SelfhelpMagazine

by Reid K. Hester, Ph.D.

Penalties for DWIs vary by State so it is impossible to tell you what the range of jail time might be. For the short term, he is probably considering whether to hire a DUI attorney, that is a lawyer who specializes in DUIs.

In the longer term, given that he has now had 10 DWIs, he will probably receive a severe sentence. Your father has a severe drinking problem, as you probably already know. If he has been in treatment at different times he has not benefitted from it enough to avoid further alcohol-related problems. If this is the case and the courts take this into account, your father may be in for a long stay in prison.

An important question here is how are you doing with your father's condition and absence in your life? Have you found support for yourself anywhere? You might already know that there are groups of kids that get together to discuss how to cope with their alcoholic parents. The group meetings are free and usually found in Alcoholics Anonymous clubhouse, called Alano Clubs.

They are casual meetings and the kids are usually very open to new kids joining or showing up for thre first time. After all, they all walked in there alone at some point, and they know what it feels like to be in your shoes. If you feel like meeting other kids who have lived the same general kind of life you have, just look for An Alcoholic's Anonymous listing in the white pages of your phone book. Or find a club house in your neighborhood by looking them up online. Call then and ask if they have any Ala-teen groups. You might also try AA Central for your town, if you live in a relatively large city. They can tell you where all the Ala-teen meetings are in town. Go to a bunch of them, like 7-10 before you make up your mind about them, one way or another.

You can just drop in to check them out and see if you want to go back at a later time. Some churches have them in their basements, too. You might want to look for them. They are called Ala-teen Groups. They are free.

About the Author:

Reid K. Hester, Ph.D., Director, Research Division, Behavior Therapy Associates, 9426 Indian School Rd NE, Suite 1, Albuquerque, NM 87112. Phone: 505.345.6100.

Dr. Hester is has developed an evidence-based, web application called ModerateDrinking.com to help heavy drinkers be successful in changing their drinking. A video demo of the program is available at www.behaviortherapy.com