Sending your child off to a South Carolina college was likely an event that left you with mixed emotions. You most likely felt pride, concern, sadness, happiness, excitement and apprehension for the new chapter in life your child was starting. You may have anticipated phone calls telling you about college life and learning that your child was excelling in his or her classes.

What you may not have expected, however, was for your child to inform you that he or she had received a DUI charge. Undoubtedly, you felt shocked at first and then possibly angry. How could your child have made such a poor decision? Peer pressure may have played a role.

Pressured into drinking

When discussing the incident with your child, he or she may have told you that saying no to alcohol was more difficult than anticipated. In fact, your child may have cited any of the following reasons for drinking:

• Someone kept refilling your child’s drink without asking.
• Someone may have immediately given your child an alcoholic beverage.
• Your child may have faced taunts about not drinking, causing him or her to feel like an outcast.
• Your child may have been having a difficult time socializing and thought that drinking would help him or her fit in.
• Others may have encouraged your child to drink or to drink more.
• Others may have left your child out of social gatherings if he or she intended not to drink.
• Your child may have seen posts on social media of other students drinking and partying and felt like he or she needed to do the same.

While you may not feel any of these situations is a real reason for drinking, peer pressure and wanting to fit in can certainly cloud a person’s judgment. Unfortunately, the situation did not end well for your child.

Facing charges

Your child may have felt the need to leave the party at which he or she drank because of feeling unsafe or knowing that others would try to get him or her to drink more. However, deciding to drive was unwise, and an officer stopped your child’s vehicle. Now, you and your child need to determine the best way to handle a DUI charge and determine what effects it could have on his or her college career. Fortunately, you can work with an attorney experienced in handling such matters.