New Jersey DWI Lawyer Blog
Addiction of every kind has reached major proportions all across the United States. Whether it is prescription or illegal drugs, gambling, Internet, video games or simply working excessive hours at the office or smoking too many cigarettes, an addiction of most any kind can complicate one’s life and cause trouble with one’s personal and professional relationships. But however it may be manifested, it would seem that more and more people are giving in to their desires.
It is easy to see how some pastimes or vices can become obsessions for many individuals. To allow one’s time to be usurped by one or more obsessive pursuits can be a very difficult situation, but when that obsession, or addiction, leads to serious legal problems, there really is no good reason to ignore the problem any longer. As New Jersey drunk driving defense experts, we have seen the results of alcohol and drug addiction, the results of which are not usually good.
Not surprisingly, over indulgence in drinking alcohol could be called the grandfather of all addictions, having been around for thousands of years before video games, online pornography and other pursuits. While we will leave it up to others to fill in the list, there is much to be said about the addiction that alcohol can have on certain people and the incidence of drunk driving by those self-same individuals.
One of the main problems with alcohol as an addictive substance is how readily available it is; whether in the form of six-packs of beer, kegs of lager, bottles of wine, or fifths of vodka, the ubiquity of alcohol and the fact that it is a legal substance for adults to use makes the fight against alcohol addiction a difficult one. Forget illegal drugs, for the average motorist, people are more likely to be arrested for DWI than for a drug-related DUI.
For anyone who has been caught in the web of alcohol addiction, they know that prolonged or excessive drinking can eventually lead to a problem with alcohol addiction. The consumption of alcohol, even in relatively small quantities, can result in impairment to a person’s motor and cognitive skills. This is why there has been such a long, ongoing campaign to catch and punish drunken drivers.
While smoking too much or gambling too often may eventually result in a bad outcome for some people, those additions don’t usually result in a car crash, injuries or death. As professional DWI lawyers, we fully understand the motivations of lawmakers, the police and the court system to curb drunk driving. But looking at it from the standpoint of the addicted individual who can’t seem to stop drinking, it may seem like a vendetta against a problem with which they have little or no control.
Even though it may seem extreme, there are drivers who have been arrested and charged with drunk driving multiple times in a day or week. No too long ago a Montgomery County, NJ, driver was arrested twice during the same day for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated by alcohol. The 63-year-old was charged by Montgomery Township police following a tip from a concerned citizen that a car was being driven recklessly on a local street.
Such a story brings to mind the potential issues that a drinking problem can cause, especially if it is found that the individual has an addiction to alcohol that simply will not “go away” simply because of a threat of punishment from our court system. There is no doubt that, if allowed to go untreated, an addiction to alcohol can literally spiral out of control and cost a person not only time and money, but also their family and friends, career and livelihood.
Belle Mead man busted for DWI twice in one day, police say; NJ.com; August 31, 2013