You recently got stopped for driving under the influence in Pasadena. Whether you got tagged at a checkpoint or pulled over on the 5 or 210, the arrest has thrown your life into chaos. It wasn’t as if your life was “perfectly in order” before. But now, you’re faced with challenges like a potential driver license suspension, jail time, huge court costs and other fees, spiked insurance rates, trouble at work, and the pain and embarrassment of having to explain what happened to your friends, colleagues, and family.
As any experienced Los Angeles DUI lawyer will tell you, putting out all these fires can be a complex and emotionally difficult business. However, in your rush to put out the fires, you may forget to do the deep, penetrating analysis that you need to do to prevent additional troubles, including future Pasadena DUI arrests.
You probably don’t need to be reminded that Pasadena DUI “recidivists” get punished more than first timers do. Each time you get rearrested, you face stricter punishments with respect to license suspension, alcohol school, fines and fees, jail time, and beyond. To get at the root cause of what created your situation, you need to be honest and objective – you need to be able to think and do some introspection.
The Five “Whys” Exercise
There is a great exercise that might be useful for you. It is called the “five whys” exercise. Essentially, you take a problem in your life – a recent Pasadena DUI arrest, for instance – and you start asking yourself “why” did it happen. You keep drilling down, asking why and why and why and why until you reach the root cause.
Let’s take an example.
Why#1: Why did I get arrested for driving under the influence in Pasadena?
Answer #1: Because I had four glasses of wine at my aunt’s birthday party. I probably should have only had two or three.
Why #2: Why did you have four glasses of wine at your aunt’s birthday party?
Answer #2: Because I wanted to relax at the party and not be harassed by my relatives.
Why #3: Why did you want to relax and not be harassed by your relatives?
Answer #3: Because I am sick and tired of them making fun of me and asking probing, annoying questions about my music career.
Why #4: Why are you sick and tired of them asking questions about your music career?
Answer #4: Because it shows a real contempt and lack of respect for the hard work I’m trying to do.
Why #5: And why does it bother you that they’re showing a lack of respect for your work?
Answer #5: Because I need respect for what I’m doing with my life.
Do you see how we’ve gotten from “I am frustrated about my Pasadena DUI” to “I need respect for what I’m doing with my life”? Interesting, isn’t it?
For help dealing with a driving under the influence in Pasadena charge, contact an experienced Los Angeles DUI criminal defense attorney at the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (790 East Colorado Boulevard, 9th floor, Pasadena, California 91101 Phone: (626) 345-1899). As a former prosecutor and Harvard Law School educated attorney, Mr. Kraut and his team can help you craft and follow up on the most powerful and sensible defense.