Having a couple of drinks with your workmates after a long, hard day at the office or on the job site can be both relaxing and fun. It’s a time to enjoy one another’s company without the pressure of meeting stressful deadlines and impossible schedules. However, sometimes, one or even two drinks can lead to three or four.
Before you know it, your blood alcohol content (BAC) level is through the roof. Still, you feel confident enough to get behind the wheel of your car to drive home. While driving, you are suddenly alarmed to see flashing halogen lights reflected in your rearview mirror. It means you’re about to be pulled over by law enforcement, and chances are, you’re going to be arrested for DUI.
The first thing that’s going through your mind is how you’re going to get out of this hairy situation and where are you going to get the money to pay for it. The answer is to hire the best attorney you can find.
Says the experts at The Law Office of Aaron M. Black, Scottsdale DUI lawyers, you have the option of hiring an inexpensive and low-rated attorney, but you are far better off hiring an experienced lawyer who can assist you with tackling the ins and outs of DUI on your behalf while you continue to work your job. It might cost a little more, but the chances of a favorable outcome are far greater.
The second thing you might be asking yourself is this: Do I have a drinking problem? Or said more bluntly, am I a drunk? According to a recent report by Mission Harbor Behavioral Health, alcoholism and problem drinking are considered serious public health risks. It’s said that more than 100 million adults in the U.S. alone have confessed that they have driven while under the influence of alcohol. Because of this, the results can be catastrophic.
Drunk drivers are naturally far more likely to get into serious vehicular collisions than sober drivers. During any given year in the U.S., law enforcement arrests over one million drivers for DUI. The immediate result of a DUI is the unfortunate impact it has on an arrestee’s financial situation.
Since most people live paycheck to paycheck, the arrested individual is likely to go into serious debt paying for the litigation and fines that go with a DUI arrest. Despite this hardship, many formerly convicted drivers will once more get behind the wheel of their vehicle after drinking too much and become repeat offenders. In this case, they could lose their driver’s license and even do time in jail.
One of the biggest indicators of addiction to alcohol is an inability to stop drinking, even on a temporary basis, despite the toll it takes on your body, your finances, and your legal situation. But for some people who’ve been struggling with their drinking habits, getting their first DUI can be a real wake-up call. It’s then they realize it’s time to seek out professional assistance.
Defining DUI
An acronym for “driving under the influence,” DUI or DWI (driving while intoxicated) means that a driver has gotten drunk prior to getting behind the wheel of their vehicle. They drive unaware of the serious, if not deadly risks they pose to others who share the road. In the U.S., an individual is said to die every fifty minutes due to a drunk driving crash.
Being Charged with DUI
How does law enforcement go about charging you with DUI? Depending on the state you live in, police officers require probable cause to arrest a driver for DUI. Some examples of this are the following:
–Erratic driving
–A failed Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) sobriety test
–A BAC that’s over the legal state limit
–Aggressive and careless driving
–An open container in the vehicle or the smell of alcohol on your breath
–Bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and clumsy movements which give the appearance of intoxication
Does Being Charged with a DUI Mean You’re an Alcoholic?
If you happen to get a DUI, it does not mean that you have an alcohol addiction. Even though more than 100 million people self-report driving while under the influence every year, it does not necessarily indicate that all 100 million of them are drunks.
But it’s a fact that on occasion, an individual can drink too heavily or even binge drink and then make the bad choice to get behind the wheel of their vehicle. That said, if the individual finds him or herself a repeat offender, this is a prime indication of alcohol addiction.
However, it’s said that even driving under the influence just one time can indicate a person is either an alcoholic or on the road to getting there. But correlation doesn’t always add up to causation, or so says Mission Harbor Behavioral Health.
Since driving while under the influence can be an indicator of alcoholism, most U.S. states will require arrestees to undergo screening and a thorough evaluation for alcohol addiction. The screening process will then assist the court in deciding if the arrested individual must seek rehabilitation treatment.
Studies are said to have found that you can drive up to 80 times while being significantly impaired prior to getting your first DUI. Not being able to control your drinking despite all the signs of alcoholism while engaging in dangerous behaviors are all strong signs of alcohol addiction and dependence.
In the end, if you get stopped for a DUI, you need to immediately seek out the best legal assistance you can find. But you also need to take a good look in the mirror and make an honest self-assessment. If you believe you are an alcoholic or on your way to becoming one, seek out treatment right away, even if the court does not mandate it. It can save your life and the lives of those who share the roads with you.
