Someone who has been arrested for an operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol (OVI) offense may focus on the wrong details after their arrest. They become so fixated on the mistakes they made on the night that the police pulled them over or the penalties that they face that they might fail to look at the bigger picture.
An OVI arrest is sometimes a warning sign of a serious, hidden issue in someone’s life. The charges that they face might just be the tip of the proverbial iceberg. For some people, an OVI arrest can be the wake-up call that they need to make major changes to their lives. Specifically, they realize that they have to address an underlying substance abuse issue. They may need to look into rehabilitative or counseling services in addition to fighting their criminal charges.
Addiction often develops slowly
Substance abuse disorders typically do not emerge overnight. They start with casual or social use of a specific substance and slowly snowball into something that the individual does not control. Eventually, they may find themselves lying about their habits and withdrawing from social situations in some cases to avoid judgment or other people discovering how often they use their substance choice. It may begin to affect their relationships with their loved ones, their employment and their finances. Many OVI cases have a connection to substance abuse disorders.
Substance abuse disorders may have a genetic component. They also often develop due to a desire to self-medicate. People who have gone through something traumatic and those with undiagnosed mental health challenges sometimes turn to drugs or alcohol as a way of improving the symptoms they experience.
An arrest for an OVI may help some people recognize that their situation has snowballed out of their control. Someone facing criminal charges may realize that they need to gain control over their personal habits to avoid similar issues in the future. Those who take the time to address the underlying issues that ultimately led to their arrest may more positively affect their futures than those who solely focus on the criminal charges they face.
Of course, responding properly to an OVI charge is also crucial. Those who connect with the right support after an OVI arrest might be able to avoid similar, or escalating, problems in the future.