Getting a DUI is a life-changing event. Many people spend years trying to financially recover from the extensive fees and fines. Others spend months or years in jail, apart from family and friends, contemplating their mistakes. Anyone with a DUI must deal with the emotional and mental impact of his or her action. The overarching shared aspect of most DUIs is the urge to never do it again. No matter what the punishment was, most people who drove while drunk learned lessons they will never forget, and that will affect all facets of their lives for a long time.
Your Drinking Has Become a Problem
One of the most impactful, blatant lessons that comes out of DUIs for most people is the knowledge they have a problem. Countless adults drink. For some, it is a glass of wine at dinner a few days a week; for others, it is going out three nights a week and staying at a bar until closing. No matter how often you drink, it is extremely difficult to identify when you have a problem.
The severity of a DUI is a serious wake-up call. It forces you to address the fact that your drinking is problematic enough to put yourself and others in danger. When you get a DUI, you have no choice but to accept the issue and speak with a Glendale DUI attorney for legal representation during this difficult time.
You Must Take Responsibility for Your Actions
The first reaction after an incident like a DUI is to find another person to blame. It could be the person at the bar who pushed you to have one more drink or your friend who did not want to leave yet and forced you to drive home, by yourself. Some people might even blame other people for not keeping them from getting behind the wheel in the first place.
Many people who endure the consequences of a DUI come out on the other side realizing it was no one’s fault but their own. You learn you must take responsibility for your actions if you want to change. Not only does learning how to take responsibility help to prevent future DUIs, but it is also an important lesson that will have an impact on every aspect of your life.
Think Before You Act
Another important lesson that comes from getting a DUI is to think before you act. The penalties of a DUI are severe enough to change your life forever. Depending on your level of intoxication, you could lose your license, lose your job, or end up struggling financially. People learn that even if it seems like no big deal, it can quickly change everything. Many DUI offenders realize that if they had taken a moment and considered what they were about to do, a terrible incident that will follow them around for a long time could have been avoided. It is important to stop and think about whether you are sober enough to drive safely before getting behind the wheel.
You Are Lucky
It might seem counterintuitive, but if it did not cause a serious personal injury or fatality, people with DUIs may learn that they were lucky. If the police officer had not pulled him or her over, the person may have done it again. The next time, he or she could have seriously injured or killed someone, an incident that not only would cause serious trauma to another person but would permanently change the impaired driver’s life. The DUI gave clarity that he or she has a problem and prevented it from getting worse. The ability to take a terrible situation and see positive in it is a skill that will help anyone in countless other situations too.