I'd like your opinion.

[Heather LouAnna]

If you've ever been to jail, and you've time to consider it properly, you will realize it is nothing more than punishment and that they're trying to make you bored.

Also: Working in childcare, I can say without a doubt that telling a child to sit in a corner (or a small cell) for some period of time, saying "Now I want you to think about what you've done" is not effective in the least.

 

[D_Bob_Crotchitch]

Basically, it's a slap on the wrist. Supposedly, it'll make them just uncomfortable enough that they won't commit the offence or offense ( depends on your own personal preference) again.

 

[madame_zora]

Wow, you really did drink the kool aid, didn't you!!!

There are addicts out there, of that there's no question, but to claim that anyone who has been drunk and driven is automatically an alky, is insane.

Where did I say that? I said that at the level of alcohol in her blood according to her breathalizer, she had a huge tolerance. At this point in time, alcoholISM is a self-diagnosed disease- meaning a person has to determine that for themselves, once they have enough information to make said determination. If you don't put words in my mouth, I may not have to waste time defending myself from things I didn't say.

The problem with the US is that we don't allow ourselves to be human. People make mistakes, that doesn't automatically mean they are addicts.

Of course not. Addicts and social users look very much alike side by side, and it's hard to tell them apart, especially when they are young. The thing is, legally we have been "making mistakes" in this country to great excess, and it has cost the lives of thousands of innocent people. I'm glad you apparently think your right to feel good about yourself supercedes someone else's right not to be killed in a car crash by a drunk. Addict or not is not the issue, DRUNK DRIVING is. I merely stated that I doubted it was the first time she had driven drunk. I was not trying to be a holier-than-thou ass, which is why I gave my own history. This was one of the major points that led me to decide not to drive drunk anymore EVER. For me that meant to quit drinking. Most people can't tell when they've had too much to drink to still drive safely, it's the nature of the buzz.

Your need for AA just shows that you don't have a life, not that you are an alky. If it works for you great, but don't push it off on everyone else.

Haha, I'm overwhelmed by the professionalism of your opinion. Where did you get all that knowledge? Having gone through AA puts me in the company of hundreds of thousands of men and women who have gotten more out of life from not being drunk at innapropriate times. Glad to hear a twirp like you considers that a wasted life.

Heather, don't run. The risks are too great. in 2008 the national ID card requirements go into effect and the chances of you getting caught will be huge. If you had a desire to live abroad for the rest of your life, then I would say, yes, take a chance. Staying in the US would be too risky. Jail time is one thing but prison time something else entirely

This part I agree with wholeheartedly.

Heather, I have no idea if quitting drinking is the right chioce for you, but I'm glad you're giving it a try. I went back to cigs a couple years after getting sober, but I smoke about a half pack a day, so I doubt it will be my undoing.
AA's no guarantee either, only a small percentage of the people who go there do in fact get or stay sober. It's just one option that some people choose when faced with these issues, I hope you find what works for you, and feel free to write me if you ever just want someone to talk to about "stuff".

 

[quercusone]

Stay and do the time. At least you won't be lookin over your shoulder for the rest of your life. After you complete probation, look for a state that has a more lenient policy regarding DWIs and working with kids. Don't know if there are any states that would allow this, but its worth lookin into.

I love Boulder too. But I just went to Portland for a week and it was awesome. Its got that Austin vibe. Lots of indy rocker types, skate punks...the cops have tats! Even better, its a lot bigger than Austin. But its a really dense, urban city...very European and its affordable. And Oregon is a relatively liberal state. They have legalized medicinal pot!

The alcohol stuff...you have to decide if you have a problem. Ask someone close to you what they think. I probably could have been caught substantially over the limit when I was 23...33....but I don't have a problem......:smile:......:biggrin1:

 

[Heather LouAnna]

Heather, I have no idea if quitting drinking is the right chioce for you, but I'm glad you're giving it a try. I went back to cigs a couple years after getting sober, but I smoke about a half pack a day, so I doubt it will be my undoing.

