Made a terrible mistake. Drove drunk and got hit someone and took off. The cops got me 15 mins later. Sat on jail for 3 days before I got bailed out for 500 dollars. Minimum 2 years in the state pen unless I use a suspended imp or dui court. Folks it's not worth it wasting your life drinking and having fun. I'm only 28 years old and this absolutely sucks. I'm on 24/7 to blow twice a day and I'm still able to drive until sentencing. Sorry if this doesn't make sense. Needed to vent and people need to hear this.

I’m a US citizen planning to drive to Montreal with family on October 22, and I’m trying to determine whether my past DUI history would make me inadmissible to Canada.
I had two DUI incidents in Pennsylvania:
The first was handled through Pennsylvania’s ARD (Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition) diversion program.
The second resulted in a misdemeanor DUI conviction in October 2017. I received a sentence of 5 days to 6 months, along with other court requirements.
I haven’t had any additional DUI offenses since then. My recent Pennsylvania criminal background check came back clear, although I understand that doesn’t necessarily mean the Canadian authorities won’t have access to my history.
I’m also trying to verify when all the requirements of my sentence were officially completed, including whether any fines remained outstanding.
My questions are:
Does a Pennsylvania ARD diversion count as a conviction or offense when Canada determines criminal inadmissibility?
Given that my second DUI conviction was in 2017, is there any possibility of being considered rehabilitated under Canadian immigration rules?
Is there a way to get a reliable assessment of my admissibility before driving to the border?
Has anyone with a similar history successfully entered Canada, or consulted a Canadian immigration lawyer about this?
I’m not looking to conceal anything or take chances at the border. I’d just like to understand my options before traveling.
Any insight or recommendations would be appreciated!

I was arrested for a first-time DWI in Denton County in July of this year. There were no aggravating factors. Blood draw was performed. Lawyer retained, ALR hearing requested, so now I am in the waiting phase. I currently have no IID requirement.

What kind of timeline am I likely looking at for knowing blood test results, getting my first court date, getting to a plea phase? My lawyer offered late winter/early spring for a first court date but I'm wondering if that is optimistic as I have seen some extended timelines mentioned here (1 year+). But maybe things have changed?

Also, for those with multiple vehicles, how did you navigate the IID requirements? I mean specifically as a motorsports enthusiast. I have a couple of motorcycles and was also in the market for a weekend fun car just before this happened. I'm kind of in a holding pattern right now, but also don't want to not enjoy these parts of my life if I'm going to be waiting years for a final resolution (not getting any younger). I figure however it shakes out, I will just dump fuel stabilizer in everything and put them on battery tenders and have 1 vehicle with the IID. Maybe I'm overthinking this part. I realize this is kind of a privileged question so I apologize. It's just the most fulfilling joy-providing hobby I have (really messed myself over here huh).

For what it's worth I've given up alcohol completely (haven't drank since my arrest) and never want to drink again. I don't do any drugs. Clean record otherwise. I have a good family/house/job. Eager to prove I have learned from this and see it to resolution.

Hi all, I am currently in my substance abuse classes required of me following my first OWI in Iowa. I am required to pass a UA to graduate. I used to be a weed smoker and stopped after my arrest. I am testing negative for THC on the 50 ng/ml but am wondering if they use a more sensitive test? Any advice is appreciated. I believe my test is Monday afternoon.

Edit to add: I am 26 days clean and took an at home test on Wednesday that showed a very faint line, almost invisible. I took another today and the line was quite a bit darker and visible.

We have limited cars in the household - more people than cars. Spouse has interlock for a year.

We have a teen who has learners permit and will need to drive the car with spouse when I have the non-interlock and am working.

