Overcoming Addiction - Kansas DUI & Missouri DWI Journal

The following information is posted by Kansas DUI lawyer Jay Norton. Please return to this page periodically for new information regarding DUI & DWI laws in Kansas and Missouri.  This page displays all of Mr. Norton's submissions concerning overcoming addiction.

Tuesday December 4, 2007
Help For Those Who Need It

If you have received a DUI in Kansas or DWI in Missouri you should at least consider whether the use of alcohol or other substances has become a problem in your life. Certainly, the fact that a person receives a DUI charge does not, in and of itself, mean that a person is an alcoholic or has a drinking problem. However, the occasion of an arrest and charge for a Kansas or Missouri DUI/DWI may provide a good opportunity for some self-reflection and some analysis of how you found yourself in this situation. It may be due to no fault of your own, or it very well may be that alcohol or other issues have led you to make some questionable choices and engage in risky behavior.

Our law firm has assisted an enormous number of people with getting into treatment for alcohol or drug issues. We pride ourselves on this fact and are happy to direct our clients to the appropriate resources for information, education and treatment. Even in cases in which we can successfully defend a Kansas DUI or Missouri DWI, we want to help people live healthier lives and achieve success in all of their endeavors. So, there have been plenty of cases in which we were able to have charges dismissed or which we were able to beat in the courtroom, but our clients still availed themselves of the opportunity to get informed, get evaluated and get treated so that they were better able to avoid issues related to alcohol or chemicals in the future. We refer people on a regular basis to treatment resources and we do it without judgment and without it affecting our representation of our clients. In fact, showing proof that a client has entered into and completed treatment voluntarily has been of great assistance in obtaining favorable resolutions of Kansas and Missouri DUI/DWI cases.

Here are some resources to consider:

Hazelden Treatment Centers Self-Evaluation Quiz:
http://www.alcoholscreening.org/AS/screening.aspx?CID=86&id=843426

Michigan Alcohol Screening Test:
http://www.ncadd-sfv.org/symptoms/mast_test.html

Alcohol Dependency Test by Hugh Burns, LMTF:
http://home.att.net/~r.h.burns/Articles/alcohol_dependency_test.html

Alcoholics Anonymous:
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/

Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors accepted by Johnson County District Court
(For a Kansas DUI in Johnson County or one of its municipalities, you will be required to obtain a substance abuse evaluation from one of these agencies in the event of a diversion or conviction. However, they can also see people on a voluntary basis and make recommendations for treatment, if necessary)
http://courts.jocogov.org/forms/ADSAP.pdf

SATOP – Missouri DWI required treatment program:
http://www.dmh.missouri.gov/ada/satop/index.htm

Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator:
http://dasis3.samhsa.gov/

Again, just because you are charged with a DUI does not mean you require treatment. Our firm makes no judgments regarding those who want treatment or who are adamantly opposed to it. These resources are merely offered for consideration and as a service to those who want to take a closer look at whether alcohol or other substances are causing them problems in life.


Monday, March 26, 2007
Medication May Cause Alcohol Craving

It seems like there are a lot of people that are on medication these days, mostly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's) for anxiety and depression. These medications include PROZAC, ZOLOFT, PAXIL and EFFEXOR. Some interesting studies have surfaced recently which suggest that these drugs cause a craving for alcohol. You can read more about this here and here. The studies are not sure exactly what it is causing this, but it is obviously and unintended and unwelcomed consequence of trying to help people deal with other mood or behavioral disorders. Some reformed alcoholics who have not consumed alcohol for years are finding themselves driven to drinking alcohol by an irrestible compulsion that kicks in shortly after beginning SSRI meds, and some people who never really drank before began guzzling massive quantities of alcohol on a daily basis after beginning the medication. Not only is the drinking alcohol a problem, but drinking alcohol while taking these medications can cause severe intoxication as well as a host of other health problems.

It was widely reported last year that prescription sleeping drugs, like Ambien, were causing people to compulsively eat and drink alcohol in their sleep and, sometimes, get into their cars and begin driving. These people were often found in wrecked vehicles with no knowledge as to how they got there and no memory of ever driving.

So, pharmaceuticals and alcohol are proving to be a big problem. People who are on these types of medication owe it to themselves, and everyone on the road, to take a good hard look at whether their alcohol consumption has changed since they began using a certain medication. Alcohol and these drugs are a dangerous combination, so please be careful.

Please fill out our electronic form and submit it to Norton Hare L.L.C. for a free evaluation from one of our attorneys regarding your defense in a Kansas DUI or a Missouri DWI case.

If you have scheduled a consultation with Norton Hare, LLC, please download our client questionnaire and take a moment to fill it out as completely as you can. By completing the questionnaire prior to the meeting and bringing it with you to our offices, you will spend less time in our waiting room and more time in consultation with one of our attorneys.

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