I Got a DUI! Now What?

Being charged with driving under the influence (DUI) can be a terrifying experience resulting in a roller coaster of emotions: fear, anger, shame, sadness, and other feelings. It can be confusing to navigate the legal system and all of its requirements to move forward. The financial expense can be substantial, with current estimates running around $13,500 plus the cost of inflated insurance rates going forward. If your job included driving, your vocation may be in jeopardy. Your partner or family may have some difficult feelings toward you. If an accident was involved, you may be facing even bigger consequences. What to do?

First: Take a breath.

A DUI is serious, and there is a clear legal process to follow. In many states, there are two separate tracks to be aware of:

• Criminal case (court)

• DMV administrative case (your license)

These are independent of each other. Winning one doesn’t automatically fix the other.

DMV Deadline

You usually have a limited number of days after your arrest to request a DMV hearing. If you don’t request one, your license can be automatically suspended. Check with your jurisdiction to learn the specific, current timelines.

Court Process

You’ll have:

• An arraignment (first court date)

• Possible negotiations or a trial

Penalties can include:

• Fines

• Probation

• Alcohol education classes and DUI therapy groups

• Community service

• Possible jail time, especially if it’s not your first offense

License Consequences

Depending on your blood alcohol level (BAC) and history:

• Suspension period or a revocation of your license

• Possible requirement for an ignition interlock device

• Reinstatement fees

What Do I Need to Consider?

1.     Consult with a DUI Lawyer

A lawyer can handle the DMV hearing and help you navigate the legalities of the DUI process.

2.     Request Your DMV Hearing

3.     Avoid New Trouble

In my work with a Colorado agency where I led DUI Level 2 Education and Therapy groups, it was not uncommon to see a person in group who received two DUIs within a very short period of time. This can happen and will add more problems to your plate. Avoid further trouble by:

• Not driving if your license is suspended

• Not using substances

• Not missing any court dates

• Staying clean legally

How Can Therapy Help?

A DUI may be one of the most stressful and distressful events in your life, and having a non-judgmental, empathetic professional to talk with can help you in many ways.

First, if you are required to complete a DUI education program, I use a long-standing, well-regarded DUI program that satisfies most DUI education requirements. In a discrete setting, you will complete all of the program talking activities to connect how and why alcohol became a problem to the extent the you drove while intoxicated. You will increase your understanding for the problems DUI behaviors cause in our society, and learn new, improved coping mechanisms to replace driving while intoxicated. I can send progress updates and documentation of program completion to your probation officer.

Moreover, therapy after a DUI can maximize the DUI serving as a change agent for moving away from destructive behaviors and toward the connections, closeness, and joy you have been looking for with alcohol. Alcohol gives a false sense of connection, but the reality is that it isn’t in the ballpark of authentic.

All substances serve as a method of avoiding emotions, and your emotions are how you can be known and understood. They are how you can genuinely connect with others, and how you can understand yourself. When you shut them down with substances, your thinking, attitudes, and behaviors become typical of a substance abuser to the extent that people come to know you as a substance abuser rather than the whole person you are. If you are tired of hiding behind substances, therapy can help.

In therapy, we put together your history – with your family, relationships, and life experiences. We identify where substances entered the picture and why. We work to heal the painful reasons substance abuse started and give you a new way of relating to yourself and others.

Contact me today to get ahead of your court dates so you can demonstrate to the court that are already taking the matter seriously and coordinating therapeutic help.

Contact Me