“You’re Not Just Scared — You’re Ashamed”: The Emotional Toll of a Drug Driving Charge

The Hidden Cost of a Drug Driving Charge: Shame, Panic, and What Happens Next

You’re not just worried — you feel sick.

Your stomach’s in bits. Your heart won’t stop racing. You’ve Googled the penalties, maybe ten times. You know you’re looking at a 1-year disqualification.

But it’s not just fear that’s eating you alive.

It’s shame.

"They’re calling because they need to

understand what just happened to their life.

They need to know: Is there any hope?

And the truth is — yes"

You’re terrified of losing your licence — but you’re just as terrified of what your partner will say, or what your boss might find out, or how you’re going to explain this to your kids.

And let’s be honest: it’s not like drink driving.

People understand drink. They might not condone it, but they get it.

Drug driving? People assume the worst.

“I’m not a criminal. I just… wasn’t thinking.”

If that’s what you’re telling yourself, you’re not alone.

Most of my clients in drug driving cases are not addicts.

They’re not criminals. They’re people with jobs, families, plans. Some took cannabis a few weekends ago.

Some are on prescription meds. Some genuinely didn’t realise they were still over the limit.

They assumed — like most people do — that drugs work like alcohol. You sleep it off, and the next day you’re grand.

But drugs don’t work like alcohol.

Cannabis, for example, can linger in your system for up to three weeks — and still show up on a Garda station blood test. Even if you feel totally fine.

Even if you haven’t touched it since that night out two Saturdays ago.

Cocaine will hang around at above legal levels for 3-4 days.

Sometimes more.

And if you're stopped at a checkpoint or pulled for speeding (yes, speeding is now the most common reason for roadside drug tests), you're in serious trouble — even if you’ve done nothing else wrong.

The feeling of being judged hits harder than the legal penalty

It’s a strange thing to say, but I’ve seen it more times than I can count:

People fear the look on their mother’s face more than they fear the judge.

There’s something about the word “drugs” that carries a kind of moral dislike.

And judges aren’t immune to that either. I’ve stood in courtrooms where judges visibly bristled when the word “cannabis” or “benzodiazepines” was mentioned.

Not to mention cocaine.

You can practically hear the sermon playing in their heads: “every time people like you buy drugs you’re feeding the drug gangs who are destroying our towns and cities”. 

On this at least, they’re not wrong.

But what people rarely talk about is how much of this fear is based on a misunderstanding.

The levels of drugs required to trigger a charge are very low.

According to the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, the thresholds are set so low that they essentially eliminate the possibility of passive consumption but still allow for conviction weeks after use.

You’re probably asking: Is there anything I can do?

Yes. But here’s the trick: Don’t panic. And don’t plead guilty just because you’re embarrassed.

I’ve defended dozens of cases like this. And the first thing I say to every client is this:

“The shame you feel now is temporary. But a conviction will follow you forever. So stay calm”

Your job right now is not to punish yourself. It’s to ask the right questions:

• Was the checkpoint lawful?

• Was the drug test administered correctly?

• Was the sample handled and tested in accordance with the strict procedures set out by the MBRS?

And perhaps most importantly:

Were the legal safeguards and essential checks that the law and courts insist on followed in your case?

Because if they weren’t it might spell trouble for the State’s case against you.

What real help looks like

Let me tell you something that might surprise you: most people who call me are decent, responsible, and scared out of their minds. They’re not ringing me to “get away with something.”

They’re calling because they need to understand what just happened to their life.

They need to know: Is there any hope?

And the truth is — yes.

"Remember: judges like fairness. They swear by it actually.

And if the prosecution was in some way unfair

-even unintentionally- well, a lot of judges don’t like that.

And if you can convince them to see it in this way,

then you’re in a very good position"

Sometimes there is a legal issue with the checkpoint. Sometimes the sample handling is flawed. Sometimes, the case just doesn’t hold together under scrutiny. Sometimes the evidence at trial causes a doubt in the judge’s mind.

But even when the evidence is solid, your story still matters.

How you’re presented in court matters.

The judge isn’t just reading a toxicology report — they’re reading you.

Remember: judges like fairness. They swear by it actually. And if the prosecution was in some way unfair -even unintentionally- well, a lot of judges don’t like that.

And if you can convince them to see it in this way, then you’re in a very good position.

So, it’s all about how these things are handled.

I have represented a dozen or more clients over the last few months who have had their drink or drug driving prosecution dismissed purely because the judge felt sorry for them.

Every one of them were over the limit but the judge threw the case out.

I'm absolutely serious.

Final thought: You’re not your worst moment

The person who took that drug — whether it was weeks ago or the night before — is still you.

But it’s not all of you.

And if you're willing to fight for your future, then we can walk that road together.

After all, it’s the choice between going off the road… or driving home.

And everybody wants to drive home.