You might find it difficult to believe but moderate alcohol consumption may protect you against heart disease. Moderate alcohol intake can increase good HDL cholesterol and reduce plaque buildup in the arteries. The recommended amount is one drink for women and two drinks for men.
People often drink more than this. With binge drinking, people go up to 5 or more drinks in one occasion. Excessive alcohol consumption is a costly pattern and is a risk to your health. According to research, alcohol was responsible for 18.5% of ED visits in the USA. People even add to these by engaging in drunk driving.
Operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher is an offense and can land you in trouble. DUI cases often attract harsh penalties and consequences. Despite all that, people still engage in drunk driving.
DUIs can be both civil and criminal cases. A DUI civil lawsuit occurs when a victim files a case seeking compensation for damages against a drunk driver. On the other hand, drunk driving is breaking the law, so it is a criminal offense.
You need DUI Lawyers by your side to get you the best results in both cases. Depending on your conviction, you may have to pay a fine or spend time in jail. If you have prior convictions, you are subject to harsher penalties.
Note that you get higher penalties in DUI cases if there were minors in the car or you had a BAC of .5% or higher. Apart from the risks of drunk driving, people are oblivious to the consequences of getting a DUI conviction.
A DUI conviction will impact your social life in many ways. Some may be immediate, like drunk driving lawsuit settlements. However, you should also worry about those that are not too obvious. Let us look at how a DUI conviction can change your life:
Scholarship Programs
A DUI conviction may stand in the way of getting into a scholarship program. If you are already on a scholarship, you may lose it if you are convicted. The screening process for scholarship programs is usually very rigorous.
Some colleges perform background checks and require you to disclose any criminal history. If you have a criminal record, you are less likely to get in, let alone get a scholarship. This will affect the trajectory of your life given that you have to find new ways of getting funding for education.
Increased Insurance Rates
One of the main reasons why insurance companies remain profitable is because of their risk assessment. Having a DUI conviction puts you in the “high-risk” category. This means that your automobile insurance rate will increase.
In some cases, you may pay double or even triple your initial rate. This is because the DUI has already established you are a risk to other motorists and yourself. In some cases, an insurance company may terminate your coverage when you get a DUI conviction.
Difficulty in Securing Work
DUI cases fall into different categories depending on the situation. If it was your first offense and there was no damage, you may be lucky. However, your third DUI conviction or any case with bodily injury or property damage fall under felonies or misdemeanor which show up during background checks.
A criminal record will make it difficult to secure employment. It will also make earning the trust of your coworkers tough. The DUI may even close off jobs that require you to use vehicles such as truck driving, pizza delivery, and sales.
Loss of Employment
A DUI conviction may put your job at risk. You have to factor in court dates and time spent there. A DUI case lasts anywhere between two and six months depending on the schedule of the attorney. If it is a complicated case, you will be in court longer
Your conviction may also include mandatory community service that you have to factor into your schedule.Let us not forget about the possibility of jail time.
Your employer may have to let you go if you have a sentence to serve. Also, having your license revoked may put your employment at risk. This applies to people whose jobs require them to drive. This includes people doing deliveries, sales, and commercial driving.
However, you can try your luck and apply for a hardship license. The license will allow you to work but it comes with a lot of restrictions. Losing employment will have a significant impact on your social life. It will affect your lifestyle and your relationship with your spouse.
Personal Relationships
People often view those who have been convicted as a danger, reckless, and as irresponsible people. Therefore, you may fall out with friends and family because of a DUI conviction. This may take a toll on your mental health and affect you socially.
A conviction can make it hard to form new relationships and interact with new people. This is because you may experience difficulty in connecting. Also, you may be worried about their reaction to finding out that you have a DUI conviction.
DUIs also come with the possibility of injuring someone else. Some people find it hard to live with the knowledge that they have caused somebody harm and may fall into depression. You may feel the urge to hide your drunk driving death lawsuit from people you know as well as family. This will be an extra burden to bear.
Limited Freedom
Apart from serving jail time, a DUI conviction may limit your freedom in other ways. First, your license is revoked for between 180 days and two years. Losing the right to drive will alter your lifestyle in several ways.
You will lose the ability to run simple errands, meet friends and participate in social activities that require driving. This means you will spend time on buses and other public transport, which may be uncomfortable.
A DUI conviction may also limit your freedom of movement through probation. In some cases, you may have to enroll in monthly reporting probation. This means you cannot make trips that last several months abroad.
Conclusion
Moderate alcohol consumption is not bad however binge drinking is dangerous. It is a crime to operate a vehicle while drunk and it will result in a DUI conviction. Apart from the immediate fines and penalties, DUIs have lasting effects that may affect you socially.
You can lose your job, scholarship, and your freedom because of a DUI conviction. In other cases, you may find it difficult to interact with people or secure employment. A DUI conviction has adverse impacts on your life, therefore, avoid situations that may get you booked.