If teen is driving and mid drive test indicator goes off who is supposed to blow - spouse who is passenger or teen who is driver? If spouse blows while passenger is this a problem?

what the title says. first time i ever got pulled over was for a dui 12 years ago. i was pulled over, no MVA or property damage. compliant with officers at the time and through entire process. i was young and stupid in college and have now been sober for years. i did the PA ARD program, was compliant with everything, and moved on with my life. important note: i am NOT a PA resident.

since graduating the program, i have renewed my license twice, and gotten in to two MVAs. not at fault for either. one was a hit and run in 2019, and one was september of this year. my vehicle was totaled. i go to my local DMV and my license is suspended and she cited the PA ARD program. called penndot and they have no idea what happened but i have to pay a restoration fee. called NJDMV they don’t see anything. called the courthouse, but since everything is expunged they can’t help me. this is a nightmare.

does anyone have any advice on either DMVs or the program? anyone heard of this? i sent the restoration fee, but had to do a certified money order as i cannot pay online because im not a PA resident. something is very weird and very wrong here. i would not have graduated the program had i not paid this fee on 2016/17.

fair to say shits rough at the moment. i live in an area with extremely minimal public transportation. buses don’t run every day. i don’t care about paying the fee again but the check takes four days to get there and another minimum of 9 to clear and for me to get clearance in the mail assuming that’s all i need to do. i can’t go anywhere all over again and have three jobs. i can’t get penndot on the phone because the lines are always busy and it just hangs up. i’m totally blind and was basically told to just send a check to their main hub. should i get a lawyer? thanks.

TLDR: got my license inexplicably suspended again one time non violent offense out of state resident 8.5 years after being compliant with rehabilitative program

My lawyer has said he won’t ask the DA for a plea deal is just waiting for them to bring it up as he feels in negotiations you don’t want to look as though your desperate or want to end things. Over a year since arrest and next court date is in December, have been doing extensive mitigation

For those of you who received plea deals did the DA bring it up to your lawyer first or did your lawyer say ok enough is enough what’s the plea?

Blew a .23 never in trouble before I did my VIP Panel and my 100 hours of community service but couldn’t get time off work to do the classes. I’m fucked have court tomorrow. In cook county
Also this case happened in 2023 but my lawyer I had at first passed away. So I think I’m fucked.

Hi everyone. I am in Virginia. I was the one who posted about how this is a nightmare. Because it is. I went to the treatment assessment today and she didnt really ask any assessment questions but told me I need treatment. I feel like they just tell everyone that to suck money out of you and while I genuinely believe she is trying to help people I still dont think I need addiction treatment. So my question is has anyone had a 10 week treatment and what is it like? She said I have to go to AA and I do not want to do that at all. It sucks. Any one in VA go through this?

Title: Upstate NY DWI ticket says .08 . Public defender or private lawyer?

Looking for advice from anyone who’s been through something similar.

I recently got a DWI ticket in NY . The ticket says “.08”, but I’m not sure if that’s my actual BAC reading or just the legal limit written into the charge. I’m planning to request discovery to see the actual test results. Has anyone done this? How long did it take, and was the result different from what was on the ticket?

My main question: public defender or private attorney? Money is a factor, but I want to make sure I’m handling this the right way. For those who had a public defender on a DWI, how did it go? Did you feel like they had enough time for your case? And for those who hired a private lawyer, was it worth the cost?

Any advice on what to do before my court date is appreciated. Thanks.

Im accepting a plea tomorrow that requires I go on probation for a year (technically 6 months if I behave myself which I plan to) Im just wondering what others experiences have been in recent years with Suffolk county dwi probation & what I should expect. How often they will do random home visits, for the most part I am at work all day 11-10 5 days a week. I don’t plan on messing it up & drinking or smoking but what to expect with the random drug testing as well? Do they like camp out outside my house/job to make sure I’m not driving or going out to bars/clubs etc. I am so new to this lol just looking for some insight. Does the situation in which I got arrested for the dwi affect the strictness of the probation like idk I hate being treated like a delinquent for making a mistake. Any information is appreciated thank you.

(Massachusetts) I had a bench trial today for #2. I was found guilty and got the regular minimum punishment. 2 years probation, 2 years loss of license on top of the 3 for not blowing, and the 2 week residential program. They didn’t mention anything about a iid or anything I’m assuming that will come from the RMV in time. For the probation they didn’t mention any random drug or alcohol tests, will they tell me that stuff when I meet with probation formally? Any advice or words of wisdom? It took two years to get this to trial and I kind of feel relieved. Now I just need to figure out how to deal with my life for the next 3 years

Hey I’m in Tennessee I got charged with dui I accidentally hit a church I blacked out . The police arrested me and said I refused a breathalyzer . I have a misdomenor a b & c.. I’m so scared I never had anything on my records. They took me to the hospital and drew blood without my consent . I’m a little concerned because I had thc in my system from the day before . Will they just test for bac . And what should I do …. I need help I’m mentally scared . What should I expect please be nice . What do I do

Well, I fucked up. Driving home last night, pulled over. Blew positive, got arresred. I have no idea what I actually blew at the station because I was so fucking scared. I've never been arrested before. I am in the process of retaining a lawyer. I was charged with DWI single offense and not aggrevated DWI. I'm scared to go to jail. I am hoping for a plea deal. I'm a mental health counselor waiting for full NYS licensure. I turn 27 today. I feel like my life is over. At least I'm sober now, but the cost feels so heavy.

