Feel free to talk about your DUI here. What made it unusual? What helped you get through it? When did you start to see a light at the end of the tunnel?
Hello everyone. I am new here as this is my first DUI and I am so grateful to have found this site. It is one of the more open and inspiring places I have found. I am almost 52 years old and have never had an issue with drinking and driving, nor made a decision so poor that it will effect my life and the life of others. I am three weeks in and just now have a DMV hearing scheduled.
I have struggled with all of the emotions listed on this site, some I feel daily. The shame, the guilt, the desire to self punish is relentless. I could have killed someone, I could have injured someone, I could have crashed, I could have harmed my partner. I am so stuck in the could have at times that I forget that I have a lot to be grateful for. The officer involved was very kind and treated me with respect. I was driven home and taken care of.
What is helping me get through it is this site and the stories people share here, that it will get better and I can get back to my life. I have big dreams, aspirations and I want my energy to go to that and not what is in the past. I will do better because it is so darn easy too.
I am not a big drinker, I drink socially and for me moving forward no matter what I will be taking an Uber or Lyft, it just isn't worth on ounce of alcohol being in your system. I will post more, right now I am all over the place and not feeling particularly cohesive. Thanks for listening and thank you so much for having this site..
My partner found your blog while we were sitting in court, waiting for my case to be called after being offered a reduction in charges that will eventually (hopefully) result in no criminal charges. Your guide to IID was the most helpful thing I’ve found as a guide through this ordeal. I am of the opinion that I am very lucky. Although the total diversion program will cost me thousands of dollars, had things gone differently, I would be praying to be in the position I’m in so we’re gonna take the glass half full approach. I wanted to talk about something that I don’t see discussed often and may help someone in the future. I had a sleeve gastrectomy about a year before and I think this generally influenced a lot of how my body metabolizes alcohol. After the incident I stopped drinking altogether and this has really put into perspective how different life is after weight loss surgery regarding alcohol consumption in general. If anyone reading this has had WLS, I highly suggest you get yourself your own breathalyzer. For me alcohol was completely unpredictable after surgery. Your body just does not metabolize things the same way as other people. It is imperative for your safety and that of others that you have the ability to test your own BAC even if you don’t plan on driving but DEFINITELY if you plan on driving. The usual equations that other people use, like wait an hour between every drink, a glass of water between drinks, just likely will not work for you in a predictable manner. Do not rely on your own ability to decide what “being fine” is. If you’re someone who has had WLS, I implore you to consider having a zero tolerance policy regarding even one drink and driving in any capacity. Our bodies are different in ways that the medical community does not educate you on. Learn from my mistakes.
Hey everyone, hope this finds you well. I am almost three weeks into my DUI experience and I am still waiting on the criminal charges and my upcoming DMV hearing at the end of the month. My attorney is waiting on the file so we can take a look at what the options are. That aside, I am struggling more with how long I should punish myself.
I tend to move past things pretty quickly, I don't rely on drugs or alcohol to get through the day or life's issues, in fact if I have a bad day or am feeling depressed at all I don't go near alcohol. But I digress, that part is irrelevant.
I feel good about life, about my career, my clients, the companies I work with and my life in general. We recently moved to our dream home and I just have zero to complain about other than the terrible thing I did. The terrible decision I made in that moment.
So while I feel good about the majority of my life I can't shake the emotion of reliving that night over and over and making a different decision. I can't stop kicking myself for not pulling my phone out and connecting to Uber. It's so simple, I knew I shouldn't have been driving, I was feeling very tipsy but yet I still did it. Why?
This is where I am today, how long do I have to relive it? How long do I have to punish myself? I know one day I won't think about it but based on experience how long should I expect to constantly think about the "could have" rather than "what did"...
I joined a program to help get past this and part of the process is AA. I do go, I attend open meetings as a guest and have shared that honestly. Alcohol isn't my drug of choice, work is, and I can take or leave booze anytime. I feel like I am crashing a very genuine process for people who need to talk about their powerlessness. Don't get me wrong, I like it, I love the honesty, the raw emotion and the stories. It makes me think of my parents and where I might be able to forgive them but on the flip side I am not sure this is really going to help me.
Will I drink and drive again? Hell to the no, Uber and Lyft are cheap and it is super easy for me or my partner to be a driver. This isn't actually going to be any sort of deterrent for me.
Just sharing that part, I want to repeat, I am a huge supporter of the group and I love the people and what they are doing, I am just struggling to find my place in it.
