Son was turned down for a job due to a pending dui
 

As most of you know my son has/had a drinking problem. He has a pending dui and now the job that was really interested in him told him they won't offer him a job until that is cleared. He is not happy. As far as I know he has not drank in a while and he sees what it has done to his life. He has taken the alcohol classes that were required and is signed up for the therapy classes that are required. He is also seeing a psychologist. Is he doomed in finding a real job? He has a job but is doesn't pay well and he wants a good job. This will push him back down if he is unemployable now. I want to say "well, alcohol ruined my life and now it is ruining yours" but I won't.

There are consequences to any addiction and they do not evaporate the moment that someone starts on the road to recovery. Your son dug himself into a hole, so it will take time to get out.

Of course it is going to be hard to get a good job with a pending dui. The fact that he has a job (even if it is not a great job) is a really good thing. That said, things will get better. He is not doomed, but he is going to have to prove himself to potential employers, etc.

This is the ordinary disappointed we all face throughout life. He needs to experience it at some point to prove to himself that he does not need to drink everytime life hands him a lemon.

The best thing is to be supportive, encourage him to get support from others, and go on. He may want to say his life is ruined, because addicts like to make things all or nothing. Your job is to remind him that everytime we face a setback it does not mean "my life is ruined."

You also said in a previous post that you son has only stopped smoking because of probation. So once he serves his DUI punishment, he returns to smoking pot?

Good jobs often require drug tests. If you son want to make something of himself, he may have to decide--drinking and drugs, or a responsible career path...sober.

I got sober at 22 and was willing to go to any lengths to have a better life. Part of that was facing and clearing up the wreckage of the past.

A world of opportunity opened up to me. I was able to finish my engineering training for one thing. Then I picked up my dream job, starting as a trainee I worked hard for 18 months to earn my position and then was posted to the best territory in the country and, 4-5 years into sobriety I was in the top 5% income bracket and having a ball. I went on to do all sorts of interesting things, and am currently cruising SE Asia in my yacht.

I have seen lots of young people in AA succeed in life. All it takes is the willingness to do what it takes. There are no free rides.

Depends on the job I suppose, for example if he's wanting to drive commercial vehicles then it'll definitely be a problem. Personally I wouldn't tell a potential employer about a pending DUI, because it's not a conviction, but once you have a conviction it's a fair question to ask. And if they ask and you deny it and they find out, for sure you won't get the job. Yes, unfortunately, drinking to excess sometimes has consequences. :)

He didn't tell them about the pending dui. When they did the background check it showed up and he was told that since he had this they couldn't offer him a job. They said something about once it is cleared up he is to check back with them.... I don't quite understand that because more than likely he will be convicted of a dwai according to the lawyer since this was his first and his background check was all fine prior to this. Not sure if they would consider a reckless driving charge since his bac level was high.

I work for a Fortune 500 company and have a DWI. It was flagged in my background check and HR simply pointed out the substance abuse policy. 1 DWI should not be a showstopper at all in terms of getting a good job (caveat, in schools or positions that require driving it may be a diff story.)
I hope it is his last DWI :)