Ant McPartlin

randella

jonnyburgo said:

Chris777 said:

He won't even miss that amount of money, and what lesson exactly has he learned from that?, none.

How do you know?

He doesn't.

Getting to know someone who has a booze problem - and I mean a booze problem, not just a fondness for a cheeky pint after work - gives you a lot more perspective on this.  My friend is now dry, and I'm proud of him because I know what he had to go through to get that way, and is still going through in order to stay that way.

You don't just pack it in, have wacky dreams for a week and that's that.

It's easy to gob out unthinking platitudes about what others have and haven't learned.  Ant McPartlin has a shitload of cash so he must be golden, right? 

Chris777

jonnyburgo said:

Chris777 said:

He won't even miss that amount of money, and what lesson exactly has he learned from that?, none.

How do you know?

Best guess is all, as it only equals a % of his weekly wage! the drink driving lesson, time will tell!

scrumhalf

As Jimmy Greaves said, brilliantly, alcoholism never becomes alcohol-was-m.

Okay, he needs to feed his addiction, and has less control over it than somone for whom alcohol is not a cause for addiction.

But why, if he is in such a precarious position, does he feel the need to get behind the wheel of a car and endanger others? That is the sort of behaviour that needs to be discouraged. That sort of behaviour isn't an addiction, I doubt that you can be addicted to driving, I've never cme across that before.

For the greater good his ability to drive a potentially lethal projectile must be subjected to some form of constraint, as is the case with other medical conditions.

Chalky

McSwaggerty said:

Fined £86,000 for drunk driving.

Loose change for someone who earns £130,000 per week.

£130,000 per week !....that's over half a million for a month for doing what exactly ?

Totally Absurd.

Which annoys you most - his 'loose change' fine, or that he earns £130000 a week?

Do you really think you could do his job?

munckee

scrumhalf said:

As Jimmy Greaves said, brilliantly, alcoholism never becomes alcohol-was-m.

Okay, he needs to feed his addiction, and has less control over it than somone for whom alcohol is not a cause for addiction.

But why, if he is in such a precarious position, does he feel the need to get behind the wheel of a car and endanger others? That is the sort of behaviour that needs to be discouraged. That sort of behaviour isn't an addiction, I doubt that you can be addicted to driving, I've never cme across that before.

For the greater good his ability to drive a potentially lethal projectile must be subjected to some form of constraint, as is the case with other medical conditions.

This, feel sorry for his addiction, no excuse for the driving, none no matter how much of a problem he has.  I accept that you don't make your best decisions when drunk, I don't do it nor do most people.

Moe_Zambeek

I think he’s handled it pretty well to be honest - seems genuine in his remorse and is back in rehab. There are no tabloid tales of him being a dick so I think he must be a reasonable person and not unduly up himself.

As mentioned above it’ll be a difficult road he has to travel to get dry and stay that way but I hope he makes it. Alcoholism and fame / riches are a deadly combination and I sincerely hope he doesn’t end up like Gazza or Best (or George Michael, who also liked a car crash under the influence). A good result for him, with honesty and transparency on his part, would hopefully show that there is hope, and should allow him to resume his career.

p90fool

The only person I know who has worked professionally with Ant and Dec says they're both awesome, always working hard behind the scenes to make people feel comfortable, long after the cameras have gone home. 

Not that that makes any difference to his condition, but being likeable might make his rehab easier for him and the people working with him.

Placidcasual79

munckee said:

scrumhalf said:

As Jimmy Greaves said, brilliantly, alcoholism never becomes alcohol-was-m.

Okay, he needs to feed his addiction, and has less control over it than somone for whom alcohol is not a cause for addiction.

But why, if he is in such a precarious position, does he feel the need to get behind the wheel of a car and endanger others? That is the sort of behaviour that needs to be discouraged. That sort of behaviour isn't an addiction, I doubt that you can be addicted to driving, I've never cme across that before.

For the greater good his ability to drive a potentially lethal projectile must be subjected to some form of constraint, as is the case with other medical conditions.

This, feel sorry for his addiction, no excuse for the driving, none no matter how much of a problem he has.  I accept that you don't make your best decisions when drunk, I don't do it nor do most people.

Drink driving is abdominal isn't it? Recklessly endangering the lives of innocent people. 

If we want to avert the danger caused when some one whose faculties are impaired gets behind the wheel then surely the solution is to addresses their use of drink/drugs rather than prohibit their driving? 

axisus

I don't watch most of their stuff but I do really like Ant & Dec. Hopefully he will sort his life out. 

You can have fame, fortune and millions of adoring fans but you can still be a f*ck up. 

scrumhalf

Placidcasual79 said:

If we want to avert the danger caused when some one whose faculties are impaired gets behind the wheel then surely the solution is to addresses their use of drink/drugs rather than prohibit their driving? 

