The new year is a time to celebrate, make plans, and then buckle down to take the next 365 days head-on. Unfortunately, not everyone gets the best possible start out of the gate. Some people have to work all the way through the holidays even if they didn’t want to, others got home just in time to catch the annual family blow-up, and even those who had a decent holiday can still wind up in a bad place just from getting sick at the wrong moment. Whether you were ducking away from all-too-many family members, sticking out Christmas on your own this year, or forgot to stop partying after the new year began, if you made the mistake of drinking and driving, you are going to need a lawyer.
Laws Made into the New Year
When you’re having a bad new year's experience, it can be hard to remember that everything else made it past the crucial midnight moment as well. The world has come out the other side of the holidays mostly the same. People are packing up their ornaments, pulling down the strings of lights, and law enforcement continues as usual. Like everything else, both the cops and the laws against drinking and driving are still with us, meaning that if you have already been arrested and charged for drunk driving, you have a bit of an ordeal ahead of you and it’s important to know what to do next.
Turning Yourself Around Fast
First things first, do not fall into a post-holiday depression fugue state. The last thing you need is to stop responding and acting. Take this DWI charge as a wake-up call. The year has just barely started and it’s not too late to turn it around. Take a deep breath, think about your situation, and form a plan of action. You’re going to need a lawyer, a full account of your experiences on the night of the DWI, and an idea of what kind of penalties you might be facing. If this is your first offense, the consequences are likely to be inconvenient but not yet life-ruining. If you have been charged with DWIs in the past, you may be looking at real jail time and serious fines.
It’s time to turn your day and your year around quickly. Once you have decided what you’re going to do, pull together your willpower and inner strength to follow through. No matter how tired, sad, or worried you feel, it’s okay. By hiring an experienced DWI lawyer, you can effectively eliminate or at least reduce the consequences of your new year’s mistake.
Taking on the Rest of the Year
Once you have pulled yourself together, you’ll be ready to face down the results of your DWI. Work with your lawyer to figure out exactly what happened both experientially and legally. There are several possible situations where you might not even be convicted if there were mitigating circumstances. Otherwise, your lawyer will help you reach a reduced sentence so you can focus on making this year better than it started out. You don’t have to accept this bad start as an omen for your entire year. Even if you started January off on the wrong foot, take a moment to sort yourself out and make a few brighter plans for the future. Start a new hobby, make new friends, or connect with old friends, start planning your summer vacation or throw yourself into your work. These activities and positive thoughts will take your mind off your bad start and help you move forward with more confidence and success.
Starting the year with a DWI is no one’s idea of a good start, but you don’t have to let it ruin your year. With an experienced DWI attorney and a plan, you should be able to get your life back on track in no time. For more information on DWI defense or to find a DWI attorney in St Paul, Minnesota, contact us today!