Got a DUI? This Is Your Wake-Up Call
When the cops pull you over for suspicion of driving under the influence or DUI and you hear the words, “You’re under arrest,” it’s too late to have second thoughts about drinking and driving drunk. You’re in line for a cascade of events that will inevitably cost you time, money, loss of driving privileges, social embarrassment and possibly even a stint in jail. There’s no question this is a serious situation. For many individuals, however, a DUI arrest serves as a wake-up call.
Time to Reflect
While you’re in the “drunk tank,” you might use the time to begin to reflect on what you did to put yourself – and others – in such jeopardy. Some individuals who are arrested for DUI are “just a sip over the illegal limit” for blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08. Others, including those who are repeat offenders, are found to be two to three times over the illegal BAC limit. Depending on how soused you are, you may not even remember getting into the car and driving, having suffered a blackout (temporary loss of memory caused by alcohol intoxication).
Eventually, however, all persons arrested for DUI “wake up,” literally. They’re in a strange place, one that has unpleasant odors, bright lights, and the stench of fear about it. Some swear they’ll never touch another drop of alcohol again. No more pounding back shots and beers with the boys at the bar, no more tying one on and hoping to make it home in one piece. But this is just initial remorse setting in. It’s not real reflection. For that, you need to take serious stock of your situation, your self-destructive behavior, and the fact that you just may have an addiction. Recognize the true cost of drunk driving.
Ironically, and perhaps this is some consolation to those individuals to whom this applies, first-time DUI offenders are often the most likely to pay heed to the dangers of drinking and driving drunk. During the ensuing mandatory alcohol classes and/or treatment for alcohol addiction, the messages are likely to get through. Treatment, in combination with penalties, fines, ignition interlock, loss of driving privileges and other court-mandated sentences, may be the best hope for first-time DUI offenders.
You can argue – sometimes successfully – through your attorney and “get off lightly,” but this doesn’t help you change your behavior. While you can be ordered to attend alcohol classes and treatment, addiction recovery can only happen when you fully acknowledge that you have a problem and commit to changing your lifestyle.
Perhaps you only spent a short time in the holding cell, and were processed out when a friend or family member posted your bail and drove you home. Don’t think that this is the end of the situation. It’s only the beginning. It will also give you a false sense of getting away with it until you wind up in court and find out otherwise. States are getting tougher on DUI offenders – even first timers.
The actual steps involved include the initial arrest and series of sobriety and breathalyzer tests, DMV administrative hearing, arraignment, pre-trial conference, suppression hearing, trial, and sentencing. Not all of these steps occur as a result of every DUI arrest, but this is enough to show that there’s a lot to go through.
In other words, be prepared for a long road ahead. Use your time now to reflect upon what you can do to change your life – whether or not you are ordered to do so by the court.
What’s in it for you?
The prospect of attending alcohol classes for weeks on end and/or going to an addiction treatment center (inpatient or outpatient), attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and possibly community service may seem like a lot. You’d probably think so if you are here for the first time and only blew a hair over the illegal BAC limit. But let’s look at what’s actually in it for you.
Society today takes a dim view of people who knowingly drink and drive drunk. Whether you agree with their positions or not, the efforts of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) over the past 30 years have proven effective in getting public awareness to the point where drunk driving is no longer socially acceptable (if it ever truly was).
Research on alcohol addiction over the past three decades – but more significantly in the last 10 years – has shown that alcoholism is a disease, not a mental condition or sign of weakness or lack of willpower. It is also treatable. However, once you are an alcoholic, you are never cured. You will need to remain vigilant the rest of your life, but with the skills and coping mechanisms you will learn in treatment, you can live a full and productive life. In fact, treatment offers you the best hope for the future. Your life can be whatever you want it to be. There are no limits to what you can do – if you live according to the principles of sobriety.
Getting to the crux of the matter, what you will get out of coming to grips with your first-time DUI and doing what’s not only required but what is right for you means that you will:
• Regain your freedom (especially if your DUI results in any jail time)
• Get your license reinstated – usually, a conviction for DUI results in a suspension of your driver’s license for some period of time
• Learn about alcohol and alcoholism and its destructive impact
• Pay a penalty relative to fines, legal fees, treatment, higher insurance rates and other restrictions
• Begin to get a handle on why you drink, what prompts you to drink, how to cope with urges to drink, and how to avoid relapse
• Realize that you have to take responsibility for your actions and can no longer disregard the safety of others by driving drunk
The situation is far more complicated for repeat DUI offenders. States take a much harsher stance with those convicted of multiple DUI offenses. California, for example, recently introduced a bill mandating permanent driver’s license revocation for any driver who gets a third DUI conviction. That’s a really stiff price to pay, and it goes far beyond just the loss of driving privileges.
