Alcohol Awareness
- Thread starter caroline
- Start date
ReformedCharacter
New Member
Thre is a section about it in these forums, basically from when i did it a few years ago they discuss along with many other things:
* Implications of drink driving on you and your family.
* Cost of Drink driving in a monetery value
* Drink Diaries for you to see how much you drink and then calculate how long the alcohol takes to leave your body so you are fit to drive (very intresting and shocking)
*They show videos and talk about the affects of drink driving on other people who are victims of it.
All in all well worth the money, yes the reduction in ban is what most people on the course are there for, but the amount you learn and can take from it is invaluable and will always make you think twice before drinking and driving again. Highly recommend it, i would even go as far as to say they should incorportae this kind of thing for people taking driving tests.
* Implications of drink driving on you and your family.
* Cost of Drink driving in a monetery value
* Drink Diaries for you to see how much you drink and then calculate how long the alcohol takes to leave your body so you are fit to drive (very intresting and shocking)
*They show videos and talk about the affects of drink driving on other people who are victims of it.
All in all well worth the money, yes the reduction in ban is what most people on the course are there for, but the amount you learn and can take from it is invaluable and will always make you think twice before drinking and driving again. Highly recommend it, i would even go as far as to say they should incorportae this kind of thing for people taking driving tests.
alexandra21
Member
i have mine in may,not looking forward to it. Is it designed to make you feel guiltier?feel bad enough as it is!
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mike1960
Well Known Member
Not really, it's very non-judgemental.
If you were drink driving through ignorance, you will find it very useful. If, like me, you were perfectly aware of what you were doing and decided the law didn't apply to you, then it is designed to correct your attitude.
It's hard to believe, but the course is quite enjoyable as long as you aren't an arse
plus, think of it as the beginning of the end of your ban.
If you were drink driving through ignorance, you will find it very useful. If, like me, you were perfectly aware of what you were doing and decided the law didn't apply to you, then it is designed to correct your attitude.
It's hard to believe, but the course is quite enjoyable as long as you aren't an arse
plus, think of it as the beginning of the end of your ban.alexandra21
Member
Thanks mike,thats good to know.I dont think im an arse although others may disagree..So hopefully the course will prove beneficial and not too scary!just want to get it done so i can forget about the whole thing.
although others may disagree..So hopefully the course will prove beneficial and not too scary!just want to get it done so i can forget about the whole thing.
alexandra21
Member
I dont know about scotland but my course is 3 sundays,10-4 ,so i guess about 18 hours in total.You could contact your course provider they should send you a list of course dates and times.
jordho
New Member
I would attend the course anytime. Don't go there just because your ban will reduced, see it as kind of chance to analyse your situation. You can learn a lot about yourself and maybe talking with other people with the same problem will help you to change things. I don't want to be harsh but if you feel bad and gulity - that's fine because you have understood what you did wrong.
alexandra21
Member
Jordho,what problem is that which i would share with others on the course?while i am sure there will be people there with alcohol problems i am also sure there will be others like myself who made a stupid one off mistake,albeit influenced by alcohol,but who do not have a drink problem.
pj_112
New Member
i am currently doing the course (final day) and can tell you, that you dont have anything to worry about!!
it is not full of alcoholics - for a start alcoholics would probably not be able to afford the course.
you will not be made to feel uncomfortable or owt. it is actually very informative, and you will come out of it much much aware of drinking and driving
drinking is not a bad a thing, always remember that. just mixing it with driving is.
we are all in the same boat.
it is not full of alcoholics - for a start alcoholics would probably not be able to afford the course.
you will not be made to feel uncomfortable or owt. it is actually very informative, and you will come out of it much much aware of drinking and driving
drinking is not a bad a thing, always remember that. just mixing it with driving is.
we are all in the same boat.
mike1960
Well Known Member
I don't recall calling you or anyone else an arse, However, your ridiculous post certainly proves that you are, you got banned for drink driving remember? so now you are an arse with no licence. Since this simple fact eludes you, this makes you an even bigger arse.
Good luck on your course, i am sure that your delightful attitude and personality will win you plenty of friends.
EDIT
If you didn't understand my initial post, it is possible that you are also a bit thick or cannot comprehend writing too well.
