My First DWI (and hopefully last)

Welcome to Texas

I moved to Dallas, Texas in April 2023 and in Dec 2023, I got a DWI in Collin County. I had just left a bar after a couple of drinks and was only 2 miles from home when I got pulled over for speeding. The officer smelled alcohol on my breath, asked me to step out the car and the rest as they say is history.

That evening...

I had about 3 drinks over the course of 3 hours. I know me, I can handle a lot more. I’ll admit there are times I shouldn’t have been behind the wheel, but this wasn’t one of them.  But I did speed, that was dumb of me esp in that moment. My arrest was about 8pm, I hadn't eaten anything since lunch, around 1pm. The officer did a couple of tests like walking the line and follow the pen. I thought I did ok. But apparently he saw something in my eyes that gave him cause to believe I was under the influence. He asked if I wanted to do a breathalyzer or a blood test. I opted for the blood test. I had heard about breathalyzers not being so accurate.

So then I was handcuffed with my hands behind my back and put in the back seat of the police car. Now I felt like a criminal. After getting the blood test at a nearby hospital, we went to the city jail and I was put in a holding cell, where it was really cold. About an hour later, which by now was around midnight, I was allowed two phone calls. Then I was asked to undress and put on this gray and black jailor outfit. They took me to a different cell, gave me a plastic little mattress, a blanket that looked like a thin piece of rug and locked the door behind me. It was so cold, I was shivering. I had a cell mate who was sleeping, or looked like she was.

Time went by sooooo slowly in there. The next day I went front of a judge where the my charges were read. Class B Felony. And a $1000 bond.

This was my first offense and first arrest. I had to get a friend to post my bond, else I’d have to get a bail bondsmen.  I was not allowed to post bail myself which was very frustrating. Within the next few days I spoke to a few attorneys and hired one. As expected about a month later, I was informed that my license was suspended for 90 days. I could get an occupational license to go back/forth to work and groceries and things like that. For the amount this would cost and the required Intralock in my car, which would’ve been around $900, I decided, screw it. I’ll just not drive. So I got to know the trains and buses in Dallas and used Uber and Lyft when necessary. I work from home mostly so when I did have to go into the office, I just ubered or took the 2 hour train route a couple of times. In the end, after the 3 months were up, I kind of broke even.

What happened next

After a couple of hearings, and about months into the process, my lawyer negotiated a plea on my behalf and I went in front of the judge and we all agreed to the terms. One year probation, court costs, some community service, a couple of educational classes and an Interlock in my car. And the biggest thing, no drinking. Not drinking and driving. But no drinking. Because there would be random drug tests. And alcohol is considered a drug. As someone who really enjoys drinking, this was the worst thing for me. It doesn’t make sense to me. I get not driving under the influence, but whats wrong w/ a glass of wine at home.

To wrap it up

I read stories of some people finding ways to sneak it in or try to outsmart the random drug tests. I don’t wanna risk it and just won’t drink for a while. Who knows, it could be for the best.

When this first happened, I was nervous, embarrassed, regretful, scared for the impact this would have on my life, and wasn’t sure what to do. I went on reddit and read a lot of people’s experiences, specifically in Texas and even in the same county. I didn't find too many videos or blogs about this.

Also as a woman, I figured maybe there aren’t as many or they are even more embarrassed and almost ashamed. At first I was too. Its been 6 months and now, as much as I regret it, and am very thankful no one got hurt, I’ve accepted it. We all make mistakes. This certainly was a big one. But its done now.  

I just started my probation period and also won’t drink for a while. I’m taking this as a personal challenge to not drink and take better care of myself and in the process, turn something negative into positive. And I’ll continue to write on my blog about some details, of my night in jail, things to ask when looking for an attorney, or how the court dates went, and also my journey of not drinking.

If you happen to find yourself in this unfortunate situation, it’s not the end of the world, esp if it’s your first offense and no one got hurt. As with everything in life, we live and we learn. Reach out if you have questions or check out other blogs I'll be posting and feel free to share your experience.