As a secondary course of action, yes. But the primary course of action must be to remove them from situations in which they can endanger life.

Placidcasual79

scrumhalf said:

Placidcasual79 said:

If we want to avert the danger caused when some one whose faculties are impaired gets behind the wheel then surely the solution is to addresses their use of drink/drugs rather than prohibit their driving? 

As a secondary course of action, yes. But the primary course of action must be to remove them from situations in which they can endanger life.

The risk comes from the drinking not the car though - I would suggest that a ban is a sensible precaution whilst the support necessary to address the addiction is provided. 

Of course one of the challenges with hat scenario is that rehabilitation requires a degree of self motivation and cant really be enforced/inflicted on some one.....

Axe_meister

Yet we all buy the biography of rock stars who have done far worse and hold them up as gods. 
They guy fucked up, got fined and can't drive for a while just like any other mortal who fucked up.
He pleaded guilty his addiction is out in the open. He will be watched like a hawk.
His career will be in tatters for a long while.
My dad was probably never sober yet never got caught drink driving if he had he may have faced his demons.

richardhomer

George Michael’s penchant for driving into shops and falling out of Range Rovers on motorways never seemed to harm his popularity.

As we now know from his untimely death - his problems were obviously much more serious that the public knew. I hope Ant manages to sort himself out, so we don’t have another life cut short....

scrumhalf

Placidcasual79 said:

The risk comes from the drinking not the car though - I would suggest that a ban is a sensible precaution whilst the support necessary to address the addiction is provided. 

The risk comes from the driving, otherwise he would be incarcerated for the safety of both himself and the general public as his every waking movement would be a risk to life and limb.

Rocker

There is absolutely no excuse for drink driving. Even if "only" one drink was consumed. No excuse acceptable.

Iamnobody

Rocker said:

There is absolutely no excuse for drink driving. Even if "only" one drink was consumed. No excuse acceptable.

In your eyes - but the law permits a certain level of alcohol to be in a drivers system,which in most adults would be more than one drink.

I agree with you though that drinking when over the limit isn’t acceptable.

I guess the biggest problem is how do you know if you are over the limit ot not?

I don’t agree with zero tolerance as tiny traces of alcohol could be in the blood from days before or alcohol could be used in food without you thinking or knowing about it.

Ant and Dec seems a decent bloke who’s just hit rock bottom. Glad he hasn’t seriously hurt anyone else or himself yet and hopefully this is the trigger to get his shit together.

thing

Interesting how drink driving has/is becoming a social disgrace. (Which it should be) I remember, and I'm sure others here do, when it was perfectly normal to get semi bladdered and drive home from the pub.  It wasn't because it was right that it was acceptable, it was because it was socially acceptable. It's not the crime that changes it's how we view it.

My friend's daughter is about to be released from prison after causing an accident through drink driving. The other lady involved broke her foot in the collision. She's not an alcoholic as such, as her prison term hasn't shown any withdrawal symptoms (3 years, she'll be out after 15 months in case you are wondering) . But she does have severe mental problems that only became apparent when she was sent to jail. Before this happened I was a 'throw away the key' kind of guy. Now I've completely revised my opinion. Not of the crime she committed which was appaling but the fact that she could hide very well her condition from her husband and family. This is a young women with her own successful business, very high flying husband and two beautiful children. That's not an excuse but just like McPartlin, some people who appear to have it all don't.

joneve

thing said:

Interesting how drink driving has/is becoming a social disgrace. (Which it should be) I remember, and I'm sure others here do, when it was perfectly normal to get semi bladdered and drive home from the pub.  It wasn't because it was right that it was acceptable, it was because it was socially acceptable. It's not the crime that changes it's how we view it.

My friend's daughter is about to be released from prison after causing an accident through drink driving. The other lady involved broke her foot in the collision. She's not an alcoholic as such, as her prison term hasn't shown any withdrawal symptoms (3 years, she'll be out after 15 months in case you are wondering) . But she does have severe mental problems that only became apparent when she was sent to jail. Before this happened I was a 'throw away the key' kind of guy. Now I've completely revised my opinion. Not of the crime she committed which was appaling but the fact that she could hide very well her condition from her husband and family. This is a young women with her own successful business, very high flying husband and two beautiful children. That's not an excuse but just like McPartlin, some people who appear to have it all don't.

Nail on the head, as always. 

Octafish

Chris777 said:

jonnyburgo said:

Chris777 said:

He won't even miss that amount of money, and what lesson exactly has he learned from that?, none.

How do you know?

Best guess is all, as it only equals a % of his weekly wage! the drink driving lesson, time will tell!

He'll easily make back the money with a bunch of tabloid/Hello style "My Drinks Hell" stories...

DLM

Placidcasual79 said:

Drink driving is abdominal isn't it?

@Placidcasual79 Yes. Makes me sick to the stomach every time I read about it.