Drinking and Driving in America has gotten way out of hand ! Every day there are just so many new Fatalities caused by People who Drink then get in their Cars and Drive home. Every day when you look in the paper you hear so many Horror stories and they all seem to involve the Death of a Child ! Drinking and Driving is a huge Problem and the Answer to stopping it does not seem to be forth coming.

One of the big problems seems to be the same people are getting DWI’s over and over . Why is it that these people are not getting the help they need to stop them from Drinking and Driving!

Recently I unwillingly took a look into what happens after a person is convicted of a DWI. What I found out made me both very mad and also very Scared ! It seems that at many of the Drug and Alcohol treatment Centers it is all about the all mighty dollar and there is not much concern put on Treatment.

I went to Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma NY run by Ruth M Meyer for an Evaluation. Now as a person who Drinks very little and who’s Drug use was left back in the 90’s with my Old Bongs, I was not worried about the out come . I was a little Surprised when I was told I would need to start going to Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma NY for treatment twice a week. I was very Surprised when I heard the cost per week for this was more then half my income per week. But I had Court and I did not have a Choice but to do as they said.

I was quickly told by just about every staff Member at Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma to go apply for Medicaid. I was told that they can charge Medicaid allot of Money. I took the hint that it was in my best interest to apply for Medicaid, After a trip to the Department of Social Services I was given a form that said I was Medicaid Pending, This seemed to make everyone Happy.

Each week I went to Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma twice a week once for one on one Consoling and Once for what was called the Group Class. The one on one Counseling which was supposed to be a one hour a week meeting was Basically me sitting in a room for about15 Minutes with a Counselor named Chris. He would ask me how my week had been and then I would sit there listening to him apologies while he did paper work that had nothing to do with me! Each week he would tell me how He was over booked and almost every week He would tell me after 15 Minutes He was going to let me go early.

The Group was just a little better it was two hours long and run by a Women named Heather , The Group meeting would consist of People Complaining about their lives, Heather loved to give advice to the Group Members and She was never shy about telling you your opinion on something was wrong and of Course She was Never wrong about anything.

Now to tell the Truth at the Time I did not care at all I was just going to these meetings to look good in court for my DWI trial . Things where going fine with me at Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma , I was not getting any real treatment but I also did not care.

After about four Months of Treatment I found out I did not qualify for Medicaid. Well things Changed quick with the relationship between me and Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma , I was told by Ruth Meyer that I owed over a Thousand Dollars. I told Her I did not have the Money. I was then informed if I did not pay a huge part of the Debt off and sign a paper stating I owed the Money that Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma would report to the Judge in my case I was Non Compliant and ruin any chance at a plea Bargain ! All I could think was this is Blackmail, I signed the paper and gave Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma a Couple of Hundred Dollars!

After Court was done the Sentence I received was I had to do 50 Hours of Community Service and Attend a Meeting of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and also my License was Suspended for 90 days.

In my next one on one Counseling with Chris after my DWI case was over, I was told by Chris I no longer needed to come to Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma anymore. Chris looked at me laughed and said We both know you don’t have a problem with Drugs or Alcohol and you don’t have the Money any way.

After 40 days with no licence I received a letter from DMV saying I could get a conditional License if I attended a Seven week Drinking and Driver Program. One part of the Class is you must get an Evaluation, when I told the Teachers of the class I had taken one an attended Classes at Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma I was told that was fine! Around the end of the Seven weeks of Classes I received a letter from the Drinking and Driver Program saying I was going to fail the Class because I had never gone and had an Evaluation done! Confused I called the DDP and told them I had taken one at Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma . They told me that Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma told them I had never Completed the course there! When I called Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma and spoke with Ruth Meyer I was told that they would not consider me completed and release my info to the DDP until after I was finished paying Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma all the Money I owed them. Well I got very angry and I made a big Mistake I began Speaking loud to Ruth Meyer that I did not have all the Money right now and if She didn’t release my info to the Drinking and Driver program I would lose my License for 90 days all over again! Ruth told me that it was a Business and she felt this was the only way to get me to pay.

I borrowed the money from a friend and paid off Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma figuring everything was now Finally over, I found out real fast what happens when you raise your voice to Ruth Myer. After paying Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma they told the Drinking and Driver Program that I had never finished the Classes at Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma. I called and ask to speak to Chris but was told he no longer worked for Community Counseling Services of Ronkonkoma. I of Course lost my License for another 90 days!

This is just one outpatient rehab I had to deal with, I have talked to many Poeple who have gone threw the DWI System and I found out that it is a very cut throat Business run by People who if you do not do as they say when they say it, will do what ever they can to make your life a living Hell. During this whole ordeal the only time I felt that anyone really didn’t want me to drink and drive again was when I attended the Mothers Against Drunk Driving meeting and Surprise that meeting was free! The MADD meetings are run by Mothers who have lost Children to Drinking and Driving! These Women were not rude or condescending they just gave an honest heartfelt plea asking us to please not drink and drive! After hearing their Stories I know I never will again.

Drinking and Driving is a big Problem in America, But it is also a very large and Profitable Business !

This is only my opinion and how I remember the events.

Lawrence Jameson asks everybody come on do not Drink and Drive Lawrence Jameson prays for an Stop to Drinking and Driving