I was arrested for first offense DUI. I am scared, ashamed of my self and feel like the walls are closing in around me.
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Yes, consequences suck. I had plenty of them, I know. And for a long time, I wanted to go dry until the heat died down, then try to drink without consequences. That never worked for me.
But when I wanted sobriety for its own sake, then I was willing to do anything to pursue it and to seek and accept help from many different quarters. It did take a severe consequence for me to realize that my goal is to be sober, plain and simple.
The darkest hour is just before the dawn. And every little thing is gonna be alright. I guarantee that.
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I know it feels like it’s the end of the world right now, at least that’s what it felt like for me when I was arrested for the same. But it doesn’t have to be the end.
You really have 2 options right now, you can let it ruin you, or you can take action, today, and work to get past it.
I think you know what to choose.
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I got my only DUI in September 2019 and it was the best thing that could have happened. I immediately got myself into an outpatient detox, followed by an intensive outpatient program (IOP), and into AA. The DUI was very costly and inconvenient but I guess that’s what it’s meant to do to discourage a 2nd. I have 4 more months of interlock in my car and one more year of MVA fines and then I’ll finally be free. If it weren’t for that arrest, I would not have found sobriety 26 months ago.
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3 dwis and haven’t had a license in going on 8 years now. Learn from this and hopefully get sober stay sober and live a fufilling life. No real advice but to keep moving forward and don’t beat yourself up to bad, we all make mistakes.
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Many people have 1 but if we came clean about it, probably ought to have a hundred of em. I drove drunk nearly every damn day the last year I was drinking. And so grateful I lived & didn’t hurt anybody. But, now I don’t ever have to, or need to go through that shit again.
It fucking hurts in the beginning but it’s meant to. Mu DUI wasn’t my wake up, but yours can be.
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We can make things better by just not drinking make the best of bad situations and start working on our recovery. Last IOP class i was taking i heard alot of people say they were there for their 1st and last DUI i just said i was there because of my alcoholism and substance abuse i was too ashamed of how many run ins i had an still wasnt getting “it” but i finally got serious after so many years wasted and started finally to do the work and get the help i needed to stay clean/sober. You’ll be alright an make it through this just keep your head up.
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If alcoholics were Boy Scout’s, a DUI would earn a merit badge. We have all been there. This entire community is full of injured souls who have similar stories, and I must agree with them, that if you use this to your advantage it will be a positive catalyst the likes you have never dreamed.
If I quit drinking after my DUI, I would be 11 years sober and much farther in life. Seize this opportunity and never look back. You will be glad you did.
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Use it as a lesson and better yourself from it you can’t change it now what’s done is done use it as fuel to change your life it can be done if you really want it 
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I am so sorry and I know how devastating it is. I used to use the fact that I never got a DUI as a reason the say I wasn’t addicted to alcohol. I had a million little things like that. Eventually, they all started happening.
When I got my DUI, the shame was unbearable. I was driving down the interstate with my freaking car on fire and didn’t even know.
The months that followed felt so dark and the shame was overwhelming. I only stayed sober a few months, but kept trying. It’s a wake up call for sure. You can get through the shame. I had a lot of legal consequences. One was community service. I ended up loving it so much that I still help out there. Before COVID I brought my company there to help as a team on a regular basis. This can be a good thing for you if you allow it to be.
I feel like the very worst decisions I have made in my life were caused by my intoxication. I don’t have to worry about that anymore. Now I can just blame it on me being a dumbass 
I still don’t make destructive decisions.
Glad you’re here. Search DUI on here and you’ll find you’re not alone. Glad you found TS.
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I’m sorry to hear this,
I also had a DUI in 2017, 1st offense
The arresting officer was a friend and a colleague, while I begged and pleaded with him to let me just go home he said to me, this affects me just as much you.
I was angry scared frustrated a wheel of emotions,
While I didn’t stop drinking, I stopped driving, but it was a turning point as much as I hated the idea of it, it was a lifesaver.
1st offense you’ll probably be faced with hefty fines, mandatory DUI classes, possibly AA and other repercussions.
It took me 20 years to realize my alcohol and drug use had repercussions, but they helped me realize I had a problem and needed to get on the right path
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Thank you all for the amazing support. I am on day three now, going to therapy and going to an AA meeting today. Still going through a lot of shame but not as bad as the past two days. I am scared that my ex-wife will use this to take my parenting time away. We went through a very contentious divorce a few years ago and we have rarely been on good terms since then. Any advice on how to deal with that?
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Try not let her actions affect your emotional state just focus on your recovery keep up with the therapy and AA youll hear plenty of people with similar stories who can encourage you to hang on to your sobriety. Things can get better always tell your kids you love them.
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Be well-documented on everything you are doing to stay sober and make changes. I am not sure how long your current parenting plan/custody agreement has been in place, but courts would unlikely change that plan based on one thing, unless the kids were in the car. That’s a different ball game. It is not their desire (so they say) to cause upheaval to the children. Document. Document. Document.
You have an online presence here from before it happened, so you do have proof that you were attempting to navigate sobriety as a choice.
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My advice to you is to take a long, hard, honest look at your relationship with alcohol and change it. They say a rising tide lifts all boats. Let sobriety be your rising tide, if you do, all of your boats will rise.
I know you you want to unfuck this fuck up but truth is, sometimes we can’t, we gotta take our lumps. However, sobriety and recovery gives you the best opportunity to unfuck it; and that takes time.
In essence, work on your self, the rest will fall in place.
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