A Young Man’s Thoughtless Drinking Leads to Mental Health Problems, Jail Time, and a DWI

by Denny Mitchell

Pete had a particularly hard time maintaining a job. To be sure, due to his listlessness, lack of ambition, and less than stellar work attitude, he was out of work far more frequently than he was employed with a job. What is more, when he did get employment, he usually received less than positive performance assessments, he had an awfully difficult time getting to work in a timely manner, and he called off sick so habitually that he commonly got fired a few months after he began working. It consequently should not come as a great surprise that one of the outcomes of Pete’s less than optimal work record was the fact that he was just about flat broke almost everyday.

Despite Pete’s financial misconduct and less than optimal employment history, ironically, he seemed to find a way to drink in an untroubled and immature manner virtually every day of the week.

So it came as no big surprise to his family, friends, and ex-coworkers when Pete was arrested for driving under the influence for the second time in the past year. When he went to court, the judge clearly stated to Pete that his alcohol-related actions was irresponsible and, as a consequence, he was going to fine him $2,500 and sentence him to serve one year in the local county jail.

While he was in the municipal jail, Pete was expected to learn about the harmful and devastating effects of hazardous and immature drinking, about alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction statistics and facts, and he was mandated to get professional alcohol treatment. The magistrate clearly fact that unless Pete gets professional alcohol therapy and discovers how to live a life of sobriety, he would without a doubt be spending many months locked up behind bars.

Pete claimed that he understood the magistrates message but he still believed that serving time in the local jail was not the right form of punishment. The magistrate, however, perceived things from a radically different perspective and told Pete that it was his duty to keep people off the highway who drink and drive and who get arrested for one or more DWIs. To back up his position, the magistrate listed some thoroughly researched, venerable alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency facts and statistics that clearly demonstrated some of the horror stores that are linked with driving and drinking.

In his heart of hearts, while Pete knew that he drank too much, he never considered the possibility that he was addicted to alcohol. So it was a real eye opener when Pete began suffering from symptoms of withdrawal just a few hours after going to jail.

According to the standard operating procedures, when a prisoner goes through alcohol withdrawal symptoms he or she is transferred to an alcohol abuse and alcohol treatment center and then brought back to the municipal jail. This is done so that the drinkers alcohol withdrawals are addressed in a safe and protected manner. While behind bars in the municipal jail, Pete went to alcohol counseling four days every week. Since his rehabilitation was mandated by the judge, however, Pete was reluctant to take ownership of his habitual drinking.

After his time in jail was finished, the magistrate in very explicit terms told Pete that he would be placed on probation for two years, he would be place under stringent observation, and he would have to periodically take breathalyzer tests at court-determined dates and times.

After discovering how Pete failed to take accountability for his drinking behavior and how reluctant he was in maintaining the rehab and treatment modus operandi while he was behind bars in the municipal jail, the magistrate knew that it was principally a matter of time before Pete would once again appear in court for his abusive and chronic drinking behavior. As the magistrate thought about Pete and his particular situation, he fairly easily arrived at the conclusion that some individuals never use their brain and discover how to live in a mature and accountable manner.

About the Author:

Denny Mitchell writes about alcohol dependency, how to quit drinking, the psychological effects of alcohol, alcohol facts and statistics, and binge drinking statistics. For more information, please visit alcohol abuse problems.

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