Not only is driving drunk unsafe, it’s also very much against the law. The repercussions of being caught driving under the influence can cause drunk drivers to lose money, time, and rights. How extreme those punishments are depend on how many DUI charges there are, the circumstances involved in the incident, and how drunk drivers are handled in the state where the charges were filed.

How DUI Charges Drastically Change A Person’s Life

Even though there are differences in how states approach drunk drivers, the framework for legal punishments is similar. No matter how high the driver’s blood alcohol concentration was, it’s likely that this individual will have his or her driver’s license revoked. On the first DUI, drivers might lose their license for only 30 days, but others can lose it for up to a year depending on the state. Each consecutive DUI after that is likely going to include a longer revoking period.

Most states require drunk drivers to pay at least $500 in fines and install ignition interlock devices in their cars after the first DUI. These devices allow drivers to start the car only if they have no alcohol in their system. If they test positive for alcohol, their car won’t start. Random tests will also be performed at intervals as the car is going to ensure that it was the driver who used the device, not someone else who was sober.

Even on the first DUI charge, half the states require drunk drivers to spend time in jail. The amount of time varies depending on the state, but usually lasts anywhere from one day to one week. Most states include longer stays in jail for drivers with more than one DUI charge. That’s assuming that no one else was hurt in the process of someone drinking and driving.

Legal Repercussions Of Killing Someone While Driving Drunk

When someone drives drunk and gets into an accident, additional charges are going to be filed. Those charges could come with expensive fees, more time without a driver’s license, and a lot more time in jail. If someone dies as a result of the accident, more consequences are going to be added.

In Wisconsin, 27-year-old Daniel Boucher killed two people, Jim and Wendy Rush, in a car accident where he was driving drunk. Along with the DUI charges he’s facing, murder charges have been added. Since the accident, he has pleaded not guilty to the charges. If he’s found guilty, he could be in prison for several years.

Daniel’s father, Ross Boucher, faced similar charges 33 years prior to this accident when he lost control of his car while driving drunk and crashed. The woman in his car at the time of the accident died. Due to the death, Ross Boucher was given five years probation and was required to enter inpatient alcohol rehabilitation. His rehabilitation was finished in 1984. It’s unclear whether or not Ross Boucher continued to drink after he went through rehabilitation. Obviously, this is a clear case of alcoholism being an inherited trait for some people.

Dealing With The Legal Consequences Of Driving Drunk

DUI charges alone can affect a driver’s life for years. Fees, jail time, and other serious legal consequences can cause individuals to lose their job or even their freedom. Even after one DUI charge, some people might have to work hard to build their lives again.

If physical harm or death is involved in the accident, rebuilding life afterwards is going to be even harder. Pleading guilty to charges may not help keep someone out of jail, probation, or rehabilitation. With all the fees and time spent recovering from the accident, people who face DUI charges and murder charges may never have their old lives back ever again. In fact, they could be dealing with the serious repercussions of driving drunk for the rest of their lives.

An attorney can help drunk drivers minimize the consequences they face, but they won’t be able to make all of the charges disappear. Even if they could, the driver is still going to have to pay the costs involved with hiring them. All the fees involved with the DUI charges and the attorney could keep someone in debt for years.

The Only Way To Avoid DUI Charges Is To Not Drive Drunk

No matter how little someone has been drinking or how careful they think they’re going to be, the moment they decide to drive while intoxicated, they start putting people at risk. Police officers are trained to notice all the signs associated with driving drunk. If they even notice one, they’re going to follow the driver to see if any more signs present themselves. If that happens, they will eventually pull the driver over. When an officer does that, the driver’s most likely going to have to face at least basic level DUI charges.

Prevention starts before someone that’s drunk decides to drive. For people that aren’t addicted to alcohol, deciding on a designated driver or calling for a taxi or an Uber driver is easy enough. For habitual or addicted drinkers, the choice not to drink and drive can be far more challenging, especially if drinking has become a near daily habit.

Drinking and driving is never the answer. If someone is finding it difficult get by without driving drunk, then it’s time for them to seek professional help. Starting or maintaining a habit of driving while intoxicated carries with it huge consequences that could cost people their money, time, freedom, or even their life. It’s not a matter of if someone catches them drinking and driving, but when and what causes them to get caught. If alcohol addiction is a problem, it’s better to seek professional treatment than to get behind the wheel drunk.