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signman
Well Known Member
i don`t believe he was having a personal attack on you. I believe he was referring to the fact that once you are physically taking the course as long as the people there accept and understand whats being taught them and they turn up etc.. then all will be fine. If you are late for any sessions they don`t allow you to complete the course, thus not getting the reduction in your ban.
I think you were being a bit over sensitive. It wasn`t an attack on you.
mike1960
Well Known Member
Exactly signman, in fact her initial post referring to '3 months knocked off' as opposed to actually learning from the experience speaks volumes about her attitude.
Plus, talk about being thin skinned, phew!!!!!!
caroline
Member
Got bill from Lawyer. I don't think I should have bothered with him. Bill almost 1 grand. Had to wait in Court for 2.5 hours before called and lawyer charged me £408.00 for that-what a rip off and no doubt I was'nt only client he was representing ........... I would advise anybody in this situation just gets the Duty Solicitor
new_pedestrian
Established Member
I'm confused about the duty solicitor thing, because everything I've read here suggests that everyone can use them, but I wasn't allowed to for my court appearance.
The usher told me that I didn't qualify, and that the reason given was that I wasn't facing a custodial sentence. I don't know if this varies from court to court, or from day to day based on how busy they might be.
I did say to the usher that I was under the impression that anyone could use the duty solicitor, and in the end I was allowed to have a very brief chat with one just to ensure that what I was expecting to happen in court was accurate. That was it though, I represented myself in court.
I'm glad I'd prepared my own "speech" to give in mitigation beforehand, because if I'd been relying on using the duty solicitor to speak on my behalf I would have been a bit stuck.
Just thought I'd pass my story on here so that others can be forearmed with the knowledge that the duty solicitor may not be on hand and you may have to speak on your own behalf. It's no fun, believe me!
wood1beez
Member
I go in a couple of weeks and would like to represent myself rather than pay a lot of money if my case is straightforward which i think it is ? Who actually is in court? Thanks
new_pedestrian
Established Member
I can only speak about my own court appearance as to who is in court. I'll describe what mine was like as best I can in case it helps anyone who hasn't had theirs yet. Forgive my vagueness of memory but I had a lot on my mind at the time!
The usher (polite, helpful, fair, no-nonsense) led me into court and seemed to be sort of around while my appearance was going on, but I believe she left the room at some point.
As I went into the courtroom I was surprised and almost disappointed that I didn't get a "dock" to stand in. There were three very ordinary chairs on the opposite side of the court and I was asked to stand in front of one of them. I approached them wondering if this was a test. Do good people usually stand in front of one chair and bad people in front of another? I stood in front of the middle one and no firing squad appeared, so I assume that the middle one is at least a reasonable choice.
There were three magistrates for my case, and sitting a tier down in front of the magistrates was someone who I think was the clerk or legal advisor person. It was this lady who came over and asked for my driving licence, so she was clearly working for the court itself rather than for the prosecution.
Then there was the prosecution lady who read out my charge. She just read out exactly what was on the charge sheet I had a copy of, and then when I pleaded guilty she said that in view of the early plea application was being made for costs in the amount of £85.
It wasn't like on TV; I wasn't cross-examined by her as she paced up and down before whirling on me with an accusatory pointed finger and barking, "Answer me, yes or no!!!" or anything like that. Her role was very much a formality since it was an open and shut drink driving case and I plead guilty. I expect she would have a lot more work to do in a case where the defendant pleads not guilty. I've wondered several times since if she'd prepared a full case against me and was ready to dive into it.
I think there was also someone next to the prosecution who was noting everything down. That's a guess, I really don't know what she was doing and she could have been another clerk or assistant to the prosecution. She didn't say anything and nobody said anything to her.
Over in the public section there were two women who could have been anyone really. They just sat watching. Maybe there were friends or relatives or someone who was coming up in court later, I have no idea.
A youngish guy arrived carrying a notebook after I'd said my piece. The notebook made me take notice of him because he might have been from the local paper. He had that look about him, he was wearing those trousers that are cut like jeans but which you can get away with saying aren't jeans and wear them to work in an office when you're in your 20s. He also had a shirt on but no tie and a casual jacket. I'm glad he was late if he was from the local paper.
