Okay - so maybe that wasn't exactly what he said, or maybe I opened before he spoke at all. In any manner, I did get pulled over for driving almost 90MPH in a 30MPH zone. I spent the first couple of weeks trying to play-it-down, using phrases like, "It was a quiet street, in the middle of no-where, very late at night," and "I really wasn't even that intoxicated." The truth of the matter is, however (and going through this process has helped a lot, too), what I did was incredibly reckless, unsafe, and could have affected more than just my life in the event of a crash.

I am extremely thankful and grateful that I was pulled over for my excessive speed before something tragic had occurred. In the world of "unknowns," one could say I'd have made it home just fine. Another person could say, "If you'd have been driving for 10 more minutes, you, or somebody else, could very well be dead right now." What happened to me was the "best case scenario," so to speak. As much of a pain in the ass as this whole situation is - it could be so much worse. To this day, it's unknown what my blood-alcohol level was - but certainly passed driving.

I'm now seven months sober, I am driving with an IID (vehicle breathalyzer, known as "Interlock Ignition Device), going through my DUI classes (my charge was DWAI, but it's all kind of the same, really), reporting to my probation officer, and getting ready to start my community service. I'm feeling great about most things in my life now, and the biggest factor was alcohol. Even prior to my DWAI, I was relying on alcohol for sleep, and largely for ignoring my emotions and thoughts and the end of the day. I didn't want to think or process - I wanted to go to sleep.

All in all - I am, in a strange way, glad that all of this happened the way that it did. Ironically, in my altered state of mind during the traffic stop, I was very friendly and polite (and more honest than I probably should have been) to the police officer(s) who I spoke to,. I thanked them for stopping me, and told them (as I watched the police body camera footage) I appreciated them pulling me over. I told them I needed to be accountable for this, and that alcohol was steeping too far into my life. It was almost like the universe, somehow, knew this was going to happen.

In any sense - here we are, about 9 months later (because the court process, speaking with my lawyer, etc.) dragged things on a bit, I'm now 7 months sober. I must admit, to anybody who asks, that I had a few "slips" during the waiting period between learning my fate in front of the judge. However, even a few weeks before that final day, I was completely sober, and have been ever since. Now, it's become my mission to maintain my sobriety, continue to feel great about the healthier way I am living, and embracing the new lifestyle - and plan to share it here. 😊