How Does A DUI Conviction Change My Personal Life?

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A DUI conviction in Georgia has numerous penalties on the legal side of things-jail time, fines, and community service just to name a few. A good DUI defense attorney in Athens, GA can at least help with the legal side of things. But will there be changes in how the world and other people look at you, even after serving your sentence?

The Long-Term Consequences of a DUI Conviction in Georgia

DUI convictions in the state of Georgia stay on your permanent record for 10 years. This is almost twice as long as some other states. So, for the next 10 years, you need to be prepared to answer for yourself even though you have already served your sentence and paid your dues.

Long-term consequences of a DUI conviction don’t always rear their ugly head until much later on unlike the shorter-term consequences. You have already dealt with the short-term consequences, but probably haven’t even begun to think about what it means for you in the long run.

Revocation of your driver’s license

When you get a DUI conviction in Georgia, the revoking of your license can be up to two years with your first offense. A lot of people take the privilege of driving for granted and don’t realize that if they couldn’t drive there would be a lot of things that they couldn’t do.

Getting to work is going to be almost impossible without your driver’s license. If your job was driving, you need to start looking for another form of employment because you are going to lose your job if you can’t fulfill the driving requirements.

Driving is also a freedom for most people, losing that freedom can create stress and frustration.

Employment Problems

With a DUI conviction in Georgia and the sentencing of jail time, there was a possibility that your job was already in jeopardy if you chose to have a trial. After going to jail, chances are your job was completely lost. On the off chance though that it was held for you, it may be hard to regain the trust of your employer after being convicted of a crime.

Jobs that require you to drive are going to be off-limits when you don’t have a license, and even after getting it back, managers are less inclined to hire drivers with a DUI conviction on their record.

It may be a good idea to check with a Georgia DUI attorney to see what your employer is legally allowed to do now that you have a DUI conviction in Georgia on your record.

Background Checks

Before an employer hires an employee, they generally do a background check. Financial aid offices do a background check. Landlords do background checks. The bottom line is background checks are more frequent today when it comes to just about any kind of work, education, and life situations.

Both a misdemeanor and a felony DUI conviction will show up on your background check, at least for the next 10 years. This is what can mess up your chances of getting that great job, getting college aid, attending college, or renting that darling brownstone.

Scholarship Programs

If you are attending college on scholarship at the time of your DUI conviction in Georgia, you might as well pack your things and move on. Most colleges will not accept students with DUI convictions, and your scholarship will become revoked as well.

Car Insurance

Once you get your license back and you are able to drive the frustration and the stress from losing that freedom is going to leave and you are going to feel fantastic.

Then you go to get your car insurance reinstated and find out that you are no longer considered an eligible driver for that company.

You are now considered a “high risk” driver and even if you can find car insurance you are going to be paying double or even triple what you paid before. In some cases, you even have to have an SR-22. In a lot of instances, you have to carry that for an additional three years.

Personal Relationships

Even if this was your first DUI offense, chances are there are going to be some feelings of disappointment from those who are the closest to you. They may not be intentionally treating you differently but there will probably be some strain within relationships for a little bit of time.

With DUI comes the fear of the family that there is something else, usually more severe, going on with you. They may begin to pry and see if you need further intervention which can cause tension on your side of the relationship.

What If I Had Called A Lawyer?

It is possible that if you had called a lawyer the minute you were arrested, some of this could have been avoided. It is never healthy to live in the past, but hopefully, a lesson learned. If you ever find yourself in a situation where the officer is charging you with a DUI, get yourself an experienced Athens DUI law office on the case as soon as possible.

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