I’m 25 and recently got my first DWI. Blew a .12 and got charged with a misdemeanor.

I don’t even know what to do with myself anymore. I’ve been feeling like absolute shit these past few days. I can’t stop thinking about it no matter what I do. I wake up thinking about it, go to sleep thinking about it, and even when I’m trying to distract myself, it comes right back.
I feel like I’ve thrown away everything I’ve worked for. My career, my future, all the plans I had. I was finally getting somewhere in life and now I feel like I’m back at square one.

I’m ashamed of myself. I’m disappointed in myself. I keep replaying that night in my head wishing I could go back and make a different decision. I know I fucked up and I have nobody to blame but myself, which honestly makes it hurt even more.

I’m scared of what’s going to happen next. I’m scared of losing opportunities, of people looking at me differently, and of never being able to get back to where I was. I feel like I’ve let everyone down, especially myself.
I know people are going to judge me and I get it. I’m not looking for anyone to excuse what I did. I just genuinely feel lost right now.

I don’t know how to forgive myself or how to stop feeling like my life is over before it even really started.
Has anyone else been through this? Does it actually get better? Because right now I’m having a really hard time seeing it.

Please this has already destroyed my life and I feel so guilty every day about it. I flew back to Houston to plead guilty, she said the judge could waive my license suspension and DPS fee. I filed the SR 22 - then will it make my license eligible? I don’t live in Texas anymore for I was about to be homeless. I just got a part time job but idk if I can even get to it anymore. I am aware of how horrible this situation was, but I was ready to start healing and moving on then I see my licsence is suspended til the new year???? Why did I even plead guilty then. Need help ….i can’t get an occupational I don’t live there anymore nor do I have a job … the job I lost with this too. Help me please

My father got his first offense in New Hampshire last spring. Yet this offense was out of state. His resident state is Maine.

So NH took it away and asked for fees and he went to his court date. Then Maine took the license away for 150 days. He is at the end of suspension and doing the DEEP with Maine currently.

My question is this: because the original offense was in NH, does he also have to go through the IDCMP (which is the same program as Maine's DEEP)? Seems redundant to me because they are very similar from what I see. I can't find anything online about it.

I’m curious about people’s experiences drinking nonalcoholic beer like Guinness 0.0 while on probation.
The can says it contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume. I’m not currently on probation, but I may be in the future due to a pending DUI case.
Has anyone actually consumed one or two NA beers and taken a court-ordered urine EtG test afterward?
I’m particularly interested in:
Whether you tested positive or negative.
What the test cutoff was (100, 250, or 500 ng/mL).
Whether your probation officer allowed nonalcoholic beer.
I’m not trying to get around testing. I’m genuinely curious whether such a small amount of alcohol can cause problems with probation testing.

Hi everyone. I just wanted to come in here to see what some of the other experiences have been. This is my second DWI, but it will be my first conviction because I completed a diversion program the first time.

It has now been 19 months since my arrest. My lawyer keeps asking for continuances for different reasons (review evidence, meet with the DA, etc). He says it’s actually better the longer it takes because of a few reasons, but not really important here. I was just wondering if anyone else kind of had a similar experience with the process being super long before a conviction/deal is made. I’m not inclined to get a more hard deadline out of my lawyer because I trust he knows what he’s doing, but just was kind of curious. It is making me anxious the longer it takes, but I’m not rushing the process or anything. Anyone else experience this?

Edit: located in Louisiana.

Edit 2: I stated that this will technically be my first conviction. That does not necessarily mean it will be treated as a first time offense.

I was arrested for DUI in April. My Lawyer and Expert Witness helped me beat my DMV hearing with the Rising BAC defense & Retrograde extrapolation. Because of that My Lawyer said I would win if I take it to trial but they would offer a dry reckless to avoid going to trial. I have my 1st hearing in 2 weeks my lawyer said we should just wait to see what they say before filing for trial.

