I’ve represented thousands of people over more than 24 years who got into legal trouble because they were intoxicated while driving. Many of them are or were addicted to legal or illegal substances. By the time I met them, they were in various stages of downward spirals. I then saw how their drugs of choice were ruining their lives.
Some clients just make mistakes. They’re at a party or some other happy get-together. They drink too much booze or smoke too much pot, get behind the wheel, and are arrested. If they’re lucky, no one got hurt. Sometimes, there is no luck, and people are injured or killed as a result. Other clients’ lives revolve around feeding their addiction, resulting in a pattern of dangerous behavior.
A DUI Arrest Can Be a Good Thing
As satisfying as it is to help people protect their rights, ensure they benefit from our legal system, and minimize the impact of these situations, what’s more satisfying is seeing people use their arrest as a turning point in their lives. Being handcuffed and sitting in the back of a police cruiser can create a moment of clarity in a lifetime filled with denial and delusion.
People realize they’re heading in the wrong direction. They must take responsibility before their lives completely go off the rails. Oftentimes they tell themselves they can stop any time they want, but they can’t. They have a severe substance abuse problem that can no longer be denied or minimized, and they need help.
Go It Alone or Get Help? If You’re Arrested, Get Help
Kicking your habit by yourself is possible, but you should seriously consider getting professional help. Substance addiction re-wires your brain and impacts your body. The drink or hit may not make you feel good or forget your troubles. It’s to make you function, more or less, like normal. There’s much more to deal with than just not drinking or using drugs any longer.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of getting professional help with your addiction, as the effectiveness of professional help versus self-help in ending substance abuse can vary depending on many factors, including the severity of your addiction, your motivation to quit, and the availability of resources and support.
Seeking professional help for substance abuse can be beneficial. Trained professionals offering formal treatments, such as addiction therapy, inpatient or outpatient rehab, counseling, and psychiatric care, are often backed by reliable research and may be the best possible care for you. Professionals can also help ensure you detox safely and receive the most effective resources.
Seeking professional help with your addiction has legal benefits, too. Depending on your situation, it can be part of a diversion program to limit your involvement in the court system or help you achieve a favorable plea bargain agreement. A DUI sentence in Colorado will likely require you to take Level II Alcohol and Drug classes, so doing it ahead of time can appear favorable for you in the eyes of a judge. Simply telling a prosecutor you promise to get clean by yourself won’t be enough. It’s seen as a sign you’re not taking the problem seriously and aren’t taking responsibility for your actions.
If you’re addicted to drugs or alcohol, kick your habit so you can stop your downward spiral before your DUI arrest. As much as I’d like to help defend you, you’re much better off not needing my help.
Don’t Go It Alone
Kevin Churchill helps clients charged with DUI, DUID, and DWAI in the Denver Metro area or anywhere in the Front Range. You can schedule a free consultation by calling Denver DUI attorney Kevin Churchill at (303) 832-9000.