The whole thing was over in minutes, although it felt a lot longer, especially the time in between me reading out my mitigation and the magistrates handing down the sentence. During that time I was just sitting there waiting, fully aware that I was being discussed in whispers by the magistrates and feeling nervous and anxious.
Once they'd told me what I was getting, they asked me about how I would be paying the fine and things seemed oddly informal as we discussed the best amount for me to pay monthly. This threw me a bit as I'd sort of assumed that such chat would take place afterwards at some sort of fine paying office that I'd invented in my head.
Once everything was sorted they said that I could leave, and I did. On the way out the usher handed me a couple of leaflets, and she'd written down the amount of the fine and the length of the ban on one of them. Then I just walked unhindered out of the court and the building.
As I say this is just what mine was like, and yours might be quite different. Just thought I'd describe mine in case it helps to have a general image of it.
The usher (polite, helpful, fair, no-nonsense) led me into court and seemed to be sort of around while my appearance was going on, but I believe she left the room at some point.
As I went into the courtroom I was surprised and almost disappointed that I didn't get a "dock" to stand in. There were three very ordinary chairs on the opposite side of the court and I was asked to stand in front of one of them. I approached them wondering if this was a test. Do good people usually stand in front of one chair and bad people in front of another? I stood in front of the middle one and no firing squad appeared, so I assume that the middle one is at least a reasonable choice.
There were three magistrates for my case, and sitting a tier down in front of the magistrates was someone who I think was the clerk or legal advisor person. It was this lady who came over and asked for my driving licence, so she was clearly working for the court itself rather than for the prosecution.
Then there was the prosecution lady who read out my charge. She just read out exactly what was on the charge sheet I had a copy of, and then when I pleaded guilty she said that in view of the early plea application was being made for costs in the amount of £85.
It wasn't like on TV; I wasn't cross-examined by her as she paced up and down before whirling on me with an accusatory pointed finger and barking, "Answer me, yes or no!!!" or anything like that. Her role was very much a formality since it was an open and shut drink driving case and I plead guilty. I expect she would have a lot more work to do in a case where the defendant pleads not guilty. I've wondered several times since if she'd prepared a full case against me and was ready to dive into it.
I think there was also someone next to the prosecution who was noting everything down. That's a guess, I really don't know what she was doing and she could have been another clerk or assistant to the prosecution. She didn't say anything and nobody said anything to her.
Over in the public section there were two women who could have been anyone really. They just sat watching. Maybe there were friends or relatives or someone who was coming up in court later, I have no idea.
A youngish guy arrived carrying a notebook after I'd said my piece. The notebook made me take notice of him because he might have been from the local paper. He had that look about him, he was wearing those trousers that are cut like jeans but which you can get away with saying aren't jeans and wear them to work in an office when you're in your 20s. He also had a shirt on but no tie and a casual jacket. I'm glad he was late if he was from the local paper.
The whole thing was over in minutes, although it felt a lot longer, especially the time in between me reading out my mitigation and the magistrates handing down the sentence. During that time I was just sitting there waiting, fully aware that I was being discussed in whispers by the magistrates and feeling nervous and anxious.
Once they'd told me what I was getting, they asked me about how I would be paying the fine and things seemed oddly informal as we discussed the best amount for me to pay monthly. This threw me a bit as I'd sort of assumed that such chat would take place afterwards at some sort of fine paying office that I'd invented in my head.
Once everything was sorted they said that I could leave, and I did. On the way out the usher handed me a couple of leaflets, and she'd written down the amount of the fine and the length of the ban on one of them. Then I just walked unhindered out of the court and the building.
As I say this is just what mine was like, and yours might be quite different. Just thought I'd describe mine in case it helps to have a general image of it.
caroline
Member
My case was very similar and talking of the local media - well that was the worst bit. I am a Manager of a Depot and the media put my name, home address, my title (Manager), company name and company address in the paper. I thought I was going to get pulled up by the Directors of the co but luckily they were quite nice about it. I think that if I was just a run of the mill office worker, all this wouldn't have been mentioned so do try not to mention the name of the co you work for or your position and ask your solicitor (if you get one) not to mention it. Good luck
wood1beez
Member
Great that helps so much
What was your sentence? did you get offered the rehibilitation course .I really want that to take 3 months + off
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