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If you are being charged with driving under the influence, you should understand that it is a very complex process, but nothing that a competent DUI attorney is not fully competent to handle. However, a more serious concern is the implications of the DUI charge on your social and economic status. While the legal implications can be adequately and successfully represented by any competent, dedicated, and fully knowledgeable DUI lawyer, the economic and social implications of a DUI charge should not be taken for granted.

DUI is a criminal offense in most jurisdictions in the United States. New Jersey and Wisconsin, on the other hand, consider DUI as a serious traffic violation. However, it is interpreted, DUI is a serious charge that can have serious social and economic ramifications.

In jurisdictions where DUI is a criminal offense, getting a DUI conviction automatically tarnishes one’s image in society. Being labeled a substance abuser, either of alcohol or illicit drugs, is something that is not readily accepted by individuals. They may go to great lengths denying such social labelling. Nonetheless, the time spent in jail serving the DUI sentence can significantly affect social relationships. Family ties may be strained and can lead to grounds for the filing for a divorce. Friendships may be tested and, if the relationship existed more on a superficial basis, can easily crumble.

 

Of particular significance is the implications on economic activities. Getting locked up in jail for some time means decreased work productivity which also puts an additional strain on the employer-employee relationship. You may still have your work by the time you get out of jail but the stigma of having spent a night or two, or even several months in jail is something that everyone will be talking about in the workplace. What’s more, as Pietyhilldesign.com warns, being suspended from driving following DUI charges, which is the case in some jurisdictions, can make it difficult to move to work.
In some cases, employers may find the ultimate reason for severing the employment ties. Getting back on one’s feet after a DUI charge and recent unemployment may prove to be challenging. As prospective employers will be looking at your records, having a DUI conviction, especially in jurisdictions that consider it a crime, does not speak very well of your chances of getting another employment.

In some cases, many individuals succumb to depression, leading to further use and abuse of intoxicating substances. If they are on parole, this is not a good sign. If they get caught for DUI again, the record of offenses will only lengthen, severely damaging any remaining social relationships, and further alienating the individual from economically productive opportunities. And the cycle gets repeated.

As advised by the AGHA Anaheim Group, first-time DUI charge should be viewed as the last DUI charge. The cycle of misfortunes must be arrested right there and then.