Are Glendale DUI Defendants Being Treated Fairly?

The typical Glendale DUI defendant often has a lot to complain about. Sketchy police behavior, a daunting bureaucracy, and less than sympathetic colleagues and family members can make your situation more complicated and fraught than it already is. However, the real problem may lie even deeper.

Say you have substance abuse issues. You might diagnose yourself as “addicted” to substances like alcohol, narcotics, pain killers, prescription drugs, et cetera. So the question of whether you’re being “treated fairly” has a double meaning. Are you being “treated fairly” by the Los Angeles DUI defense system? Are you being “treated fairly” for Glendale DUI rehab?

Addiction: Caused by Powerlessness… or a Misplaced Attempt to Empower?

As any Los Angeles DUI attorney will tell you, the dominant treatment for drug and alcohol addiction is the 12 step program. One animating principle behind this approach is that addicts must admit that they are “powerless” over drugs and alcohol to regain control. Most treatment approaches build off this assumption. We believe that behaviors like drinking too much or eating too much or doing anything else in excess stem from impulse control. Unless you acknowledge that you are “acting out” in a destructive way – and work towards suppressing that “acting out” – you’ll likely fail to get your problems under control.

The bottom line: you’re likely to become a Glendale DUI recidivist. As we have talked before on this blog, the more times you get arrested for Glendale DUI, the more trouble you can get into – a person who gets a third misdemeanor conviction within 10 years, for instance, can see their charges bumped from misdemeanor to felony.

An alternate point of view suggests that addictive behaviors are rooted in our need for empowerment. Think back to the last time you “craved” a drink or a smoke or even some time to play video games on the internet. Odds are, you probably had an unhappy or frustrating thought prior to that impulse. Maybe you fought with your boss or spouse. Or maybe you got cut off in traffic.

Once you make the decision to have a drink — to do the addictive behavior — you automatically start to feel better. Taking this action reestablishes your sense of power and control over your life. Think about what that means! You are inspired to take these destructive actions because you need MORE power over your life – not less! Thus, treatment approaches rooted in trying to strip you or your power are going to encounter resistance, since they’re approaching the situation backwards. You need better STRATEGIES for finding how to get/maintain control that don’t involve alcohol or dangerous substances or behaviors.

For help dealing with a charge like driving under the influence in Glendale, connect with a prominent Los Angeles DUI criminal defense attorney at the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (121 W Lexington Dr, Glendale, CA 91203 Phone: (818) 507-9123 ) now.

If you have been arrested for a DUI in Glendale or you are under investigation for driving under the influence in Southern California, please contact Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Michael Kraut for 24/7 assistance by phone at (323) 464-6453 or toll free at (888) 334-6344 or online.