Many employers routinely check a potential employee’s driving record – and won’t hire you if you’ve got drunk driving convictions on your record. Credit checks for everything from a new mortgage to buying a flat-screen TV may potentially bring up your black mark DUI conviction. Depending on your social stature, whether you are or hope to run for any public office or have occasion to be in the limelight in the media, the stigma of drunk driving arrest and conviction will certainly not be good for your reputation. It doesn’t matter if you are the president of the PTA or the president of a Fortune 500 company – if you’re a convicted drunk driver, things are going to be tough for you.
Better to prevent future disaster by waking up to the dangers of drinking and driving drunk. Better yet, do something about it now.
Be Proactive and Get Treatment
In the past, some attorneys recommended that their DUI clients get themselves into treatment even before their sentencing. Whether or not that still holds true is irrelevant as far as doing what’s right for you. Certainly the courts will look more favorably on an individual who takes the initiative and gets himself or herself into treatment, but that’s not as important as what it means for you.
Recognition and acceptance that you have a problem is the first step toward your recovery. And, make no mistake about it. You will need to recover from your misstep with alcohol. We’re talking about real recovery, not escaping the consequences of your actions. No, you will have to take your lumps, regardless of whether or not you believe you were unfairly targeted, you were just barely over the illegal BAC limit, or any other reason. In fact, ditch those excuses right now. It’s time to get proactive.
The easiest way to start is to go online and thoroughly read through everything on the Alcoholics Anonymous website. You can find locations of meetings in your city, or attend meetings online or by telephone. Order literature or download pamphlets online. Basically, this is your introduction to what it means to be an alcoholic. There are informational pages, advice pages, stories from members pages, and plenty of resources and links.
You may also wish to do a proactive search for treatment for alcohol addiction by going to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) Treatment Facility Locator. This is a searchable directory of more than 11,000 drug and alcohol treatment programs showing the locations of facilities around the country. Use the map to find facilities in your state or use the quick or detailed search. There are also FAQs, links to state substance abuse agencies, and much more useful information.
Also check out the information on alcohol from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and spend some time on the website researching other useful information on the harmful effects of alcoholic substances, alone or in combination with other drugs.
Getting Help
Don’t let the fact that you’ve gotten a DUI deter you from getting the help you need. If you think you need treatment, by all means look into getting it. Check out some of the facilities you identified as potential treatment centers from the SAMHSA Treatment Facility Locator. Go to the websites of those treatment facilities and thoroughly examine their treatment programs. Check with your insurance provider (you can use their website to do a search on covered benefits for alcohol treatment programs) to see if such treatment will be partially paid for. Contact the treatment facility to inquire about pay-as-you-go or sliding-scale payment programs, special financing, scholarships or grants. Many facilities offer these for patients with financial need.
You Need Support
This is a difficult situation that you are in. On the one hand, you’d like nothing more than to have it all over and done with. On the other, you know that you can’t just walk away from the problem. It’s going to be with you for quite some time. Don’t let the tendency to be overcome by it prevent you from being proactive. One thing you definitely need at a time like this is support. By support, we’re not talking about financial support. The type of support you need is the understanding and encouragement of others who have been in the same type of situation – and have come through it successfully.
No, this isn’t a group of DUI offenders who got off Scott-free. Support here refers to individuals who have come together to help others in similar situations – as well as themselves. These fellowships are the 12-step groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous previously mentioned. There are numerous others, including those for various addictions. What they all have in common is a genuine commitment to sobriety, and to helping others abstain from chemical substances or other addictive behaviors (gambling, sexual compulsion, etc.).
You also need the support of your friends and family members as you go through the period of getting a handle on your life and entering into treatment and recovery. This is true whether or not your problem with alcohol is such that you are clinically diagnosable as an alcoholic. Don’t forget that your DUI incident affects more than just you. Everyone in your immediate family is also affected, along with your close friends (with whom you may have been drinking), your employer (who has to deal with your absences) and co-workers (who may have to pick up the slack from your not being able to attend to your responsibilities).
Getting a DUI isn’t a mark of distinction, or a sign of being macho, or a reflection on your character. You slipped up – big time. But you can recover from this and become a stronger person because of it. The old adage about learning from your mistakes holds true here. While alcoholism is a disease (again, it’s vitally important to note that it is treatable), problems with alcohol affect millions of people. When a person drinks and drives drunk, it’s a sign that something has gone drastically wrong. At the very least, it’s a serious mistake in judgment. At the worst, it could mark the beginning of a downward spiral that ends in long-term incarceration, debilitating and potentially fatal health problems, loss of family, financial ruin, legal and social consequences.
The best advice anyone can offer you in this situation is to accept what has happened, vow to do whatever it takes to overcome your problem with alcohol, and take the necessary steps to move forward with your life. Let this DUI be your wake-up call – the one that may save your life and the lives of others.
