Turning 21 represents a milestone in a person's life. At this age, a certain level of freedom but responsibility is granted to citizens. At the same time, there are decisions that are made that can affect the rest of your life. Whether it is a positive or negative effect is ultimately up to you. While drinking can help you have a good time, drinking responsibly is important at all times. Below, find four ways that a DUI, drinking under the influence, can ruin your life.
Job Security
Having the DUI on your record can ruin your chances of finding a job in the future. If your job requires driving, you could be fired for having a DUI on your record. A DUI can even affect your current job, because all of the court time involved may lead to time off of work.
Relationships
A DUI cannot only affect you but those around you. Your family may begin to worry a lot more about what you do and what your habits are. They might even begin to intrude and involve themselves in your life, leading you to get frustrated and distance yourself. In both personal and professional relationships, people might see you in a different light after you are arrested. You may lose the respect of your peers as well.
Your Independence
Despite gaining a sense of independence and freedom at this point in your life, it can be easy to lose it with a DUI. In the legal sense, being convicted of a felony can cause you to lose certain rights such as the right to vote or right to bear arms. Your driver's license can be revoked, leaving you without a way to get around.
Background Checks
More and more, people are performing criminal background checks. These checks are often performed for everything from getting into college to renting a home. Many states have gone to not letting DUI's be expunged, which means this conviction is on your record forever. As a result, you may not be able to get into the undergrad or graduate school you want or be awarded that scholarship you have been waiting for.
At the end of the day, the choice to drink and drive is yours to make. It is important to remember the consequences that can come from one bad choice on one fateful night.For more information on DUIs and what your options are, contact a professional like Bildfell Law in Petrolia.
Share18 June 2015
