DUI: Alcohol Rehab May be Required

The war on drugs is waged by numerous soldiers: parents, teachers and counselors, family members of alcoholics and addicts, the clergy, social services outlets, the media. But the legal and judiciary system is the final arbiter when an individual's using habits and behaviors lead him to break the law--and get caught.

The correlation between drugs and criminal behavior is undeniable. Certainly, it is a crime to use, possess, manufacture, or distribute drugs classified as having a potential for abuse (such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and amphetamines). But drugs are also related to crime because of their impacts on the user's behavior and by generating violence and other illegal activity in connection with drug trafficking. Drug-related offenses and drug-using lifestyles are major contributors to crime in the country.

Because people addicted to alcohol or drugs typically experience an increase in tolerance for the drug, and because stopping the using of alcohol and some drugs can lead to painful and sometimes life-threatening withdrawal, the mid-to-late-stage addict is usually ready to do whatever it takes--robbery, burglary, petty theft, embezzlement--to find the financial means to obtain that substance. As addicts trudge this larcenous road the following consequences may come into play:

• An inability to fulfill professional, financial or family obligations due to drug abuse may render addicts not only unemployed but unemployable. Further, if the addict neglects the children in their home, they may well find those youngsters in the hands of social services--and themselves facing charges of child abuse, neglect or endangerment.




• Mid-to-late stage addiction is further characterized by diminished decision making capacity and can lead to hazardous activities such as driving while impaired or intoxicated or performing normal tasks at home or work and those things going terribly wrong. A DUI that ends in injury or death to others can end in a lengthy jail or prison sentence and again, drug-related accidents occurring on the job or at home can lead to losing one's job, losing one's children and the potential for civil or criminal charges to be filed by those affected.




• Possession of illegal drugs (such as powder or rock cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin or illegally obtained pharmaceuticals) can carry strict legal penalties and if the person is a repeat offender, the subsequent punishments will fit the prior crimes.

Drug Addiction has undeniably been linked to escalating crime among teens and the attendant negative affect on educational progress. Many adult offenders have criminal backgrounds rife with drug-related activities. The judiciary system continues to make efforts to address and find solutions for the complicated, long-standing, personal aspects of the problems related to alcoholism and drug addiction and the family members of those who are addicted.

The coordination of drug alcohol addiction treatment programs with correctional planning can encourage attendance at a drug alcohol addiction treatment center and can help drug alcohol addiction treatment facilities incorporate correctional requirements as treatment program goals. Addiction Treatment Center's should collaborate with criminal justice staff to evaluate each individual's treatment plan and ensure that it meets correctional supervision requirements as well as that person's and family's needs, which may include housing and child-care; medical, psychiatric, and social support services; and vocational and employment assistance. For offenders with drug alcohol addiction problems, planning should incorporate the transition to community-based treatment and links to appropriate post-release services to improve the success of alcohol drug addiction treatment programs. Additionally, drug alcohol rehab treatment that provides specific cognitive skills training to help individuals recognize errors in judgment that led to drug alcohol addiction and criminal behavior may improve outcomes.

The operative phrase here--and more importantly the operative action--is treatment for alcohol or drug addiction. Iif the treatment comes before the drug and alcohol linked crimes are committed, there may never be occasion for you or a family member to become another drug addict in the judicial system.