About
This website is partially a journal, and partially education about drinking and driving. The penalties of a DUI in many places are severe. I don’t think that people who get behind the wheel after a few drinks totally realize the risk they are taking.
You may not even have had that much to drink – but enough to put you over the legal BAC – and other circumstances could arise that cause an accident. Perhaps your own alcohol tolerance is such that you can drive “fine” after a few drinks; it won’t matter if there were other circumstances that caused an accident though. If you are over the legal limit, you will be charged with Impaired Driving or DUI – and your life will be changed for a very long time.
This site is about my own personal experience after my accident and Impaired Driving charge/conviction. I do hope that perhaps I can use it and somehow generate some revenues to help with the extraordinary financial burden I am now facing. At the same time, I hope that perhaps it will help others to realize that the risk is just not worth it, no matter how good a driver you think you might be, even after a few drinks.
This is my story, the story of others, and the laws and legal costs that we face.
I am in the same boat, I had an accident a few weeks ago and I had the BAC done at the hospital. Still waiting on charges from the RCMP. The waiting is killing me….since I am in BC the only saving grace I have is it was before the newer laws came in….thanks for your postings, they have really helped me.
Brokenwings, thank you for your comment. I appreciate hearing from you and I’m glad my posts have helped you. It’s been therapeutic for me to write these posts.
I hope things work out for you. Either way, in the end they say things always do work out – although for some of us, it seems like a hard road to travel.
Let us know what happens.
Hey, I too am in the same boat as you. I was convicted of a DUI last week and up until reading this blog I was still confused about how to be accepted into the remedial measures program. I didn’t have an accident but I did have an extremly high BAC and through some luck and hard work on my part, my lawer was able to convince the judge and crown not to object to my applying to the program. I am signed up for the back on track program and am waiting for notice of my assesment. I was wondering if you knew what information the ministry uses to determine weather or not a person will qualify for this program (other then the leasing of the interlock device and it being a first offence etc)? Do they look at previous driving record, weather or not you still drink, if you seem nice etc? I am counting on getting into this program, my lawer can’t give me any answers except for “there is a 90% chance you will be accpeted”. I will keep reading your blog as you are a little bit further up the road in this journey then me.
Thanks
Willow, thanks for your comment.
If you’ve applied for the Back On Track program, you will get a notice in the mail about a week or so after they have received your payment. You will then be given a list of offices to call – I’ve published the Back On Track offices on this site.
When you call, you’ll make an appointment for your assessment. Basically, the assessment is a series of questions – your answers are entered into a computer program – and the program determines by your answers whether you are required to attend both the “treatment” and “education” or just the “education” portion. The “treatment” portion is 2 full days. The “education” is just one day.
The assessment is more about your attitudes toward drinking and how much you drink, as well as some other semi-psychological questions that apparently can be used to figure out your attitudes and possible need for “treatment.”
You need to apply for the Back On Track program, and I _think_, have completed the assessment program, and then can also apply after three months for the return of your license – if you have a lease in place with Guardian Interlock, for an ignition interlock program.
Hope this helps.. and be nice too!
I know all of that, I was wondering if when I apply after three months, can the MTO say no to me receiving my licence back? And if they can what criteria do they use to determine who gets their licence back and who doesn’t.
Thanks
Willow
Willow, sorry about misunderstanding what you were asking about.
My understanding from my reading, research and information presented at the Education portion of the Back On Track program that I attended is that as long as there were no objections by the Court to your participation, and that you have paid all of your fines and court ordered payments (restitution, etc), and have applied to the Back On Track program, completed the assessment, that you will be accepted if you have proof of a lease with Guardian Interlock for an ignition interlock device.
That’s great news, thanks for all you help! And I wish you the best of luck in the future.
Hello,
Great website. Thanks for the info.
I have served 8 months of a 12 month suspension. I called Back on Track to start the program. I didn’t realize that there is a 6 month wait until your final assessment and discharge from the program. Is there anyway to expedite that 6 month wait period? or am i going to go an extra few months beyond my suspension?
Hey, I must say I love reading your blog. Your writing is very raw and truthful and it’s nice to see your honesty. I’d like to start off by saying that I too am an alchoholic, though I don’t like using that term because in my mind it has so many negative conotations. I think of myself as someone who at one time had a drinking problem, but has subseuently dealt with it and moved on. I do always keep in mind that becuase I drank so much, my brain prioritized alchahol consumption on the same level as sex, food and water, and this is the imaginary “line” that all alchoholics cross when becoming dependant, and once this line is crossed we can never go back to being regular drinkers. But to me the word alchaholic is mis representation, if I had cancer I wouldn’t walk into a room and say hello my name is ____ and I’m a cancer. Anyways the pinnacle of my drinking career was my DUI incident, my blood alchahol reading was .289 which to most would cause coma. This incident forced me into a residential treatment program which changed my life forever. Today I am 7 months completly sober, my life has never been better and I have finally found contentment in everything I do. I basically live life on life’s terms. I strongly recommend using A.A. as a group therapy tool, but for me I found A.A. to be too ridgid in their program, for me sobriety and abstinence are an ideal. I attended a meeting a few weeks ago and one guy was telling his story. He said that if any person uses anti-depressants, or painkillers then they don’t belong in the meetings, at which point everyone clapped and agreed. This guy wasn’t a doctor and who is he to say that someone who is suffering from depression can’t get help through medication. Or someone who just had back surgery can’t use painkillers and has to live in tremendous amounts of pain. We can use prescription drugs as long as we use them “As prescribed”. The problem with most A.A. groups is that they truly believe that all you need in recovery is A.A. Where as I believe that recovery is much more then group therapy, it’s a lifestyle change, it’s diet, it’s excersize, is spirituality. I can’t sit here and say that I will never drink again, I can’t worry about that, all I can do is live one day at a time. I know my limits, I can go out with friends for chicken wings, but I won’t be going to las vegas with them…those are my limits. I never put my self into temptations way, and if I have to go to a christmas party or something similar where there will be copious amounts of alchahol conumed always make sure I have a way out incase I get uncomfortable. Anyways that’s my story, my advice to you is find a program of recovery that’s your own, live one day at a time and enjoy life. I also have the number of a really good doctor who deals with addiction, he basically saved my life. Good luck in your revovery and God bless.
Willow, thank you for your words here. I have heard both good and not so good about AA, but I’m going to give them a shot. I had planned on going to meeting today that I found within walking distance, but woke up with an awful cold or flu or something.
I’d have more to say about your comment but am feeling yuck right now!
Hi,
Just crashed my car last night, I called the police and they did a breathlyzer on me. I failed. My car is totalled. I can’t drive for 3 months. I am not an alcoholic but it was really poor judgement last night. thats an unfortunate way to welcome myself into 2011. I don’t think ICBC will cover my car and I have a whole bunch of fines waiting to pay. I feel really miserable right now.
what was your reading? Necause you had an accident your might not be eligable to enter the reduced suspesion program. You should probably contact a lawer. The best one in Ontario for defending DUI cases is Jonathan Lapid (416-222-4324) he’s expensive but totally worth it.
my question is the same as shamus who posted on your site november 26th 2010 but was never answered. do you happen to know the answer to his question?
Thanks for maintaining this blog. I’m looking into the Interlock program and was also finding it difficult to sort out all the costs and so on. Figuring out what to do about insurance is not at all clear – I still haven’t told them. I may end up just selling the car, but a potential buyer can’t test drive it if the insurance has been yanked. And it can’t be driven to a garage for an e-test and certification. What a mess.