How an Alcohol-Related Ticket Affects Insurance
If you lose your license because of an alcohol or drug related offense, in order to obtain your license back, you will have to notify your insurance agent. He or she will have to provide a form called an SR-22, that you will give to the Department of Motor Vehicles, to get your license back. This is why it is so necessary for you to have an attorney represent you. If the case can be plea bargained down to Driving While Ability Impaired, or some other lesser charge, then your license may not be suspended or revoked and it is possible that your insurance company will never find out about the charges, even if you do plead guilty to a lesser charge that involves alcohol.

Once an insurance company finds out about the alcohol or drug charge, if they do, your insurance could double or triple for quite a few years. This is normally the worse thing to happen to a first time offender in a drug or alcohol case. A good defense attorney can help you with this.

Can I Represent Myself?
Although it is possible to represent yourself in a Driving While Intoxicated or Under the Influence of Drugs case, it is not recommended. There are many complex issues involved in a successful defense, many of which are technical in nature and require considerable training. A knowledge of Court procedures is also crucial to an effective defense. An attorney will have the advantage of experience with the various judges and the District Attorney's staff who will be involved in your case. If you have any prior alcohol or drug offense, you will be looking at jail sentence and you definitely need an attorney to help you handle that very serious matter. If your case needs to go to trial, an attorney will be highly experienced in the jury selection process and in presenting the proper evidence in the proper form to the jury and the Court, and will hopefully obtain a positive result for you.