So I got a DUI last night...Follow

Yep, talk about a ****** night. The timing was ironic, as I finally moved to the town that I work in and all my friends and work are real close, much different than what I've been used to for about 5 years. So I have a few beers, it's getting late, and my buddy (who's pretty trashed) needs a ride home. He lives like a mile away, so I figure no biggy. Sure enough, 2 blocks from his house I get pulled over.

I don't think I did horribly on the field sobriety test, but they said I failed. They say I have 3 options. I can take a breathalyzer, get my blood drawn, or refuse either and basically get my licence suspended immediately and I'm screwed. So I opt for the blood drawing, figuring it'll take a little time and raise my chances a bit. So they slap the cuffs on me, luckily they were cool and said they'd park my truck in front of my friends so it wouldn't have to be towed.

I'm a big guy, and riding in the back of one of those cars sucks. My hands are cuffed behind me, and I have to sit kind of side-ways to fit. The cop (who was pretty nice, btw) tells me to lean forward once in a while and move my hands around to keep the circulation going. Which, is pretty much impossible. We end up talking about the war and whatnot, after he found out I spent time in the Air Force. Discussed terrorism, and the Kobar Towers bombing, etc.

We get to the clinic (in the next town) and go in to get my blood drawn. He takes the cuffs off, by this time I got some pretty good creases in my wrists from the pressure, and some of my skin is turning white. They take my blood, and he puts my cuffs back in in front gratefully, as it was much more comfortable. All in all it took probably an hour from when I got pulled over till my blood was taken.

We head back to the detention center, and I inprocess. They frisk me, read me my rights, make me take off my shoes and belt, etc.

Then I end up sitting in jail for about 7 hours. My first experience with that, and needless to say it sucked. It was cold, they had us sitting in a lobby area because all the cells were full, and if you put your feet up on the chairs they yelled at you. If you stood up to stretch and maybe walk around a bit they told you to sit down cause it made them nervous. Couldn't really sleep, the infomercials on TV sucked monkey balls. And it took me six hours or so to get ahold of my friend to come get me out.

My court date isn't till December, I guess it made it longer because it takes like a month to process the blood or something. Anyways, I'll be looking for a lawyer this week, hoping to get reduced charges or something if I was over the limit.

Anyone have any experience with this? This was in Colorado btw.

oof sorry to hear about the dui, my boyfriend got one about 2 years back. It's very expense and a pain in the butt. What are the Blood alcohol level laws in Colorado? And how many is a "few beers"? cause that's a statement I've heard alot from the drunk person trying to get their keys from me : ) if a few is 3 and it took you about an hour to drink them (and the BAL law is like .08ish) you're probably under the limit. Good luck at any rate :)

You can be drunk as hell on cough syrup and you will still get a DUI so alcohol in meds ain't gonna help anyway. That is what the warning is on the bottle for. My advice as a person who had a DUI several years ago is to never drink anything and drive again because if you get another you will wish you had just passed out in the restroom.

When are they going to set up the gigantic network of pneumatic tubes big enough to ferry a drunk to their home (ala Futurama)?


You promised me a pneumatic network....why won't you deliever?

Dude whenever talking to the cops never say anything

Thats your constitutional right. Also a police man doens't have the right to suspend your licens on the spot that would have to be done in court, and by the time you got to court you would have a lawer anyway. Refusing to take a drug test is like refusing to testify against yourself in court its NOT an admission of guilt. The best bet would to be to refuse. By the time you go to court the alcohol would be out of your system anyway. Then smile to them and wish them good luck proving that you were drunk. Remember alwasy demand a lawer as soon as possible its your constitutional right.

you have no idea what your talking about, they can revoke your license for refusing to take the breathalyzer they just dont do it on the spot... dumbas s

You cannot convict someone on the basis that they refused to take the stand.

If you break it down to its basic parts were talking about the exact same principal here.

First off Its MY license nobody is taking it from ME.


Not saying/doing anything is NOT an admission of guilt

Or go to the ACLU they know the constitution.

First off..I had a friend killed by a drunk driver. So the more people they get off the streets that are dumb asses the better. I could care less if you run into a tree and kill your own dumb ***..but your not putting my friends and family in danger. Even if your slightly buzzed/feeling good it still impairs your reaction time to a degree.
Second. I dont know how long it takes to get a BAL done on the civilian side but they get it knocked out in a couple of hours on base. I dont know what the penalty is if you get a DUI but my Uncle refused to take the tests and got 6 months suspended license. He would have gotten a year the judge said but the cop said he was very cooperative other than that and was very respectful.

Edited, Mon Sep 13 00:30:02 2004 by Shurken

Actually, if you refuse any sort of test your licence can be immediately suspended for a year in Colorado. So that wasn't an option.

Yes, I got caught. I'm not asking for anyone's sympathy, I screwed up and will have to pay the consequences. However, being that I have a spotless record thus far, and had a spotless record in the military, combined with the fact that it's my first offense and I was not in an accident and did not hurt anyone. I'm hoping I can get the minimum penalty if possible. I have no intention of ever getting behind the wheel after drinking again, so I will take the advice of those who were constructive in their replies, and get a lawyer and work it out the best I can.

For those of you reading this who may have driven in the past after tipping a few, hopefully seeing this bit will make you think twice. I never took the stories I heard in the past seriously, till it happened to me. One good thing that came out of this was that it freaked my friends out. It really hit home for them, and has made them more aware of what can happen if you drink and drive. It was a wake-up call for me too, obviously. Time to re-evaluate my priorities.

As an american i would like to think it that way.


All I'm offering is my own interpretation of the constituion, what is right or wrong, and how the law SHOULD work.

That the long thin pedal on the right makes your car move faster, and the somewhat wider pedal just to its left makes your car slow down?

(I swear, people enter a drive-thru and forget how this works. Frequently.)

As Totem stated, a driver's license is a privilege.

There's nothing, anywhere outside of your 'I can do what I want' mind that states you have a right to drive a vehicle.

This is one of those things where so many people are granted a privilege that is is assumed to be a right. Last time I checked, 'Right to drive' was nowhere on my pocket constitution.

And, for the record, you don't have to be convicted of anything to have a privilege revoked. If you think thsi through, you'll realise it.

Some things (off the top of my head) that are not illegal you can get your license revoked for in a LOT of states:

lapsing insurance coverage
having a stroke
having a heart attack
having a seizure
failing an eye exam at renewal time
nonpayment of child support
nonpayment of debt to state
nonpayment of a student loan
failure to update your address information with state


There are lots of things a driver's license can be revoked for and they vary from state to state. If you include stuff where you broke a law, the list is really really long.