I got a DUI this weekend. What can I expect and what can I do to get through this?

You are an NCO and in no way will the CoC let this go without sending a message to the junior enlisted. The army cannot afford the impression that they engage in do as I say not as I do.

Okay a couple of months have gone by and i am seeing the comments again and they continue. I expect a number of you that posted on this thread also have reading comprehension problem. SSG. ......receive a DUI for Driving Under The Influence, NOT a DWI Driving While Intoxicated. Depending where, when, and other circumstances he could get by with nothing more than extra duty and a visit to D/A counseling.
How about reading what is posted and making a comment based on the information and not your BIAS and Chicken little Rant. You so Called leaders here ranting and making assumptions with out solid information are supposed to help not condemn and ridiculing. JMTC
Before anyone says it i am a no substance user other than cigs. Take care of the Soldier not kick them when they are down.

One other thing I should tell you. I have Doctors, Lawyers, Nurses, Soldiers, and many others who enroll in our DUI classes. So you are not the only one who makes mistakes. The one thing I always hear in class is some excuse as to why they did it. There is no excuse you could give me that would make me say you could drive drunk. None !! Get enrolled in some sort of DUI group. I'm sure they have them on base. I know they have them at the VA. DO NOT wait for them to order you to do it. Take your own steps to get yourself educated and into a program.

I'm not sure about it on military bases. But I do know what happens outside of bases. I own a business that deals with DUI's. Out here you would be put on 2 years probation, have a blower put in your car for 2 years. (Your car would not start until you blow into a tube.) You would be required to take DUI classes. 12 weeks of education. and depending on what you blew anywhere from 36-86 hours of group therapy. All of this would cost around 2 grand. that does not count the court costs.
The Blower and classes are NOT DECIDED by the courts. It is mandated by the dept of motor vehicles. Remember driving is a privilege not a right !!

Listen…… we all make mistakes….. it’s all about learning from it. Do not let this define you. You’re gonna get knocked down in life…. It’s all about how you get back up….

Hate to break it to you, the military is very hard on those who get DUI’s.

Back in my day, they wouldn’t let you’d rice in base for a while and you’d probably get an NJP if not more charges….

Here’s my advice, seek legal counsel immediately. It will cost you, but it will likely save you in the long run. There are NO GUARANTEES…. But having a lawyer can usually get your charges and your consequences knocked down a bit, and there’s a decent chance you could get it dropped depending on your case. Maybe even dismissed depending on hour BAC, how you conducted yourself during the traffic stop and how police handled this stop. Although I wouldn’t put your eggs in this basket too much.

But….. here’s what you can expect. Civilian consequences and military consequences. Double whammy.

You will probably lose your license for a time and may have an interlock device installed into your vehicle. Youlle probably have to take some alcohol and drug courses…. Youlle probably have a fine.

The military… your command is gonna come down on you. Be humble, take it with a grain of salt, and take it on the chin, and hope they don’t aim to discharge you. I hear that’s what they like to do these days. You probably won’t be allowed to drive on base for a while. And like I said, you will probably get an NJP at the minimum.

Like I said, we all make mistakes. You have to suffer the consequences and it sucks andnim 200% sympathetic to you. But don’t make the mistake again.

I got a DUI right after I got out and missed all the military consequences. But it was still hard even in the civilian world. I hired a lawyer and got my charges dropped down to a wet reckless, I had the DUI on my drivingrecord for 10 years. I had higher insurance costs most of that time, I had to carry and sr-22 insurance for a while, I got fined, I had to attend a 3 months alcohol class, I lost my license for a few months….. it cost me upwards of 10k to deal with all of it.

I was that moron who made the mistake twice.. got another one last year, after only having 6 beers at a social gathering, I had stopped drinking to give myself time to let it process out and got popped for not using a signal to change lanes. I waited a couple of hours til I felt fine to drive… I’m now dealing with it and it sucks…. But that’s life.

I chose to quit drinking completely and life had never been better. So I’m gonna recommend that you put down the drink as well. It’s never done me one bit of good and has only caused me trouble. But if you don’t quit yourself, then get an UBER….. or stay the night…..

I’m sorry you’re going through all of this. It’s going to be okay, no matter what happens. We all make mistakes, learn from it and learn to live a better way, bro.

Semper fi

Each case must be reviewed separately. No commander can state "DUI equals Art 15". They'll get in legal trouble. That said, all of the DUI cases I'm familiar with, and that is a lot, all ended in an Art 15. One ended with a Court Martial, but the DUI was secondary to vehicular manslaughter.

The type and how much punishment depends on you and all of the circumstance. I always took into account the person's past record. If stripes are to be lost it may be perm or suspended. If funds are to be lost, the individual's rank and family situation was taken into account.

The only advice I can give is 1) talk to your defense counsel if it is an Art 15, 2) if you are guilty, accept it, don't try to barrack's lawyer out of it...that always just made me mad.

When I was stationed in Germany I went to rehabilitation but the problem with that is that I got drunk afterwards and told an NCO to f**k off. Well that was the end for me. Now at 56 yo I found the solution in AA

Hopefully you knew to refuse any kind of field sobriety test. Hire a civilian lawyer immediately. It will cost you a lot of money, but you will have a more positive outcome. Prepare for the civilian world because you will almost certainly find yourself there soon. Get a degree in an in-demand field so that your past or discharge won't really matter, such as computer science, petroleum engineering, or medicine. If you can't do calculus, there's always the oilfield. You can have multiple felonies and still get a job on a rig. The downside is that it is very physical and there is risk involved, but no worse than being in the military during wartime, and the pay is a lot higher.

Well this is a question I can answer well. Between the Marines and Army I was Police Officer and Motor Officer. I Made over 208 DUI arrest and lost the first two of my arrests and learned from it. The first thing is you have to SPEND some money for a damn good Attorney in your area. There are Attorney's that specialize in DUI arrests. Next it depends on the arresting officer is he/she new or a hard corps veteran like I was. Your attorney will know the hot shot DUI Officer and will base your case on that. All I can legally tell you is get a hot shot Attorney DUI’s are made to be painful and costly your looking at spending $5,000 to $10,000 on a first time offense. Depending on the State most first time offenders are reduced to reckless driving with a DUI Convection. Good luck it sucks hopefully if you are active your command will give you a chance and let the process work out in court.

Well, since this is 5 months old, what actually did happen to you?