Life isn't all rainbows and ponies...

On my blog, I try to not talk about the "bad" stuff life throws my way,  but sometimes I feel like i'm kind of hiding thing...

On my blog, I try to not talk about the "bad" stuff life throws my way, 
but sometimes I feel like i'm kind of hiding things or something. 
And life isn't always perfect you know? 
We all make mistakes and do stupid things, 
it's about learning from them right? 
So here goes...


This my friends, is my license.
I got it back a little over two weeks ago,
after not having it for 9 months.
Why, you ask?

I f-ed up.
Last August, I went to a concert with some friends, at a venue about 20 minutes from my house.
They were from out of town, but picked me up and drove us to the show.
I had a couple beers in a 7 hour time frame, during the show.
Friend "A" was supposed to drive us back to my house, but ended up being in no condition at all to drive. Since they were from out of town, and I knew where we were going, and I also knew I hadn't had that much to drink, I chose to drive us home.

So I drove.
About 2 miles from my house, we see signs for a "DUI Checkpoint"
As I pulled into it, I was shaking. 
Everyone in the car had been drinking all night, 
so I knew we probably smelled like alcohol, 
and I knew I had had a couple...but I truly thought I was ok.
The officer asked if I had been drinking, and honest me said I had a couple beers at the concert.
He then had me pull to the shoulder to do roadside tests. 
After those, he had me blow, and proceeded to arrest me.
I blew a .096.
Higher than a .08, but not by much.
Little did I know at the time that in Colorado, all it takes is a .05 to be arrested.

In the end, it got dropped to a DWAI (driving while ability impaired) because of my previous clean record- but it's still an alcohol offense and that sucks.
I am now on probation for 2 years (which started this past January).
For the first couple of months, I was having to take 3 random breathalyzers per week, 
plus one random urine drug analysis a month.
Then I was down to one BA a week and one UA a month, 
and now it's only one UA a month, and no breathalyzers. 
Each breathalyzer was $5 and each UA is $25.
I meet with my probation officer once every two months and pay her $100 each time I see her.
I got kind of lucky (if you can even use that word in a situation like this), and ended up with only Alcohol Education classes, and not Alcohol Therapy classes. 
So only 24 hours of class, each one being 2 hours. 
12 weeks of class, at $30 each.

And no license for 9 months. 
I could have gotten a breathalyzer thing installed in my car, but at the time, 
I needed to sell my car in order to pay for all of it.

So the last 9 months have been HARD.
You really take being able to drive for granted, let me tell you.
When you can't, your freedom is GONE.
I had to constantly rely on people to take me places. Even going to the grocery store was difficult.
And I felt GUILTY. 
Guilty that I couldn't just drive Porter to the park, or to play dates or daycare.
Then I lost my job, and do you know how impossible it is to go try to find a new one when you can't even drive to an interview?
It's been hellish.

I learned my lesson on this one. 
I will never again drink ANYTHING and drive. 
Ever. 
It's not worth it.
Freedom and independence are everything!

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5 comments

  1. Bevin @ allisbright.comAugust 14, 2012 at 10:17 AM

    I think its awesome that you're being honest about this! Great to hear you got it back.

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  2. I'm really glad I found your blog, I'm looking forward to reading more! I unfortunately learned all of that the hard way too. It's something i've never forgotten. Lesson learned.

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  3. Glad you found us! Sorry to hear you went through that too...it sucks and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone! You live and learn I guess... :(

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  4. HOLY HELL! Remind me to NEVER drink in drive in CO! sheesh! I'll be moving to Ft Carson soon with my husband, if all goes well, but my goodness! I have a DUI out here in CA, and it was NOOO where near as crazy as that, and i blew a .16 and .18! And it was knocked down to a .14 in court, cause of my "clean record" But I mean, my car got towed (250 the next day to get it out..OUCH!), I had classes as well, but it was one lump sum of like 500 for 3 months. twice a week, for like 2-4 hours I dont remember. I had 7 days of community service, which I paid 125 for. And my L's was restricted until my classes were done, then I was good, but was on probation, which meant...no driving with ANY alcohol in the car, which I def didn't follow. I gotta get the beer home one way or another! I barely got off this past march of my 3 year probation! which means...no SR-22 on my insurance! The ticket alone for DUI was 1700 but with some weird one night class it knocked off 700, and i was paying 35 every damn month until that 1,000 was paid off! Talk about a LESSON LEARNED! Now that i write it out it seems WAY worse then it was! But Im thankful for my DUI, cause no one died, and I was FULLY inebriated, incoherent, and SHOULD NOT have been behind the wheel.

    But Im glad you got your L's back and im sooo sorry you had/have to go through all that! It blows! I dont know how some people never learn.

    In fact I just read on the news, here in the central valley in cali, some chick on her 4th DUI finally killed a man while driving drunk. And she fell asleep in the back of the cop car. 4 damn dui's! She should have been in jail, and that guy would have been alive today! Its just unfair!

    Following you though!
    xoxox!!

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  5. I'm sorry to hear you went through that too :( Def don't get another one here...second one means automatic jail time, and that does NOT sound fun!!

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