Alcohol: Size matters Published Dec. 5, 2013 By Karen Abeyasekere 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs RAF MILDENHALL, England -- Several glasses of wine, lots of coffee and a few hours sleep. There may be some who do this under the misconception that following the "allow one hour per unit of alcohol before driving" theory will get them home safely. But as Senior Airman Erin Jett, 100th Force Support Squadron fitness specialist found out earlier this year, that theory really isn't worth the paper it's written on. "I'd just flown in from California that day - my grandfather had passed away and I went back home for his funeral," Jett, from Grass Valley, Calif., said. "I normally work nightshift, but I had a phone call saying I was going to be working the earlier shift the next day. "I was jet-lagged when I got (back to England) and took a nap, until my friends called. They were all really concerned as I went home because of my grandpa passing. On top of all that, it was Valentine's Day and they wanted me to come over as they were cooking dinner." Jett and her boyfriend drove to their friend's house in Newmarket, where she said they had a big dinner and a couple of bottles of wine. "When you're sitting around drinking wine with your friends, you're just kind of free-pouring; you're not at a restaurant where they measure your glasses out," Jett said. "We had about four or five bottles of wine between the six of us." Sleeping it off The couple had arrived at their friend's house for dinner at about 8:30 p.m. and Jett went to bed around 11:30 p.m. after drinking several glasses of wine. "I had to be at work at 5 a.m. and I left my friend's house at 4:30 a.m.; I had about five hours of sleep, which I felt was adequate. I didn't feel intoxicated at all, or that I still had alcohol in my system," Jett said. "When I pulled out of his driveway, I noticed I had a flat tire, so I pulled off into the gas station at Newmarket to fill it up. Then, I noticed a huge slash mark, so the air wasn't staying in. "I continued on my way to my house - I live in Beck Row - got past the 5-Ways (roundabout) and continued to Mildenhall College, when my tire was flat again. So, I pulled off the side of the road, put my hazards on, and my boyfriend and I were trying to change my tire." A police officer then turned up, because someone had called them to say they thought a vehicle needed assistance as it had a flat tire. "He pulled up and was assisting us, and asked how the tire got flat. I told him I didn't know - it was flat when I got in the car," Jett said. "He asked who was driving, and I told him I was." After confirming she hadn't hit or run over anything, the police officer asked the Airman if she'd been drinking. The morning after "I told him yes, I'd been drinking earlier in the night, but that was wine with dinner, and I'd slept since then. He told me it was standard procedure to breathalyze drivers who admitted to drinking the night before. I wasn't worried about it because I thought there was no possible way alcohol was even in my system any more." When Jett blew into the machine, the result read 76 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath (0.173 percent alcohol in blood level; the limit is 0.08 percent) - more than twice the legal limit - and was immediately taken to the police station in Bury St. Edmunds. She wasn't arrested or handcuffed, but sat in the front of the police car on the way to the station. Her boyfriend had to stay behind with her vehicle, where he waited until another police officer came out to help him move the vehicle away from the road and gave him a ride home. "The first thing that went through my head was that I would have to call work and tell them I was going to be late," she said. "Then I had to call them again to say I wasn't coming in as I was going to jail for a DUI, and they needed to call the manager of the (fitness center) to tell him what was going on." Waiting game Back at the police station, Jett was breathalyzed again. The result was slightly lower, but she was still well over the legal limit. She then had to wait a couple of hours until her supervisor could get there to pick her up, before taking her on base to the 100th Security Forces Squadron. The police put Jett in a cell and gave her coffee until her supervisor showed up. "I knew there was no way I was going to keep my stripe," she said. "It was a big deal, because it was my first time testing for staff. Then I thought, I hope I don't get kicked out of the Air Force. The biggest part about it was I was very angry because I'd slept, so I figured there was no way alcohol could still be in my system. When I got up at 4:30 a.m., I felt fine. I didn't feel hungover, dizzy or lightheaded - I felt fine." As part of the disciplinary actions taken against her, Jett had to go to undergo the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment program, where she said it completely changed her way of thinking. Know your units before drinking "One glass of wine, 175 ml, equals one drink (one unit of alcohol.) You know how they say, 'the one drink rule and you're okay to drive,' at ADAPT they teach you that's not okay," she said. "You have to go by your blood-alcohol content