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12 Hour Online Wet Reckless or SB 1176 Alcohol Program for Non-residents of California who received a DUI in the State of California now available online.

California courts now allow non-residents of California to complete their classes online. DUI offenders must complete California’s 12 Hour Wet Reckless or SB 1176 Alcohol Program DUI class requirements in order to have their license reinstated in their home state. Tom Wilson Counseling Center offers 12 Hour, 32 Hour, 45 Hour, 60 Hour and 78 Hour online DUI programs that meet court requirements. At present, the CA DMV does not recognize any class outside of California for California residents, however the CA courts have recognized Tom Wilson Counseling Center as a licensed substance abuse course provider who is able to help the out of state defendant navigate and complete CA court requirements.

Holidays Increase the Risk for Drunk Driving

December is Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, which is a national effort hoping to raise awareness about the consequences of driving under the influence. The National Commission Against Drunk Driving reports 41% of all traffic crashes are alcohol-related. It is estimated that 30% of Americans are at risk for being involved in alcohol-related traffic crash over their lifetime. Drinking and driving affects everyone; because the costs of alcohol-related crashes ($51 billion) gets passed on to taxpayers, employers, families as well as to the drunk driver. 
Most of these accidents and deaths are related to binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined for males as five or more drinks per occasion and for females, four  or more drinks per occasion. Since alcohol becomes more available in social settings during the holidays, the risk of drunk driving and being a victim of a drunk driver, increase dramatically. There are some things you can do to help reduce the numbers of impaired drivers the  during the holiday season:

  • If you are going to drink , get a designated driver, either a friend, or a cab.
  • If you serve alcohol at your home, check ID’s. Provide alcohol to people of legal age (21 years of age and older). The risk of being in a crash is much greater for minors( under 21) than for adults (21 and older).
  • If you host at home, make sure to offer non-alcoholic beverages for those who chose not to drink.
  • Check on friends and family, make them aware about the consequences of their decisions, and don’t be afraid to get them a cab. They will appreciate it the next day, even though they may try to assure they were “okay to drive.”

By using these tips, you can make the Holidays a safer and more enjoyable season for your family, your friends and yourself.

Register for online DUI and Alcohol Awareness Classes at http://www.tomwilsoncounseling.com/.

Teens Don’t Drink Normally – Parents Beware

Adolescents drink for different reasons than adults. Adults drink to socialize and may have a few glasses of wine or beer while attending a social event, watching sports or sitting on the patio enjoying the summer.

Adolescents tend to “binge drink,” that is they drink for effect and to get drunk quickly. This can also be accompanied by mixing alcohol with energy drinks, a dangerous concoction that energizes and removes inhibitions at the same time. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 90% of teens who drink engage in binge drinking, defined as 4 drinks or more per occasion for women, and 5 drinks or more per occasion for men.

Emergency room physicians routinely find that teens admitted to the ER have extremely high Blood Alcohol Levels, many times the legal limit for driving (.08). For example, over 200,000 adolescents are admitted to emergency rooms every year for alcohol related reasons.

Colleges and a few private substance abuse counselors now offer alcohol awareness classes online to help reduce the consequences of binge drinking. One online site offers a series alcohol awareness classes that  allows the adolescents to compare their drinking to the general public. This has proven to be a promising approach because the adolescent is not confronted, but rather, provided with useful feedback about his or her drinking and where it fits in with others.

Colleges are starting to see improvements in their student’s drinking patterns, as measured by frequency, amount and consequences of alcohol use once they complete online alcohol awareness classes.

Online Anger Management Classes Popular with Courts; Saving Time, Money and Hassle

Court ordered anger management classes have been standard requirements for a lot of defendants who have lost their temper and gotten into legal trouble. After attending a few sessions, the charges were either reduced or dismissed.

However,  courts in almost every state have suffered huge cutbacks in funding, staffing and time to deal with compliance. Like the courts, defendants are overwhelmed with fines and legal fees so attending in -person anger management classes has hidden costs that the courts never see.

In addition to the tuition for the class, there is the cost of transportation, lost wages from missed work, babysitting and time away from family and friends because of attending in-person classes.

Online Anger Management Classes have gained in popularity with both the courts and the defendants required to attend classes. One chief advantage is that these classes can be taken over the Internet, anytime of day or night, and they are monitored by state approved and licensed treatment professionals.

Secondly, online anger management classes allow defendants to complete their class on their own schedule, without having to leave their  homes or family. One online anger management program reports that clients increasingly use mobile devices, such as Tablets or Smart phones, to work on their classes in their spare time. 

Unexpectedly, courts find these clients spend more time on line than required, often commenting on the usefulness of the content. Courts who get positive feedback are also more likely to embrace this form of  E-counseling in the future.      

California DUI Offender Programs for Out of State Residents are Online

Got a DUI in California, but live out of state? Complete the DUI Class Online.
California courts now allow non-residents of California to complete their classes online. DUI offenders must be complete California’s AB541 DUI class requirements in order to have their license reinstated in their home state. Approved providers now offer 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and 18 month online DUI programs that meet court requirements. As usual, the CA DMV does not recognize any class outside of California, online or not. However, the CA courts seem to like the licensed substance abuse course provider who is able to help the out of state defendant navigate and complete CA court requirements.

Take an Online DUI Class to Resolve an Out of State DUI

by Tom Wilson
Suppose you live in Arizona and drive to Los Angeles see a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. When the concert ends, you decide to stop off and have a few beers before driving back to your hotel. On the way to your hotel, a police officer stops you for a traffic infraction.

The officer asks if you have been drinking, and you admit to one beer (actually 3). The officer looks at your Arizona driver’s license and then asks you step out of the vehicle to do some field sobriety tests. You are confidant that you will pass the tests, but the officer informs you that he is taking you in for suspicion of driving under the influence. At the jail your breathalyzer results put you over the legal limit. You are charged with DUI. You have to go court, hire an attorney and enter a plea.

California now notifies Arizona that your license has been suspended and Arizona honors the suspension under an interstate compact agreement. As part of your agreement with the court, you agree to complete a 3 month DUI class for first offenders in your home state. You arrive back home and begin to search for a 3 month DUI class, but no luck. You are unable to find the exact 3 month, 30 hour DUI class required by California.

You decided to call the court in California and ask for help. The court clerk then tells you “why don’t you take the DUI class online?”

Online?

You wonder why the court or attorney mention that to begin with? Then, politely and happily you ask the clerk for the contact information. The clerk tells you that they use a provider of online DUI classes for out of state residents. After you find the center online, you enroll, complete the class and request a copy of your certificate of completion to send the court.

A few days later, you learn that your license has been reinstated in your home state. This example illustrates how a growing number of overloaded and understaffed courts are embracing web technology to solve the problems of offenders who live hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the court.

Visit www.tomwilsoncounseling.com for online DUI, Alcohol, Drug, Anger, Traffic and Parenting Classes.