Member-only story
THE NARRATIVE ARC
Forced Counseling for Alcohol Abuse Taught Me Hard Lessons
Sometimes, you need others to reflect your problems back at you
I’d already convicted him. The dude looked like a stone cold alcoholic. His eyes were sunken. His cheeks were puffy and red.
I saw the double martini going to his lips. The bartender hesitantly asked, “You sure you want another one?” He closed his tab, got into his car, and one year later — drags 18 strangers into court to waste time in jury selection. And here we were, all packed into this pathetic courtroom.
“All for a DUI case. All for a drunk.”
It’s all my resentful brain could think. The lawyer was a handsome man looking fresh out of law school, with slicked back dark hair, and a fantastically well-fitted suit. He stepped forward to the podium and said, “One final question. Is there anything of substance that we should know about you as a potential juror?”
I raised my hand and was called upon, “Yes, I thought it might be worth knowing — I was convicted of a DUI a few years back.”
Twenty minutes later, I was walked out of the courtroom, a free man. I hadn’t lied. I was drunk as a skunk when the DUI happened. I blew more than twice the legal limit. And it…