That's enough for now, thanks for giving me a platform to share honestly.
Hello everyone. I am new here as this is my first DUI and I am so grateful to have found this site. It is one of the more open and inspiring places I have found. I am almost 52 years old and have never had an issue with drinking and driving, nor made a decision so poor that it will effect my life and the life of others. I am three weeks in and just now have a DMV hearing scheduled.
I have struggled with all of the emotions listed on this site, some I feel daily. The shame, the guilt, the desire to self punish is relentless. I could have killed someone, I could have injured someone, I could have crashed, I could have harmed my partner. I am so stuck in the could have at times that I forget that I have a lot to be grateful for. The officer involved was very kind and treated me with respect. I was driven home and taken care of.
What is helping me get through it is this site and the stories people share here, that it will get better and I can get back to my life. I have big dreams, aspirations and I want my energy to go to that and not what is in the past. I will do better because it is so darn easy too.
I am not a big drinker, I drink socially and for me moving forward no matter what I will be taking an Uber or Lyft, it just isn't worth on ounce of alcohol being in your system. I will post more, right now I am all over the place and not feeling particularly cohesive. Thanks for listening and thank you so much for having this site..
My partner found your blog while we were sitting in court, waiting for my case to be called after being offered a reduction in charges that will eventually (hopefully) result in no criminal charges. Your guide to IID was the most helpful thing I’ve found as a guide through this ordeal. I am of the opinion that I am very lucky. Although the total diversion program will cost me thousands of dollars, had things gone differently, I would be praying to be in the position I’m in so we’re gonna take the glass half full approach. I wanted to talk about something that I don’t see discussed often and may help someone in the future. I had a sleeve gastrectomy about a year before and I think this generally influenced a lot of how my body metabolizes alcohol. After the incident I stopped drinking altogether and this has really put into perspective how different life is after weight loss surgery regarding alcohol consumption in general. If anyone reading this has had WLS, I highly suggest you get yourself your own breathalyzer. For me alcohol was completely unpredictable after surgery. Your body just does not metabolize things the same way as other people. It is imperative for your safety and that of others that you have the ability to test your own BAC even if you don’t plan on driving but DEFINITELY if you plan on driving. The usual equations that other people use, like wait an hour between every drink, a glass of water between drinks, just likely will not work for you in a predictable manner. Do not rely on your own ability to decide what “being fine” is. If you’re someone who has had WLS, I implore you to consider having a zero tolerance policy regarding even one drink and driving in any capacity. Our bodies are different in ways that the medical community does not educate you on. Learn from my mistakes.
Hey everyone, hope this finds you well. I am almost three weeks into my DUI experience and I am still waiting on the criminal charges and my upcoming DMV hearing at the end of the month. My attorney is waiting on the file so we can take a look at what the options are. That aside, I am struggling more with how long I should punish myself.
I tend to move past things pretty quickly, I don't rely on drugs or alcohol to get through the day or life's issues, in fact if I have a bad day or am feeling depressed at all I don't go near alcohol. But I digress, that part is irrelevant.
I feel good about life, about my career, my clients, the companies I work with and my life in general. We recently moved to our dream home and I just have zero to complain about other than the terrible thing I did. The terrible decision I made in that moment.
So while I feel good about the majority of my life I can't shake the emotion of reliving that night over and over and making a different decision. I can't stop kicking myself for not pulling my phone out and connecting to Uber. It's so simple, I knew I shouldn't have been driving, I was feeling very tipsy but yet I still did it. Why?
This is where I am today, how long do I have to relive it? How long do I have to punish myself? I know one day I won't think about it but based on experience how long should I expect to constantly think about the "could have" rather than "what did"...
I joined a program to help get past this and part of the process is AA. I do go, I attend open meetings as a guest and have shared that honestly. Alcohol isn't my drug of choice, work is, and I can take or leave booze anytime. I feel like I am crashing a very genuine process for people who need to talk about their powerlessness. Don't get me wrong, I like it, I love the honesty, the raw emotion and the stories. It makes me think of my parents and where I might be able to forgive them but on the flip side I am not sure this is really going to help me.
Will I drink and drive again? Hell to the no, Uber and Lyft are cheap and it is super easy for me or my partner to be a driver. This isn't actually going to be any sort of deterrent for me.
Just sharing that part, I want to repeat, I am a huge supporter of the group and I love the people and what they are doing, I am just struggling to find my place in it.
That's enough for now, thanks for giving me a platform to share honestly.