and the size of your body." Half a pint of beer, or 25 milliliters of spirits is equivalent to one unit of alcohol, so drinking two pints of beer with a high alcohol content may well put somebody over the legal driving limit. "So, 175 ml of wine is two drinks for my bodyweight. I had four or five big glasses of wine; that's like four drinks in one glass in my blood system," said Jett. "Even though I slept, there's no way I would have slept all that off in time. That's why it was still in my system." Stripe, no stripe Jett's mistake cost her dearly. She lost her line number, her driving license was revoked for 18 months, and she received a letter of reprimand and unfavorable information file. She also had to face the shame of having to walk up to the DUI board on base and change the date on it. "Afterward, people just look at you differently," she said. "You could be a stellar Airman and people just doubt you. But more embarrassing, was that I had to tell my dad. "I'm the only one in my family in the military, so he likes to brag about me. But I had to call him and say, 'I'm not putting on staff sergeant this year because I got a DUI.' That was pretty hard. He was quiet on the phone for a really long time, then he just said, 'Man, that's a bummer - I was really looking forward to you putting on staff. People make mistakes, but I didn't see you making a mistake like that.'" It wasn't only Jett's dad who felt let down. Her team was also disappointed in her, and her supervisor more so. Letting the team down "He gave me a whole spiel on how I'm a smart girl and I had everything ahead of me, and why I was just throwing away my future," she said. "Even though I'd explained the story to him, he said, "Yeah - but no matter how good your story is, it shows in your blood system. So it doesn't matter how good your story is, you're already in trouble.'" Next came the ordeal of facing her commander. "My commander said she was especially disappointed when she heard it was me who got the DUI," Jett said. "I'm very involved in activities on base, so she wasn't expecting someone like me to get in trouble. Reporting to the wing commander was terrifying - I was shaking the whole time, standing at attention. "(Colonel Christopher Kulas, then-100th Air Refueling Wing commander) told me he was very disappointed, and pointed out after all the good stuff I'd done on base that I'd been recognized, for it to come to this. That was devastating," she said. Too much alcohol is bad news The ADAPT class taught Jett that the amount of alcohol someone can consume and be okay to drive varies from person to person. Statistically, most DUIs in the Air Force occur the day after drinking, when people are driving on base. When security forces members stop people at the gate for an ID check, if they smell alcohol on someone's breath then the question will be asked as to whether they've been drinking. Often they may be told by the base member that he or she was drinking the night before; but alcohol will remain in the bloodstream for many hours and can still show up if the person is breathalyzed. "A lot of people don't know that, and the thing is, one drink might be too many for some people - especially for smaller people like myself. So, it's best just to not drive, even if you've had one drink," Jett said. "Even though I didn't feel drunk, I still was drunk and I could have hit somebody or crashed my car. Somebody could have jumped out and I would have been too impaired to stop." Before the incident, she volunteered for Airmen Against Drunk Driving on a regular basis and was an advocate for not driving drunk. Only way is up The incident happened in February 2013, but she said she's still feeling the effects from what she did. "The absolute worst part is that all my peers and friends who made staff sergeant at the same time I did are now staff sergeants and I'm not. "Luckily for me, the people in my squadron didn't treat me any different. They were disappointed in me, but they know that's not my character and they know I can overcome it. Thankfully, I have a good, strong team who has my back and supports me because I messed up." The DUI served as a valuable lesson; she's determined to move forward and remain positive. "Now, if I even had a sip of alcohol I wouldn't get behind the wheel," she said. Editor's note: The U.S. Air Force policy is to drink responsibly. The legal alcohol limit for drivers within the U.K. is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath; 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, and 107 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of urine. It's not possible to say how much alcohol a person can drink and stay below the legal limit, as it depends on a number of factors. To stay safe, have a plan before going out and drinking alcohol. Take the number of a local cab firm with you, or call a friend, coworker or first sergeant for a ride home. If your plan fails, call Airmen Against Drunk Driving on 0800-3280178. The AADD service, based at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, is available free of charge (to base ID cardholders only) and operates Friday and Saturday from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. within the local area.