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Still Able to ChooseStill Able to Choose By Ned Wicker Personal responsibility is a tricky topic, especially when people claim they were too drunk to be responsible. They seem to hide behind their disease, as if being an alcoholic gives them the right to make bad choices. That was the alcohol talking. They were impaired, and therefore, free from responsibility. I recently came across an item in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that serves as an excellence case study. About 2:00 a.m., a people saw a man, with car keys in hand, staggering down a sidewalk towards his car. The people said he was fumbling around, but finally got into the car. They called police and described the scene. When the police arrived, moments later, what they saw was interesting. The man had an ignition interlock on his car, one of those $70 breathalyzer units. But rather than blow into the unit to try to start the car, the man knew he would not succeed, so he attached a balloon with an air compressor plugged into the car’s cigarette lighter. Now normally, the person has to hum, so the combination of the vibration of the hum and the air blowing into the system allow the car to start. Moreover, even if someone else were to blow into the unit, the system requires rolling rechecks. Balloons don’t hum, but he was cleaver enough to figure out a way to fool the system and get his car started. When police got there, the car was running and the man was taking the balloon off the unit and preparing to leave. When given the option to take a breathalyzer test, the man refused. The police did not praise him for his creativity, but cited him for a criminal offense. Tampering with the ignition lock system is unlawful, so the police had him on that count. They called his license plate number and personal information in, only to find out that he had five drunk-driving convictions, and this one was the sixth, a felony. Tampering with the ignition interlock is a misdemeanor. The unites must be checked by the manufacturer every 60 days, so the one on this man’s car will certainly get some scrutiny. The whole idea behind a 1993 law in Wisconsin instituting the ignition interlocks was to control those drivers who had three offenses. If they wanted to get their licenses back, they had to install the unit. Last year Wisconsin judges ordered 8460 interlocks for cars. Some people do not follow the court’s instructions. They may not have the $70, or they may not want to be compliant. If were up to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), interlocks would be placed in cars after the first offense. In 2004 he man was sentenced to a prison term for his fifth offense. Obviously he chose not to heed the warning. While in prison, he had plenty of time to think about his disease and all of the destruction it brings. He had plenty of time to understand that it was his disease that landed him in the slammer and in order to stay out from behind bars he would have to make changes. His sober mind would have had time to contemplate these things. Obviously he chose not to. He got out of prison and went back to his old habits. He does not care. Alcoholism is an insidious disease. The lure is so powerful, and yes I do have compassion for those who are either incapable of rational thought while under the influence, or who are capable of making the right decision and just don’t care. In both cases, they are struggling with a disease they can’t ever control unless they get help. The law is meaningless. The possible loss of life is a consequence. For those who truly believe that alcoholism isn’t a disease and that people can overcome by will power, tell that to the judges that ordered over 8000 ignition interlock. Still there is choice. People can get help. It may take several tries, but people can learn to manage their disease. The big question is whether or not the alcoholic wants to be helped. The ignition interlock incident reminds me of a case long ago in which a judge found a man innocent of fondling his neighbor’s wife because at the time of the incident he was too drunk to formulate criminal intent. I don’t buy it. Drunk or sober, we are responsible for our own behavior. Ned Wicker is the Addictions Chaplain at Waukesha Memorial Hospital Lawrence Center.
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