Meh. I totally told myself that I was quitting everything, but I folded and bought a pack of American Spirits. lol They're 100% additive free though..and it's really amazing to notice the difference in how I feel in the morning, the feeling in my ears and throat, in comparison to smoking Marlboro Lights. I haven't really..tried to switch brands since I started smoking at 16. lol..it's a hard thing to put down...Everything else has been easy to cut out though.

 

[madame_zora]

Meh. I totally told myself that I was quitting everything, but I folded and bought a pack of American Spirits. lol They're 100% additive free though..and it's really amazing to notice the difference in how I feel in the morning, the feeling in my ears and throat, in comparison to smoking Marlboro Lights. I haven't really..tried to switch brands since I started smoking at 16. lol..it's a hard thing to put down...Everything else has been easy to cut out though.

Yeah, and I'd say it's more important to be easy on yourself right now. It's pretty tough to make a lot of changes at once, why not give yourself the best chance possible to be sucessful at the most pressing ones first? Cigarettes are a bitch to quit, the other stuff really is easier. I wouldn't want to tie them together and risk the more important stuff not working.

I started smoking clove cigarettes though. They're harsh, but I don't smoke as much, so it seems to be an okay solution for me. I never tried the American Spirits, around here if you're running short on cash the best cigs are Kentucky's Best though, at least you're helping support local farmers (or so we're told).

 

[Heather LouAnna]

lol..I know a lot of people in Austin that smoke American Spirits. They're kinda considered the hippie brand.

 

[jakeeledhluin]

My only advice would be that by running to another state, you arer really not getting away from your problems. If you don't comply with all the Court's requirements, they can issue a bench warrent for your arrest, so that you have to answer for why you didn't comply. This warrent issued in Texas is good in ALL of the United States (under the full faith & credit clause of the Constitution) and in most foreign countries due to extradition treaties. You will then be subjected to everything you previously mentioned, as well as a substantial fine to pay for the bench warrant and possibly harsher penalties. Basically, our system of justice is set up to royally screw over those who attempt to run from it, so it is in your best interest to face the charges. I would advise taking all the documentation you can find on your case (including a trial transcript if you can get one) to a good lawyer or two. If they find even one violation of any of your rights, then they can get your sentence overturned on appeal. (This may be harder to do if you accepted a plea bargain, but worth a shot if you can find an attorney that's not going to charge and arm and a leg for these services).

 

[Heather LouAnna]

ok.

 

[hypolimnas]

...it's a hard thing to put down...Everything else has been easy to cut out though.[/quote]

I think what you are doing to date is sound, and is working for you. Stick with it, in my view. I think you are doing boody well. Btw if you were stuck in a corner to "think about what you have done", I can't imagine your thoughts in anyway could be boring.

 

[madame_zora]

Heather, I appreciate the fact that you brought this up at all. We have a much larger readership than posting membership. Right now there are probably several people struggling with this same thing, and often times some of us older members have a way of talking to the general population through one poster's comments. Such is the case here.

The things you brought up are the realistic facts of what happens when someone gets a dui, so some poeple who have never gone through this now know- that's how it goes folks. It's expensive, embarassing, and can limit future employment. These are not comments on right or wrong, just facts about what happens.

You being brave enough to talk about your personal struggles here might help someone else sort through it, someone who could never take the criticisms you've taken without falling apart. I think it speaks highly of you that you've brought this to the light without trying to make excuses, that's a great example. Whatever you decide about whether or not to drink in the future, I gotta tip my hat to you for giving it your best shot now. Abstaining from alcohol isn't everyone's solution, it was just mine. I'm glad you didn't take my comments as a condemnation because they surely weren't meant that way.

 

[Heather LouAnna]

I've no qualms about speaking my mind on the internet. Nothing holds me back when I am speaking to anyone in person either, unless I know that telling that person my personal life will come back to adversely effect me, i.e. I wouldn't tell my boss about a situation such as this, as he's on a need to know basis as far as my personal life is concerned.

All the friends I keep around me know everything about me, and I will tell them anything about me. I'm a very open, crass, loud mouthed bitch of a person. I've been told that I'm abrasive by the faint of heart.

