The Denson Firm

Cruisin’ For a Bruce-in: Evaluation & Alcohol Treatment

In Cruisin’ For A Bruce-in, we ride along with Florida Attorney Bruce Denson as he gives brief explanations on Florida Law and what to do in common legal situations.

Transcript

Here's everything that you need to know about the alcohol evaluation that is part of DUI school. If you're arrested in Florida for a DUI, as part of any plea agreement, an alcohol evaluation and any recommended treatment that is required. So, the first step in that is the evaluation.

So, here's what you need to know, and here's how to handle that evaluation. First of all, you need to be on time. Be early, okay? Show respect. That's going to go a long way in getting this off on the right foot. So, be there 15 minutes early, be ready, and next, be open and honest with the evaluator.

These people: They're used to dealing with people that are trying to lie to them and pull the wool over their eyes; they're pretty good at identifying people who aren't being truthful with them. So, being truthful and honest in the evaluation goes a long way. What you want to do is let them know that you made a mistake and that you know that if you deny or minimize the allegations against you, they're going to send you to treatment, but if you are open and honest and you have embraced the fact that you made a mistake, that you made an error, and you and you own it, then they might not send you to treatment.

What they're going to want to hear is that you take responsibility for what happened. They want to know why it happened, and you need to be able to tell them why this was a unique event in your life, what particular thing happened on that day that caused this to happen, and on the first time DUI, why it's a unique event in your life, why, in other situations, you haven't had a DUI before that, you know, you make other arrangements, that you have a designated driver, that you have uber on your phone, and then maybe they won't send you to treatment.

They also want to know what you've done in response to getting the DUI. What have been the consequences in your life? So, be ready to talk to them about your embarrassment, that you know about the effect it's had on your job or on your family. Don't hide those things. Go ahead and talk about that and then let them know what you've done behavior-wise to change, you know, that you don't put yourself in that situation again so that they don't think that you're a risk to re-offend because that's really what they're trying to avoid. They don't want people drinking and driving again, and if they think that's a possibility, they're going to send you for treatment.

Now they send most people for treatment. Probably 80 plus percent of people get sent for treatment. So, don't be too discouraged if you have to go to class once a week for alcohol classes. But, I find the people that they don't send again are people that are open and honest, who own the mistake that was made, who are able to articulate why it happened, the effect on them, and what they've done in response to it.

In order to make sure that it doesn't happen again, if you're able to do that, then perhaps they won't send you to treatment, and you'll just get a certificate of completion showing a treatment that was not required.

Further Thoughts

The Alcohol Treatment & Evaluation is a meeting with an addiction expert who’s tasked with giving you an abuse assessment and assisting you in understanding your relationship with drugs and alcohol and how you can overcome any issues you may have to successfully treat your addiction.

It’s important to keep in mind that these addiction experts are there to help you. They want to ensure that you can overcome your addictions so that you don’t risk repeating the offense and endangering yourself and others. Even though DUI Assessments are required by a judge, you may come to find that they can truly help you identify a serious issue that may be present.

So, take this opportunity seriously. Be open and honest with yourself and with the addiction specialist, and be sure that you get the help that you need.

If you or a loved one are dealing with a criminal charge, we can help. Contact The Denson Firm immediately for a Free Consultation. We can help. Contact The Denson Firm immediately for a Free Consultation.

Need to know what to do after an arrest? Our Criminal Defense Process is designed specifically to help our client's in their long-term interests and immediate concerns.

Need help with another legal issue? We offer a wide variety of legal services to help those who are in need.

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