Starting Over After A DUI

Your life may feel very different after being convicted of a DUI. Your personal relationships may have been negatively affected and you may have lost your job. On top of that, there are legal consequences to be faced, be it paying a fine or serving time. You may feel like everything is lost, but many people have successfully moved on and started over after a DUI. You can rebuild your life too as long as you dedicate sufficient time and effort into recovery.

In this article, we share with you some tips on starting over after a DUI.

Accept and Serve the Legal Consequences

Everyone who’s been convicted of a DUI undoubtedly wishes that they could turn back time and never have committed the offense in the first place. Although6that’s not possible, what you can do is accept and serve the legal consequences with dignity. Whether that is paying a fine or attending a first offender program, accepting these consequences is the first and most important step to starting over.

Be Honest with Yourself

The recovery process can only start after you have made up your mind to do so. A minority of DUI offenders may have been caught at a bad time or in an isolated accident that is completely out of character. However, the truth for most offenders is that their offense points to a larger problem with substance abuse. If that’s the case, be honest that you need help. The chances of reoffending are high if offenders do not receive the help they need, and you want to avoid that at all costs.

Commit to Recovery

If this is not your first offense, you will almost definitely be required to take a multiple offender program consisting of a mixture of education sessions, discussions and group and individual counselling. Committing to a plan to help you move forward and putting your offense behind you is your best bet at starting over. Besides ensuring that you have learnt from the incident and do not reoffend, put the past behind you and do not allow this infraction to dictate your life.

Be Understanding Towards Yourself

You have been through a lot, being convicted of a DUI and starting on your path to recovery. It’s understandable, even natural, that you will go through some low patches from time to time. When that happens, be kind to yourself. A relapse or rough patch doesn’t mean you will never recover. You may want to look into counselling sessions to help you manage your emotions and rebuild your life if you have been feeling particularly low.

Rehabilitation from A Safe Distance

At Jackson-Bibby Awareness Group, we believe that rehabilitative treatment is the best way for DUI offenders to start over. However, in light of the current situation, in-person sessions have been replaced with DUI telehealth sessions conducted via online platforms. Please keep in mind that this is for a limited time only and will be resumed in person as soon as possible.