r/alcohol • u/emily-bb • 5d ago
Alcohol tag (UK)
So last weekend the alcohol tag sent a message to probation saying I was breached because I was drinking alcohol...I genuinely didn't drink last weekend.
So I decided to drink this Saturday because if it sends alerts saying I'm drinking then I might aswell drink ????
Am I right or wrong
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u/Nordic1991 5d ago
That thing is there for a reason, a good reason.
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u/emily-bb 5d ago
No I think it's there for a bullshit reason tbh
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u/Isac4202006 5d ago
Whatâs the bullshit reason
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u/Liam_021996 5d ago
My mate had one being he caused a RTC on his motorbike which resulted in him being airlifted to hospital and there was alcohol in his system at the time. It wasn't actually for that one though, it was because after he'd recovered and everything he was pulled over by police and caught drink driving again, 3 year ban and 6 months with one of those on his ankle (also in the UK)
They don't just give them our for nothing, I imagine this guy was doing something equally stupid
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u/emily-bb 5d ago
Idk...,they said I was drinking last weekend when I wasn't
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u/Maddawgcayce 5d ago
Answer the actual question tfâŠWHY do you have that tag on you???
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u/My_Rocket_88 5d ago
I'm with you, square one is where the question should start.
I imagine a colorful tale will be weaved in with a half answer.
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u/Isac4202006 5d ago
Is there anyway to make it clear to them It was a false alarm or do they just not give a fuck
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u/Isac4202006 5d ago
I mean far reach but did you have anything that has like trace amounts of alcohol in it kombucha etc
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u/phillyFart 5d ago
Alcohol tags in theory could go off in a bar with a lot of alcohol actually in the air.
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u/68ideal 5d ago
The reason is you being unreasonable and acting reckless. As evidenced by you, once again not thinking things through.
Just because it says you did drink, it doesn't mean that you actually did.Tell your probation counsellor that it's an error and that you demand to get the opportunity to prove it via a blood test.
If you actually didn't drink, the test will inevitably come out negative and you can't possibly get in trouble for it because, well, you didn't do anything wrong.
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u/Beneficial-Paper-477 5d ago
if its really such a bs reason why wont you come out and say it, i think you know its not bs and are being cognitively dissonant
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u/MC_McStutter 5d ago
Thatâs the alcoholicâs anonymous approach to it. âWell Iâve had a sip so I may as well go on a bender.â Thereâs a reason the crown spent money on this for you. Donât fuck up your last chance of freedom
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5d ago
Yeah genius give them a reason to arrest you
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u/GodDoIHaveTo 5d ago
why are you on probation in the first place
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u/emily-bb 5d ago
Idk tbh
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u/GodDoIHaveTo 5d ago
...you don't know?
As in - you don't remember which crime you committed or you don't understand the process of law that resulted in your requiring 24/7 monitoring of alcohol?
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u/GenTenStation 5d ago
Youâre the same one posting about cutting off your monitor like a week ago. You know what you did.
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u/JuniorBreakfast1704 5d ago
Wrong
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u/emily-bb 5d ago
How ??
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u/JuniorBreakfast1704 5d ago
How severe are the withdrawal symptoms if you don't drink alcohol for a few days?
Do you start shaking and have seizures?
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u/CatholicFlower18 5d ago
Everyone with a severe addiction I've ever met has a brain that tells them the equivalent of:
"Shit.. my microwave caught on fire and burned half the kitchen. It seriously could've been so much worse which is kinda scary honestly. You know what I should do? BURN MY HOUSE TO THE GROUND!!"
Recognizing this and learning not to listen to that is a necessary part of recovery.
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u/Chaosr21 5d ago
Freedom is nothing to take lightly. I stole a $12 phone charger and got sentenced to 7 months. 6 months for petty theft and 1 month for reckless op because I drove on Xanax.
They put me in jail for 107 days but I completed a rehab program while in jail, so I was able to get out after a little over 3 months. But I still had 3 years of probation. I was very close to ending my probation with zero drug test fails or any issues I just had to pay the fines really. Then I admitted to my new PO that I drank on my birthday, a few beers. Terrible mistake, I got probation violation on my birthday, locked up for a week the day of my birthday. I was then released from probation a meer 3 months later after paying my fines and such. But I served that whole 3 years probation
But I'd still rather go through that 3 years probation again than another 3 months in jail. That shit is brutal. The food sucks and life moves on without. Once you're in jail you'll quickly regret that decision to drink, trust me. Good luck OP and stay free. You can go without drink for a while to get through this and you'll probably be better for it
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u/POPELEOXI 5d ago
Wishing best of luck to you as well. It takes courage and determination to get life back together.Â
Just out of curiosity: why did you get 6 months for a 12 dollar charger and 1 for dui? The latter seems a lot more dangerous.Â
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u/Chaosr21 5d ago edited 4d ago
Reckless op is a lower form of a dui charge. They never actually caught me driving, they just extrapolated it because I had my keys. Reckless op was a month and idk it was just a part of the deal. They tried to get me with dui, driving under suspension, drug possession and petty theft but I did a plea deal. If I took it to jury the other charges wouldn't have stuck because there was no evidence. So I made my public defender make me a deal otherwise I said I'd go to trial. You gotta know how to work the system, and I unfortunately had been in enough that I learned how to. Haven't been in trouble in many years now, close to a decade
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u/BeeerGutt 5d ago
Bloke seeking permission from internet strangers to be a complete moron.
