Question: I caught a DUI in Sandy Springs and I’m seriously worried about drinking on probation, because I don’t know if you can legally do it. I travel for work all the time and I’m supposed to take clients out and entertain them. I take them to dinner, clubs, bars, pretty much wherever they want.
And it almost always involves drinking alcohol. Not necessarily that much booze, but I’m expected to have a couple of beers or mixed-drinks with the clients, just to make sure they’re comfortable and having fun and buying our products. I’m in a competitive field so my boss sends me all over the country.
I got a DUI in Sandy Springs and I’m not sure if I can drink at all. I’m on probation for the DUI and I’ve been on probation for about two months and I think I have maybe 10 more months of probation to go.
I got the drunk driving charge because I was driving with clients and I did have too much to drink and a cop stopped me and he could tell I’d been having some and I did the tests and took the blow test.
I don’t have an alcohol problem because it was only my second DUI in my life and I got the first one in college, but that was like 15 years ago.
Now I just need to keep my job and find out if I can even have a beer while I’m on probation. I mean a beer shouldn’t be a problem, right?
R.D. in Roswell, Georgia
Answer: If you are on probation for a DUI in Sandy Springs or anywhere in Georgia, you are not allowed to consume any alcohol. If you are caught drinking alcohol, you can be charged with a probation violation and you can be sent to jail.
Whether or not you are sent to jail for a probation violation is determined by the judge in the case. Some judges are far more severe than other judges and a probation violation for alcohol consumption can have serious consequences.
It is not uncommon for a probation officer to administer an EtG test to see if someone has been drinking. The test measures a metabolite produced from drinking alcohol and it can detect drinking several days after a person has had a drink. This test surprises many people who don’t think that their drinking will be detected.
In your situation, it is probably best to refrain from having any drinks until your probation is over, just to be on the safe side.
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