Kind of answering in reverse here:
Re: ER I agree, regardless of how true his accusations are or how serious the problem was, if there even was a problem, I just don't think it's relevant. She drove all the way to Vallecito that night, and I tend to think she wasn't drinking beforehand.
Re:
MR and not being able to be unimpaired for 36 hours - I know we have not heard if he's physically dependent on alcohol but if so, it's possible he really COULDN'T go unimpaired for 36 hours. It's possible that he was either going to be impaired by the alcohol, or impaired by alcohol withdrawal. When watching the show I found myself wondering if he'd had a little more Jim Beam that morning to try to level himself out and it was too much. I'm torn between that and it being more planned as some have suggested - not showering, disheveled clothes, uncombed hair, etc. I am not AT ALL excusing his behavior or saying it's okay because of the pressure he was/is under. I'm just saying that IF he's got a drinking problem and IF it's been going on awhile, it might be impossible to get a completely unimpaired MR right now.
Since I don't know if this applies to MR or not I'll just post some general info for those who may not be familiar with what alcohol withdrawal can look like. Feel free to scroll by if you're not interested.
I'm not an expert in this field by any means, but have done a fair amount of reading and learning on it, and the information is pretty consistent across various sources. If someone's used to drinking quite a bit over a period of years, their body adapts, and rapidly quitting can cause all kinds of symptoms that range from irritating to extremely uncomfortable to frightening (i.e. hallucinations) all the way through life threatening. From what I've read and seen, symptoms start within as little as a few hours of stopping drinking, and the worst symptoms are about 48-72 hours from stopping.
I'm hoping this is an ok source to link:
http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/withdrawal/a/aa000125a.htm -there are lots of other sites that have similar info but this one's pretty succinct. A few snippets:
"For some, who are less chemically dependent, withdrawal symptoms might be as "mild" as merely getting the shakes, or the sweats -- or perhaps nausea, headache, anxiety, a rapid heart beat, and increased blood pressure."
....
"The symptoms can appear within a few hours after not drinking.
However, within six to 48 hours after not drinking, hallucinations may develop. These usually are visual hallucinations but they can also involve sounds and smells. They can last for a few hours up to weeks at a time."
....
And from another source, if you're interested:
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/alcohol-abuse/alcohol-withdrawal-symptoms-treatments. Snippets:
"Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can begin as early as two hours after the last drink, persist for weeks, and range from mild anxiety and shakiness to severe complications, such as seizures and delirium tremens (also called DTs). The death rate from DTs -- which are characterized by confusion, rapid heartbeat, and fever -- is estimated to range from 1% to 5%."
....
"Minor alcohol withdrawal symptoms often appear six to 12 hours after alcohol cessation, sometimes while patients still have a measurable blood alcohol level. These symptoms include:
Shaky hands
Sweating
Mild anxiety
Nausea and/or vomiting
Headache
Insomnia
Between 12 and 24 hours after alcohol cessation, some patients may experience visual, auditory, or tactile hallucinations which usually end within 48 hours."
....
Again none of this is meant to excuse MR, if this even applies to him. If it does, it scares me that we (or LE anyway) may have a very hard time getting answers.
