I imagine more than a few of us have made that transition. It's been years since I have been over the DUI/DWI limit. As I recall I'd reached my destination after a very long drive, and was trying to relax and chill over a few glasses of a very nice red.

But your observation calls into question the premise of this thread; how do you convince people who are intentionally drunk or illegally high to be responsible and carry a small piece of kit, when they are in a very irresponsible mode? That may be a rhetorical question, but it follows from hikermor's observation.

Designate someone to be responsible? Yeah, like I'd want to be that guy....

Boy Scouts has been doing that for many decades. Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts ... not so much ... except for the groups I was associated with. This was actually how I got hooked into ETS to begin with.

I think this is also why Doug made the Personal Survival Paks. They provide a high-quality low-cost fast way to gear up in a tiny way. Supplement the PSP as recommended in its instructions (shelter, FAK, knife, water) and you're pretty darn good to go.

REMINDER: Doug's Personal Survival Pak would make a GREAT gift for any holiday ... including Thanksgiving day, Valentine's Day, Sweetest Day , anniversaries, birthdays, Saturdays, ...

It's been my experience that those who regularly inebriate themselves, whether by legal means or otherwise, will seldom be receptive to any form of reason, even when sober, so as to affect their condition positively should they face crisis after imbibing in an intoxicant.

It seems a reasonable conclusion that those who are reckless and irresponsible enough to risk impairment when subjecting themselves to perils and hazards of an unfamiliar and insecure environment will not take any counsel to heed for their own good. One of those "You can lead a horse to water..." things I guess.

But then I suppose we all succumb to bouts of poor judgment from time to time. Those of us fortunate enough to realize we are human have the chance to pre-empt some of our troubles. So even though we may find ourselves wanting in an adverse situation, we have a better chance of surviving our "adventures".

If we ignore the inebriated idiots as they're largley beyond hope, the best way to do it would be to have it in a prepackaged kit. Package it similiar to a 72 hour kit backpack and stick Bear Grylls name on it.

Make it as idiot proof as possible, so no sharps or fire. Focus on staying put, warm, dry, hydrated, and signalling for help. Anybody inexperienced enough to need it is as liable as not to open up a vein or start a brush fire trying to stay warm and dry.

As an example:
Reference cards (S.T.O.P., how to use a whistle, compass, mirror, basic knots, etc.)
Basic FAK
Emergency suglasses
Poncho with blanket liner
Emergency pup tent/bivy sack
Lensatic compass (I've run ito a lot of people who are worthless with a baseplate compass)
Storm, or other big and loud whistle
Signal mirror
Foil packaged water (2 quarts)
Plastic bodied compact flashlight loaded with lithiums. Run time over output.
Hot packs
Granola bars

Analogous to auto safety? Engineering and legislative changes made big impacts on ER casualties in the 70's: dui plus seat belts/airbags plus improved ski boots/bindings resulted in quieter Saturday nights for orthopedic surgeons and er staff. Next steps would HUI (hiking under the influence) legislation, Official rucksack with pre-packaged survival gear and plbs, and increased ranger presence. Eventually, drone surveillance will solve lots of the problems. Maybe a harness on each hiker with high strength monofilament tethers attached to powered reels: at the end of the day, fire up the diesel and haul 'em in.

I don't question the usefulness of sunglasses. But it does make me wonder: what did people do for thousands of years before sunglasses? Did desert travelers have an alternative? What did sailors do to combat the endless sun, and nowhere to hide, on the open sea?

Arctic peoples developed eye coverings with narrow slits to protect against glare and consequent snow blindness. I imagine there were other measure elsewhere in bright conditions. I also suspect that many people had really bad vision before they were too dreadfully old.

Yeah, slit goggles go back many centuries. IIRC something akin to the eyeblack that football players use was also made out of charcoal.

That sounds far too Big Brother. I'm sorry, but you have to be your own person and can't expect the government to regulate everything. The government is best which governs least.

If you're play stupid games and win stupid prizes, too darn bad.

If you play stupid games but think ahead a little bit, well, that's probably most of us at one point.

...If I could get hikers to 1. leave a note and 2. carry a pack with water and a jacket, I'd be halfway home. No one expects to get hurt/lost/ delayed...you just have to assume...and prepare