DUI.

I won't bore you with what led to my DUI. Let's just say I had a lot of things to figure out, like how to deal with grief. I was trying to deal with the passing of someone, I wanted to get my mind off it all and have fun with some new friends.

I didn't drink too much there, but definitely enough that I shouldn't have gotten behind the wheel. I convinced my boyfriend that I was fine and sober, I said let's go get some bagels for the morning! We went to Breeze In, when we left a cop caught me doing something as small as a California stop.

That was enough for her to pull me over. Don't get me wrong she was right to, but it was so unbelievable to me that she caught me from that. I pulled over at a church, as I got out 5 cop cars were surrounding me almost like I just robbed a bank.

I got out of the car and it was freezing and intimidated, I had to grab my boyfriend's coat before I could even do the tests because of how much I was shaking. My body tensed up from the cold. I passed all of the tests, except one. I failed counting backwards, which I'm not very good at sober either.

The cop arrested me, and another cop took my boyfriend home. I was so thankful to be wearing his sweater because I was so scared and the smell of him comforted me as I was sitting there for hours. I was so tired, it was about 4 in the morning and I just needed to go to bed.

As I was waiting to be processed, this woman in a jumpsuit came out for her shower. She was asking me what I use for my hair and telling me what she would do to me if I were in there with her. I've been hit on by a lot of creeps, but the detail and lengths she went to were a new level. After that I decided I will never get in trouble with the cops ever again.

I went through the process and my boss finally came to get me. I was a nanny at the time and the mother had been through this, so I trusted her to help me better than anyone else. And she wouldn't get on my case like my father would. She took me to get breakfast and after I finally went home.

All I wanted was my boyfriend, he is my home. He helped me so much through this process, and if you're reading this, thank you so much. Without you I wouldn't have gotten through anything and I am really sorry for my mistake. I've told you this 100 times but I will never say it enough. You're my whole world and heart.

I spent the next day in bed with my boyfriend, I couldn't believe anything that just happened and I needed a break. When I went to my court date, I got a list of everything I'd need to do to get this dismissed and off my record. That list was expensive... But worth it.

- SR 22 Insurance. After you get a DUI you need to get this, it's more money so I had to switch insurance companies to save money.

- Before I took my alcohol classes I had to go to an appointment that was almost like a therapy session, to assess if I was an addict. She decided I was in the very low-risk category so I got lucky. This was about $5 but my insurance covered the rest so I'm not sure how much it really was.

- Community Service. I did a fundraiser that meant something to me. It took over a month to organize and collect things for. I had a family member in need of a liver transplant so I had a garage sale at my church.

- Alcohol Classes. These weren't too bad, but they are expensive. Mine was only 3 days and about $600. I knew the gentleman teaching the class from when I worked in therapy so I was actually comfortable going. He didn't make any of us feel judged and the other people I took the class with were making me feel like I wasn't alone because they understood.

- Breathalyzer for 60 days to show my sobriety. This was free, but a pain. I had to bring it everywhere with me and they would text me randomly to blow in the machine. It takes a picture of you as you're blowing so you can't get away with someone doing it for you. Which I wouldn't even think of but they make it very clear as you receive it.

- Breathalyzer in my car for 6 months. This is in my car now, I hated it at first but I did get used to it. I can't use my auto start anymore but I've definitely changed my routine to fit around it. This is $110 a month and $210 to install.

There are more expenses that the court doesn't tell you about because it has to do with the D.M.V. . I paid about $1,000 in one day to get my license back. Drinking and driving is not worth what comes with it. It's hard for me to get hired anywhere, it's hard for them to look at me for who I am and not my record. It sucks! I do have to accept it and understand where they're coming from.

My DUI screwed me over for sure, but I learned a lot. I grew up and realized I couldn't keep the behavioral patterns I had. I would change it if I could, but since I can't change it I accept the consequences and keep being thankful for what I learned from this experience. Don't drink and drive.