Athens GA DUI Law Blog

What happens during a blackout?

On behalf of Jeff Rothman of Daniels & Rothman, P.C. posted in Underage Drinking on Wednesday, October 10, 2018.

Americans don't usually hear discussions about what it means to pass out versus black out from alcohol during Supreme Court confirmation hearings. However, that subject was addressed during the recent Senate confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh as senators questioned him about his youthful drinking.

Many people don't know what a blackout is, and those who have gotten very drunk at one or more points in their life probably couldn't state definitively whether they've ever had a blackout or "merely" passed out.

What you should know when planning an intervention

On behalf of Jeff Rothman of Daniels & Rothman, P.C. posted in Underage Drinking on Wednesday, September 12, 2018.

A person really can't be too young to have a problem with alcohol. Too many teens and even preteens are drinking to excess. Some young people have already gone through substance abuse recovery programs before they begin college.

When loved ones see someone going down a dangerous path that the person fails to recognize, they may choose to do an intervention. The catalyst for an intervention may be a night of binge drinking that lands someone in an emergency room with alcohol poisoning. It may be a DUI. Sometimes, it's just a growing realization by the people in someone's life that they have a problem that needs to be addressed.

Survey: Hard liquor readily available at University of Georgia

On behalf of Jeff Rothman of Daniels & Rothman, P.C. posted in Underage DUI on Monday, August 27, 2018.

Parents whose kids attend the University of Georgia (UGA) here in Athens may be relieved to hear that it's no longer ranked at the top of the Princeton Review's list of "Party Schools." It had that dubious distinction back in 2010. In fact, it didn't even make the top 20 in the 2019 edition of "The Best 384 Colleges," which is based on data collected from 384 colleges and universities and 138,000 students.

However, that certainly doesn't mean that drinking is no longer a significant part of college life for many UGA students. It ranked 12th in the "Lots of Hard Liquor" category. That ranking is based on student responses to the survey question "How widely is hard liquor used at your school?"

Talk to your teen about what to do (and not do) if arrested

On behalf of Jeff Rothman of Daniels & Rothman, P.C. posted in DUI First Offense on Tuesday, August 14, 2018.

If your daughter or son is starting college this fall, they may encounter new situations you hoped wouldn't be part of their college experience. One of those is getting pulled over by police for suspected drunk driving.

Police officers can be intimidating to people of all ages, but certainly to teens. Often, we assume that we must comply with whatever they tell us to do. That's not always the case. We all have legal rights and young people should learn how to assert those rights firmly but politely to avoid exacerbating their legal problems.

Do college students have privacy rights in their dorm rooms?

On behalf of Jeff Rothman of Daniels & Rothman, P.C. posted in Underage Drinking on Friday, August 3, 2018.

If you've got a son or daughter going off to college this fall, you're likely going to caution them, if you haven't already, about avoiding alcohol and drugs and those who use them. Even though underage drinking and drug use can be found on just about every college campus, they're still illegal.

This brings up the issue of privacy on campus. What if the police or college authorities suspect that students are engaged in illegal activity in a dorm room? Do they have the right to enter the room without students' permission?

College drinking and sexual assault

On behalf of Jeff Rothman of Daniels & Rothman, P.C. posted in Underage Drinking on Friday, July 20, 2018.

Most parents whose teens will be college freshmen in the fall are understandably concerned about the availability of alcohol on and around campus. Even though their kids are too young to legally drink, parents know from their own college years that it's not hard to find parties with copious amounts of alcohol — and no ID required.

Binge drinking is a particular concern. It can lead to alcohol poisoning and drunk driving. It can also lead to sexual assault. In one study that followed over 1,000 young college men through their first five semesters, approximately 18 percent admitted to committing at least one sexual assault during that time.

Congressional candidate open about his past Georgia DUI arrest

On behalf of Jeff Rothman of Daniels & Rothman, P.C. posted in DUI on Friday, July 6, 2018.

If you're facing DUI charges, it may feel like your life will never be the same. However, plenty of people who have been arrested for DUI achieve or continue their success in life and work. One such person is Brandon Brown.

Brown is the Democratic candidate for Congress in the 4th Congressional District of South Carolina. The 42-year-old isn't new to politics. In fact, he ran for that same seat back in 2004. He was the first African-American to do so. He didn't win, but went on to work for then-Sen. Joe Biden in his 2008 presidential bid.

Georgia teen facing multiple charges for fatal DUI

On behalf of Jeff Rothman of Daniels & Rothman, P.C. posted in DUI on Thursday, June 21, 2018.

One of the biggest fears that many Georgia parents have is that their child will get in a vehicle with a friend or acquaintance who's under the influence or get behind the wheel him/herself after drinking or using drugs.

That fear came true for the parents of two boys earlier this month. A 15-year-old boy was killed earlier this month. He would have been in the tenth grade next fall at Rome High School. He and his 12-year-old brother were in an SUV being driven by an 18-year-old.

Why your Breathalyzer results may not be accurate

On behalf of Jeff Rothman of Daniels & Rothman, P.C. posted in DUI First Offense on Thursday, June 7, 2018.

If you were pulled over for suspicion of drunk driving and the Breathalyzer test you took on the side of the road indicated that you have a blood alcohol content (BAC) of at least .08 percent, you may think there's no way you can fight that. However, Georgia DUI attorneys dispute Breathalyzer results regularly.

These tools rely on sensor technologies and are administered by humans. Neither is immune to error.

Vaping alcohol can increase your risk of a DUI

On behalf of Jeff Rothman of Daniels & Rothman, P.C. posted in DUI on Thursday, May 24, 2018.

Your friends have introduced you to a unique way to consume alcohol -- vaping. A vaporizer lets you feel the effects of the alcohol much faster and stronger than if you drank it. That's because it goes directly to your brain and bloodstream from your lungs.

If you can get drunk on less alcohol and it doesn't pass through your liver or stomach, that's a good thing, right? Wrong.