am?!?"

[RD]

Only the privileged ones.....

[Peppypilotgirl]

It would be the privileged ones - we every day run of the mill folk certainly wouldn't think anyone would care who we were!

Do they get arrested for public drunkenness after they sober up?

[RD]

In my state, there are no laws prohibiting being drunk in public.

[historicpup]

There is only the detox hold- too drunk to care for yourself. They sober up, and then, they leave with out a charge.
You could charge them with DOC - disorderly conduct or criminal mischief depending on the circumstances.

During my last week at the small pond, I had two different situations where people tell me "I know the chief" or " I know city counsel person...". My responses -"Great, so do I, "- or -"I don't give a rat's ass who you know" or the still unused -"I know Bruce Campbell"- (I met him 3 times).

[Moon]

I used to love the "do you know who I am " people.... especially when they had people calling trying to see if they were at detox or not. Since being at detox was a confidential thing, my standard response was "I cannot confirm nor deny if said person is in this facility" which a lot of times would get me "but im so and so" to which I would tell them "i don't care if your the secret service looking for the president, I cannot violate confidentiality..." (violating confidentiality in a drug treatment facility carry's a five year federal prison sentence and a $25,000 fine.) oh yeah used to love those people. /bang head on counter.

[Eben]

I met the elderly owner of Blumenthal at the OK County Jail once. He was a very pleasant and friendly drunk who kept trying to give away the several thousand dollars in cash that he had been detained with. The jail quickly called a relative of his, who was a police officer from a different city, and signed him over to the custody of that officer. Even as he was being walked out, the older gentleman kept trying to give away his money.