For me, living a financially responsible lifestyle involves being a responsible citizen. But what can happen when a person is not a responsible citizen? I investigated. Consider this story: Once upon a time there was a beautiful looking woman from Mexico who was skinny. To her friends, since her beauty was ‘œsizzling hot’ and since she was quite thin they jokingly and lovingly nicknamed her ‘œJalapeno On A Stick’ (jalapenos are hot peppers that grow in Mexico).

‘œJalapeno’ arranged to be married to an American man. After their ceremony in southern California they lived together and tried to endure a marriage that was established on convenience more than it was positioned on mutual romantic love. Throughout the years Jalapeno got educated and even learned the English language, becoming quite proficient in it. She also became entitled to the many benefits attached to being married to an American: a family visa, work visa, and to be citizen of America, all of which she achieved. When she got all of her green light cards she divorced her husband and began her journey as a single and legitimate working woman in America. Working in the home loan business she made decent money for herself, especially when the economy was in a positive cycle. With her lucrative salary she was able to support herself and even buy a house on her own. She was an amicable person with a growing circle of friends.

Jalapeno, however, had a problem: drinking too much tequila. One evening as she was driving her Mercedes (that she leased with her own money) she was pulled over by the police for speeding. When the officer gave her the infamous breathalyzer test so as to check her blood-alcohol content and when she failed the test he realized she had been drinking under the influence of alcohol. Her blood-alcohol level exceeded the normal level. She was unable to drive and she later needed to appear before a judge in court for her irresponsibility. Along with having to pay more than $10,000 in fees, her license was suspended for 30 days and she needed to attend Alcohol Anonymous classes, which she did, for a while. When the 30 days passed Jalapeno received her license back. As the economy went into a down cycle, Jalapeno sold her house and moved into an apartment she rented in a Newport Beach complex.

A few years after her first DUI, Jalapeno was driving home from a night out with friends and smashed her silver Mercedes into a tree at the apartment complex. She missed a turn as she was trying to park her car and called it a night. A neighbor heard the loud crash and called 911. The police came immediately and gave Jalapeno the breathalyzer test. Her blood-alcohol content exceeded the permissible level for a driver. She was ordered to appear in court, again. In addition to having to pay more than $10,000 in fees, her license was suspended for one year, she had to attend Alcohol Anonymous classes, and she had to go to jail for thirty-days. She was sick over having to go to jail. She barely ate for days before the Newport Police Station sent five’”not one, but five’”police officers to her home to transport her to the Santa Ana jail. The five officers who escorted her cost her an additional $500, $100 per officer, which she later got a bill for in the mail. When she was in jail she barely ate as well’”getting even skinnier’”and she had a hard time going to the bathroom because she was emotionally a wreck: frightened and nervous from being in a strange and guarded environment where every move was monitored.

Upon her release from jail Jalapeno became adamant on preaching to her friends and loved ones to take a taxi should they drink and drive, telling them that the consequences of a DUI are not worth driving intoxicated. Jalapeno has also been seriously practicing what she has been preaching.

Jalapeno’s license was returned to her a few weeks ago. When she eventually buys a car for herself she has to have a breathalyzer device installed in it. Before she tries to start the ignition she has to breathe into the device. If she is intoxicated the car won’t start. This protective factor will cost her $80 a month for three years unless, somehow, the insurance for her car goes into someone else’s name.

Should Jalapeno have even one drink, drive a car and get into an accident whereby another person is killed she would be sentenced to jail for murder. Should Jalapeno drink and drive again and get a third DUI she would face even tougher consequences: going to jail for at least four months along with having her driver’s license suspended for three years and having to attend DUI classes for eighteen months. Jalapeno would also face the real possibility of being deported to Mexico for not being a responsible American citizen.

Jalapeno is fortunate in that her intoxicated driving never injured another person or herself. Her DUIs and their consequences’”including financial costs’”have acted like extreme wake up calls for her to take hold of the wheel and be a responsible citizen, which she now is.

I personally thank Jalapeno for allowing me to share her story with others in the hopes that her story will prevent other people from drinking and driving and perhaps even save lives. For that Jalapeno is my hero.

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Written by: Lana Marconi. For more information on Dr. Lana Marconi’s private therapy practice in the Orange County, California area, and to download her self-help books visit: www.drlana.com.

Photo credit: stock.xchng.