It's cheese on a stick: but this site is called a support group. It's for penis talk, but all expression should be welcomed.

 

[BigA]

Sorry, I was not able to read this whole thread. First, I cannot believe a DUI would affect your life that much. I thought Calif. was strict but I guess not. From what I know its useless to get a lawyer for your first DUI. The punishment is generally standard.

So you've done wrong. Well I have done worse:

In 2003 I got two DUIs in 6 weeks. I blew .32 on the second one. The punishment for the first one was never carried out, and basically superceded by the second one. For that it was 60 days in jail. I got out after 18 days when I agreed to an outpatient treatment program. I failed that and had to go 6 month program. I also had to do 18 month DUI school (Once a week for first year). For first DUI it's 6 month for blowing over .20

I still havent done the DUI program and havent been driving since. I just finished college and will be looking to live in another state. Hows this for further similarity? I am thinking about Ft. Collins, CO.

I am wondering too if the DMV there will have record of my past and deny me a license. I think the DMV is independent in each state. If so, I'll obviously have to go thru the classes.

I did read most of your posts. So you decided not to move. I dont have the facts but I'd be real surprised if another state wouldnt hire you to work with children because of a DUI. My uncle's employment was affected by a DUI , but he drives and needs a class A license for his job.

Well good luck. I'll be interested in your proceedings. So keep us abreast.

P.S. I've pledged to give up drinking, but I relapse all the time. I havent done drugs in over a year but for me alcohol is the hardest.

 

[Heather LouAnna]

lol....That all sounds bad.


It's not like I was actually planning to move. I nev er said I was. I said I was considering it, man. Who wouldn't?!

 

[Heather LouAnna]

The official update:

As of today, I am on probation.

I spent five hours in court this morning, where I met with my lawyer, who's name is Thad, who had the worse case of adult pink eye I've ever seen. (ew) The details of my probation are as follows:

$1300 to the court ($300 of it is court fee, I forget what the grand is for)
$2000 to my probation (spread out over two years)
60 hours of community service
1 four hour MADD class
A DWI Intervention class that lasts throughout my probation
14 AA meetings
Four days in jail on September 8-11 & $500

I informed my lawyer that I didn't want a breathalizer in my car at any cost, so he pulled that last one instead.


OR rather than pay all that money..I could have just taken the AA meetings, the MADD class, and the DWI intervention class and gone to jail for 30 days. I wanted to do that, but my mother wouldn't allow it. Her reasoning was "If you're in there for thirty days, you'll make friends! I don't want you to have friends in jail!"

To which I replied "Mom, I already have friends in jail. I have one friend in federal prison. The guy I had sex with on Saturday went to prison for two years for shooting a guy."

She pretended to not hear me and simply reiterated "I don't want you to have friends in jail."

 

[that_other_guy]

$1300 to the court ($300 of it is court fee, I forget what the grand is for)
$2000 to my probation (spread out over two years)
60 hours of community service
1 four hour MADD class
A DWI Intervention class that lasts throughout my probation
14 AA meetings
Four days in jail on September 8-11 & $500

ouch ... good luck :redface:

 

[madame_zora]

Heather, talk to your attourney, but some of those fines may be reduced or dropped if you can show you're being a "good girl" say six months down the line. In most states, you can petition the courts for a mitigation hearing after you can show that you've become a contributing member of society again- point out to the courts that you are strapped financially and don't know where you'd get the money to pay all the fines without resorting to illegal activities, which you are disinclined to do.

Make your scheduled payments, attend the classes and do what is required every step of the way so you can get out from under it at some point. Believe it or not, most places really want a first time offender out of the system more than they want to see you stuck in it. The worst part will be the high risk insurance you'll have to carry for the next few years- I had to carry it for three.

Good luck in all this, it's a pain in the ass, but nothing you can't survive.

 

[Heather LouAnna]

Thankyou, so much, Ms. Z for all your wonderful advice. I've treasured your responses most. You seem to know exactly where I'm coming from, love.


