If you’re dealing with depression or a similar mental health issue, it may be tempting to self-medicate. Many people do this because they’re not sure what else to do or because they don’t have access to proper medicine that would help the condition. They may turn to drugs and alcohol instead.
This is a problematic decision on many levels, first and foremost because it is not actually helping the depression or the other condition that they’re dealing with. It’s far better to talk to medical health professionals to get an actual prescription that can treat the problem. But people avoid this for various reasons, sometimes simply because they don’t even realize they have the condition in the first place. They just know that using drugs and alcohol makes them feel better, so they continue to do it.
How this could lead to an arrest
If you’re doing this with the use of illegal drugs, then you are constantly running the risk of being arrested and given drug charges. For instance, you could be driving home after using one of these substances when someone else makes a mistake and causes a car accident. That wreck isn’t your fault, but the officers may realize that you are impaired when they come to the scene, and that could lead to a drug test.
Even medicating with alcohol could lead to a DUI arrest or something else of this nature. If you feel like you need to have a certain amount of drinks just to get through the day, that can make it difficult to drive somewhere if something comes up unexpectedly. You may decide to chance it, knowing that you need to drive even though you’ve been drinking, and that could lead to an accident or traffic stop.
So what can you do?
It’s understandable you are seeking some sort of relief for this condition, and you’re certainly not alone if you’re doing this. But it’s also important to know about the potential legal ramifications of approaching it this way. If you do find yourself facing serious charges after an arrest, then you also want to know about the legal options that you have so that this one incident does not define the rest of your life.