According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 people die every day in the United States because of motor vehicle crashes involving a driver under the influence of alcohol. Just in 2016, there were a total of 10,497 people who died in driving crashes found to have been caused by an alcohol-impaired driver. This amount accounted for 28% of all traffic-related deaths nationwide.
Zeroing in on Michigan, the 2018 Michigan Annual Drunk Driving Audit released by the Michigan State Police notes that 3,359 injury crashes and 174 fatal crashes involved alcohol. An additional 542 injury crashes and 113 fatal crashes involved both alcohol and drugs.
If, unfortunately, you have become part of the statistics and have been issued with a DUI, you might be concerned if you are required to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Read on below to find out the steps you can take if you’ve been charged with a DUI.
Get Evaluated
First, it’s important to note that there are different types of therapies that are recommended. To help with your recovery, it’s best to choose the one aligned with your goal. Because of this, the most crucial first step you need to take is to undergo a Substance Abuse Evaluation.
A Substance Abuse Evaluation is a tool to help find out the extent of the person’s misuse of a drug or alcohol. This evaluation will also help you determine the right treatment for you. There are two parts to the evaluation:
- Screening: this process will help evaluate the presence of a particular problem wherein the outcome usually is just a simple yes or no.
- Assessment: this is the process of identifying the problem, arriving at a diagnosis, and developing a treatment recommendation specifically targeting the problem or diagnosis.
A Substance Abuse Evaluation can only be done by a professional trained in substance abuse therapy.
Three Kinds of Recommended Therapy
After evaluation, there are usually three popular options for substance abuse therapy:
- Alcoholics Anonymous: Commonly referred to as AA, it is a 12-step program to help lead someone to a lifelong state of sobriety. This program has group or open meetings where the members discuss and talk to each other about their struggles and journey following “The Steps.” If you are interested in finding out more, we recommend reading this. While not technically required, we always our clients to attend meetings. Not only does it help if you have a problem, its shows initiative on your part to the judge and the courts.
- Outpatient Therapy: This kind of therapy involves meetings with a trained substance abuse counselor. You can either focus on personal issues or discuss broader and more generalized issues that you’re encountering. Some of the topics may include the following:
- Learning how to avoid triggers
- Meditation
- Prayer or spiritual awakening
- Dangers of alcohol abuse
- How to lead a sober life
The meetings can be done in groups, or if you prefer to do it personally, that can be possible too. This type of therapy is commonly offered in hospitals and other places nationwide. You may check this link for more information.
- In-Patient Therapy: When the addiction becomes overwhelming and is too much to handle, in-patient therapy may be the best option. At a stage when someone has reached their breaking point, getting checked into a residential treatment center for 14 to 30 days may be the most useful step to take.
Once checked into the facility, they usually have quite a few group and personal meetings attended by other AA members too. These meetings are intended to focus on sharing each other’s experiences as well as to discuss mental health issues and treatments for substance abuse.
Regardless of the treatment or therapy that you will choose, the important goal is to stick to the process and recover from being an alcoholic. Unless the court mandates that you attend a specific type of therapy, undergoing any form is already an essential step towards your recovery.
If you need legal advice regarding your DUI, trust only The Clark Law Office.
We have been the leading criminal law firm in the Lansing area for the last 30 years. We are committed to your case, and you can only expect the best from us because we will work on your case directly from start to finish.
To ensure that we will be able to offer you only the best of our services, you will have direct access to the mobile number of the attorney assigned to your case. They will be available to address your concerns or questions at any time. Call us at (517) 347-6900, so we can discuss your case further. You may also just fill out the free case evaluation form below for a free consultation.