Links Between Alcohol And Skin Problems That Aren’t So Serious

Drinking alcohol doesn’t always cause serious harm to the skin, but alcohol will always affect how the skin looks no matter how much a person drinks. In moderation, alcohol will have only the slightest effect on the skin and the effects will usually go away once alcohol has left the system.

The connection between alcohol and skin problems are close. In most cases, drinking alcohol will cause the skin to redden. When alcohol is introduced to the body, blood vessels will dilate and open up blood flow to underneath the skin’s surface. Moderate drinkers will have the reddening effect go away quickly. People who have problems with rosacea, a permanent redness of the skin, are going to have a harder time hiding it when they start drinking. Habitual drinkers will also start getting spider veins across their nose, cheeks, arms, chest, hands, and stomach from the continued expansion of blood vessels, which can make someone look older.

Skin also looks older with regular alcohol intake because it dries out the skin. Habitual drinking can cause dehydration, which will keep the skin from getting the moisture that it needs. Without that moisture, wrinkles are going to appear at a faster rate.

Regular drinking can also cause the skin to bruise more easily. Excessive drinking can lead to deficiencies in the vitamins C and K, both of which are necessary to prevent bruising and heal the skin correctly. While it may not make someone anemic or cause them to pick up any blood disorders, it can exacerbate those problems if a drinker were to have them.

Serious Skin Damage Linked To Alcohol Intake

Drinking alcohol on a near daily basis can cause some serious skin damage, especially if the habitual drinking has been going on for a while. This skin damage won’t disappear once alcohol leaves the system either. People who continuously drink could suffer with the toll that is taken on the skin for the rest of their lives. Some of that damage not only looks bad, but it can also cause serious health issues.

Often, people who have a heavy alcohol intake open their skin up to more infections. This is partially due to how dry the skin becomes, as dry skin is going to be more prone to cracking and breaking, which will lead to a higher likelihood of infection. In addition, drinking can decrease immune system function, so regular drinking can alter how well the system works and how the body heals itself. Since the body can’t heal properly and the skin breaks so easily, some, if not many, skin infections are likely to occur.

Regular drinking can also increase someone’s chances of developing skin cancer. Having dry, cracked skin can make the body more susceptible to the sun’s rays. Since the skin is already damaged, the sun can damage it even more and lead to cancer that otherwise wouldn’t have been there. While the increased odds of skin cancer isn’t high, it’s still something that regular drinkers need to worry about.

Yellowing skin can also happen with excessive drinking habits. If that happens, odds are that the person is developing jaundice, which means that the liver is starting to fail. Anyone noticing a yellowing of their skin needs to seek the help of a doctor immediately.

The Best Way To Deal With Alcohol-Based Skin Problems

The best way to combat current and possible skin damage caused by alcohol consumption is to stop drinking. Although that might not be a problem for some people, those who are addicted to alcohol are going to have a significant problem quitting. There are ways for those dealing with alcohol addiction to get help and move away from the damaging substance. Going through alcohol rehab is the most effective option.

People who deal with addiction often have past experiences that play a role in why they started the habit. Therapists at the treatment center can work through the pain of those past experiences and help people move on from them. As they turn away from those moments, people struggling with addiction will learn how to deal with other life stresses without relying on alcohol. That involves learning different types of coping mechanisms in order to survive day-to-day life without relapsing.

As they work through treatment, some of the skin problems are going to start clearing up. For major skin problems, however, talking with a doctor might be necessary. Not only can they assess how bad the damage has become, they can also prescribe medications that will help with bruising, redness, and other issues. While it’s possible that the damage isn’t reversible, skin problems can be managed with daily maintenance and professional care.

Even Skin That’s Been Damaged By Alcohol Abuse Can Look Good Again

The skin will look worn, dry, and tired if someone’s been addicted to alcohol for a really long time. The damage done can cause lasting health problems that could ultimately be dangerous or life-threatening. While some people can’t reverse that damage, others can make their skin look good despite the abuse with professional help. All they have to do is reach out for it.

The good news is that the skin will tell you when the body is struggling with alcohol. If individuals pay attention to those visible signs, they can take the steps they need to stop addictive habits. Then they can go back to having healthy, hydrated skin that won’t crack or cause them to become sick.