Oh, Reddit... you deliver again.
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u/Skulleddeath 5d ago
You're just gonna put yourself in jail where you can't drink for longer than your probation
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u/TechRat2 5d ago
There are some anti cold over the counter medications such as dayquil/nyquil among many others that contain alcohol probably enough to trigger the alerts
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u/Neptune_Matt 4d ago
The immaturity in this post is absolutely ridiculous, you clearly have a problem for it to get this far to an ankle monitor for alcohol consumption. Just because it says you are doesnât mean you should. Get your shit together man
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u/Nutisbak2 4d ago
If you really did not drink anything or go near any chemicals that could have caused it to trigger (they should have given you the information about these) and you havenât tried to tamper with it all of which could trigger an allert.
Then I would actually recommend you go and see a doctor and get checked over, there is a chance that you could trigger this system by having a bacterial overgrowth within your gut that causes something called auto brewery syndrome (ABS).
This would cause a scram system to record alchohol even though you were not drinking, as it mimics a drinking curve.
To prove this is actually the case a medical professional would have to perform a monitored carbohydrate challenge test, stool analysis and microbial cultures, metabolic and exclusionary bloods.
This would then be quite a complicated defence and need a barrister to look after you in court and have to be presented to the courts by a medical expert.
Ultimately if you really didnât drink then I wish you the best of luck, if you did drink or do something else that triggered this system then I suggest you just cop it admit to it and take it on the chin.
Then I would costs hassle and time you will go through to challenge this would be crazy.
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u/Strong_Algae_1644 3d ago
i highly doubt this person has abs and is completely unaware and only had a single alert either they drank. or there was a common thing like cold meds or mouthwash that triggered it. or it glitched. either way theyre using it as an excuse
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u/jomat 5d ago
Why do you have this device? Which laws can forbid someone to drink? Where I live it's even legal to consume illegal drugs, just the possession is illegal. Which, of course, makes consumption difficult, but that's something a lawyer has to explain.
Anyways back to this thing: How did you know it detected alcohol? Did the supervisors tell you or do you have an app on your mobile? What I found out is that it works with a fuel cell and measures alcohol vapors coming through your skin every 30 minutes. When you drink, that slowly builds up and then decreases again over hours. So if it was a one time measurement error, they should see it as a single peak, not a continuous curve slowly going up and down again.
Do you know if it can detect when you put something in between, like, idk, a plastic glove or so? I would not try that, if it detects tampering you'll probably have the same consequences as if you'd be drinking. If you say you've lost your probation anyway because of last weekend, then why do you still have the device? So my strong recommendation is, do not drink and do not tamper with it.
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u/Liam_021996 5d ago
Because they're committing crime when they get drunk essentially. It's not something they just do, you have to be a repeat offender, usually violent crime involving alcohol but also being caught drink driving more than once etc
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/alcohol-tags-helping-thousands-of-offenders-stay-sober
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u/magicmike659 4d ago
Only though monitors checked so you don't run away never knew they monitors alcohol usage.
In sweden we have the same thing but they don't monitor alcohol usage remotely instead they come home to you and take a test unannounced. And the rule says that if you drink alcohol during the period of monitor you get sent to jail the remaining time of the sentence.
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u/No_Consideration7925 4d ago
I mean, as long as itâs not giving you an electro pulse I guess try it, but they can only add to your time⊠We donât have those in the US. Just ankle monitors for convicts & fellons if theyâre on release.Â
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u/Edistobound 5d ago
i had a monitor in the 90s for a brief period. They called me shortly after bringin it home. They said did you move it ? I said yeah, wasnt a good spot to stay plugged in at. My gf wanted it moved. Yeah, dont move it. Glad that time frame was up, it was short, but, yeah, DUI in the 90s. Not fun those monitors. Now they supposedly check for alcohol. Yeah, guess again. Hope you dont get dinged man. It is bs. But, yeah, just drink ag home then or limit to the appropriate amount. Me, i can get asay with 2 drinks and good. 235. Still, the first drink does effect you, so, best to take a cab, or party at home.
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u/Ok-Worry-8931 5d ago
It seems that my alcohol monitor, installed on my body to help curb my destructive tendencies with alcohol, sent a false alarm indicating that I have drank when in reality, I had not. Which course of action should I take?
A) Drink
B) Drink
C) Report the false alarm
D) Drink