Is it possible they just dismiss the case at my first hearing after finding out I’ll take it to trial with the evidence we have ?

Im kind of panicking, I had a couple drinks last night (not proud of it) and I didn’t realize it would still register this morning. Im in South Carolina, this is my first offense - I got convicted of a duac (they dismissed the diu charge) and am about to start adsap. I was running late for work so I had to uber to work so after I failed I just had to leave it. How much trouble can I get in?

I have a DUI from 2023 that I have not yet been convicted of but my 2025 DUI got appealed to Superior Court in NC. What does this mean and how will it affect my punishment?

I am currently charged with misdemeanor DUI, misdemeanor chemical test refusal (I couldn't blow hard enough into the breathlyzer for it to register so they had to draw blood), and felony assault 3rd degree (no one was injured, it is a fear assault on the cop who pulled me over because his police car was pulled over on the side of the road and he is saying that I almost struck it). No evidence has been released yet so I don't know if I did almost hit the cop car or what my BAC was. This is my first offense, I've never been arrested before and have no criminal history. I am suspended from my job in healthcare, but before this I had a great career with a team that loves me, I have a baby at home, overall pretty successful life...just for context.

I am desperate to plead the felony assault down to a misdemeanor, because a felony would obviously ruin my life. I'm going to AA, just registered for alcohol safety classes/case management/alcohol assessment, and applying to IOP substance use treatment programs. I filled out an application for therapeutic court, my PD has not sent it in yet—but I am learning that the therapeutic court is likely more designed for homeless, unemployed, 'high risk/vulnerable' individuals who don't have access to resources.

I'm just really worried that my PD isn't going to be able to convince the DA to reduce the felony charge. She said she's never seen a case like this where the felony assault is from a fear assault and no one was injured. The only DUI lawyer I'd be able to afford would be a flat-rate lawyer, I can't shell out of tens of thousands of dollars. But I've had a few people warn me that a flat-rate lawyer will do a minimal amount of work and I'm worried that the judge and DA might see me changing counsel as 'trying to get away with it'. I'm not, I'm committed to getting treatment and never drinking again.

Just looking for people's experiences with public defenders versus private DUI attorneys. I feel so lost and confused, and like I'm totally at the mercy of a system that just wants to lock me up and throw away the key.

Guys, I need some feedback because I’m seriously stressing myself out right now. 😭
Friday night, I went out with my cousin for his birthday. We went to Pluckers, and I made the stupid decision to say, “F it, I’m going to drink.” Mind you, I hadn’t had anything to drink in weeks, and I was doing so good staying sober. Unfortunately, I messed up and gave in.
Before we went to Pluckers, I pregamed with one BuzzBall and two tiny shots of Crown Apple. At the restaurant, I ordered a Trash Can drink. We left and decided to go to a strip club, and by around 1:30 a.m., we had stopped somewhere else and I drank two more BuzzBalls.
My last drink that night was around 2:00–2:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
Then, on Saturday night, I went to a Halloween party with my friends and drank another 3–4 drinks. My last drink that night was around 10:45 p.m.
Unfortunately, I had to take a lab UA today (Tuesday) at around 4 p.m., which put me at approximately 65 hours since my last drink.
I took at-home EtG tests on Sunday night and Monday morning. I tested negative at approximately 36 hours and again at 48 hours. The tests were 300 ng/mL cutoff tests. The only time I got a positive result was when I tested at around 12 hours after drinking, so I know the tests were capable of detecting it.
My question is: Do y’all think I have a decent chance of passing my lab EtG test at around 65 hours, considering I was already testing negative on the at-home 300 ng/mL tests at 36 and 48 hours?
I know nobody can guarantee anything, and I understand that lab tests can differ from at-home tests. I’m just looking for honest feedback from people who have experience with EtG testing.
I’m also genuinely disappointed in myself. I had been doing so well with my sobriety, and I’m mad at myself for letting one night turn into another. I’m dealing with the stress of waiting for the results, but I’m also upset that I put myself in this position in the first place.
Please be honest with me. Has anyone had a similar experience with negative at-home tests followed by a lab UA around 65 hours later?