So with that said...I'll continue. It's long, but a good read. I don't know any of you fucking people. I don't give a fuck what you think. Even if I did know you, I wouldn't give a fuck. The following story was written by me just this morning and is taken directly from my preferred list only myspace blog. I've already had a dozen people tell me how stupid I am for having done the following, but I'll share it with all of you regardless.

/disclaimer

Today, I met my probation officer for the first time.

I arose at 6:30am. I flat ironed the roots of my hair and allowed the bottoms to curl into spirals, sideswept bangs tucked under with an invisible bobbypin. I wore an A-line Maxstudio silk skirt, dark brown with a larger obscure light brown flower on the right side. My top was a mocha BCBG, tight but very concealing. I wore black flat Steve Madden shoes to match my black Coach purse. If the entire outfit'd been black and I'd had a habit on my head, I would have looked like a fucking nun, except that I piled the gold jewelry on. Every expensive piece of gold I had, I piled it on. I then glanced in the mirror and took one item of jewelry off.

I mapquested where the nearest moneybox was when I woke up at 6:30am, as I was to present a $62 money order when I arrived. I was making great time too. I parked and walked up to the moneybox to find it closed. I was to see my PO at 8am and they didn't open until 9am. boo.

I arrived at the office and signed in, waited in a room for awhile with a bunch of other people. We were all subjected to the same crap video they made me watch in probation orientation. (It's told very slowly, stupidly, and speaks for about thirty fucking minutes about how to set goals.) It was playing on repeat. The room was too cold and everyone there, save for the staff, looked really pissed off to be there. The metal detector to my left kept going off, as people removed their shoes, belts, pocket contents, and tried to walk through again. My officer finally called my name.

He had terrible cuticles. It looked like he'd been doing lawn work for a year and then picked at them another year. I could tell he picked at them. Some were infected. The skin hung off loosely and not one was safe from it. He had a scar across his right check that looked like it could be nothing but a knife wound. He was Latino, overweight, hairy. He kept rubbing his nose with his right hand and then wiping it on his pants. When he coughed into his left hand, he would also wipe it under the desk. He asked me a lot of questions about employment and such, writing down my answers. He looked at my long list of punishments and said "WOW.....they really slapped it to you. Did you hire a lawyer?"

I blinked dumbly, cocked my head to one side like I was blonde and said "Yeah, why?"

"You paid this guy?!"

"Uh-hu. $25,000." He laughed so hard that he threw his head back. I stared blankly, expressionless, pretending not to know what was so funny.

When I presented him my diploma he asked, "What the hell is this?"

"I went to Christian school from Pre-K to freshman year. When I tried to go to highschool at a public school in Round Rock, Sophomore year, I couldn't really handle it. The classes were too large and I just got lost in it, so I homeschooled the last two years of highschool." My diploma reads, "Texas Tech University High School." He didn't bother jotting it down.

"How old were you when you first tried marijuana?" It was funny that he'd asked it in such a fashion where he assumed I had indulged.

"I've never." I imaged myself Dagny Taggart of Atlas Shrugged as I kept my eyes level and direct, not a thing changed on my face.

"Never?"

Responding firmly, I reiterated, "No."

"Cocain? Heroin? Mushrooms? Acid? Ecstacy?" I shook my head no to all, frowning, laughing sometimes like the questions were perposterous.

"When did you first try alcohol?"

"I was twentyone at the time. I mean," I paused, "how else would I get it before that?" He scribbled on the little piece of paper.

"When was the last time you drank?"

I frowned again, pretending I was thinking about it "It had to be like..a month ago, I guess. Probably a glass of wine after dinner with my mother over a card game."

I then asked him questions about travelling from county to county, as I'd have to drive a couple counties over to visit my father "at our family's lakehouse."

Private school? No drugs? Family lake house? I must be a fucking rich bitch saint. *halo*

He announced that we were all done and said all that was left was to make copies of my information and taking a UA (urinalysus)

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

I assured him that I didn't have to pee, but I'd try. fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

This week (and let's be honest and leave nothing out, shall we?): I got wasted drunk Sunday downtown with the girls, smoked marijuana Monday night with friends by the pool, did several bumps of cocaine on Tuesday with my S&M crowd, and Wednesday night I had two mojitos at my friend's townlake condo.

I'm totally FUCKED. fuck fuck fuck.

I wait in the little room again, the god damn video is playing on repeat. There's more people waiting around this time. Everyone is holding a yellow folder that states "Adult Probation" on the cover with a picture of the Texas seal. It holds the capital and the infamous UT tower that a guy climbed in the 60s and just started shooting people, sniping them. It took them a long while, an hour and a half, to realize where the shots were coming from.

A woman with wearing latex gloves steps out of a room and calls my name. She takes me though an anteroom and into a room with a toilet. There's two mirrors behind to toilet so they can see every angle. I'm totally embarassed now, not because I have to piss in front of somebody, but because I need to do laundry and I'm wearing my last resort underwear: Blue boyshorts that say L.E.I. all over them with stars. How humiliating.

I try to piss in the cup and just can't. The woman rather laughs and says it's common. She asks that I drink some water from the fountain in the hall and take a seat in the waiting area again. I stepped out to have a smoke too. I return to the waiting room. I'm shaking. My teeth are chattering. I'm telling myself "Don't freak out. You're gonna fail. Don't freak out. You know you're going to fail. It doesn't matter. Stop shaking. Stop shaking. "

Thirty minutes later, they called my name again and I returned to the room with a different woman. I piss WAY more than is required in the cup and have to pour some out. My right hand is totally covered in piss. I'm still feigning the good Christian girl. "Oh...gross..." I'm making a face.

"Now, don't wash your hands just yet. You're gonna have to handle that container two more times." She chides me.

Yuck....

I then step back into the anteroom where a man begins cheerfully talking with me as he opens three packets. He asks that I take the lid off the piss filled container and I get piss all over my hand again. I frown and ask if I can't wash my hands. "Not yet," he replies "You're still gonna have to handle this container one more time." I'm frowning so hard. The three packets he's opening contain three plastic sticks. One reads THC, another COC, another MET. Pot, coke, and meth. He inserts all three into the urine and then sets them on the paper.The man makes me take a breathalizer which comes up zero. I then watch in horror as all three strips begin to turn pink. fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

The strips I saw look very similar to this picture.

The man shows me a chart on the wall behind me, saying that two pink lines means negative and one means positive. The THC and MET hold two lines.

The COC one holds only one.

fuuuuuck. fuck fuck fuck. The man is saying that sometimes it takes longer for the second line to come up, that we'll wait five minutes. The second line never came.

"You've never tried cocaine?"

"No....."

"Never?! Not even a long time ago?!"

"No...I wouldn't...put anything up my nose." I'm shaking my head and holding my pissy hand away from my body.

"Well, I think I have enough information here to count it as negative." He says. "Pour this cup into the toilet, flush, put the cup in the trash, and then you can wash your hands. Thankyou, Heather."


It's a great day to have a vagina and a pair of exquisite breasts.


I'd like to thank the Academy. *takes a bow*

 

[Heather LouAnna]

double posty nonsense.

 

[B_Hickboy]

Thankyou, *grandiose blather snipped* breasts.


I'd like to thank the Academy. *takes a bow*

Your attitude sucks. I hope the next time you get caught, and there will be a next time, they put your ass UNDER the jail.

A couple of points: Your tits are not all that. The pictures of them that you've put up in your gallery reveal that you have nothing to write home about.

You may or not be an alcoholic, but I'll give dollars to donuts that you have a personality disorder.

Dagny fucking TAGGART?! I never thought I'd get angry about someone comparing themselves to a fictional character, but I'm offended on her behalf. You're not fit to catch HER piss in a cup and drink it.

You keep stating that you don't give a shit, so why are you posting all this self-aggrandizing bullshit on a public website? You should be talking to a therapist. Not a bunch of horny strangers.

Oh. Narcissism. Can't relate to people at a personal level. I get it.