Sadly, it's true that tens of millions of people choose to operate a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Doing so not only puts one's life in danger and puts passengers and others in danger at the same time, but being caught driving while impaired (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI) will almost always lead to serious penalties including driver's license suspension or cancellation, fines as well as prison time. Sometimes anyone who has been found guilty of DUI or DWI ultimately has an underlying drug abuse issue. The court system knows this, and is therefore inclined to offer DUI and DWI Offenders drug and alcohol rehabilitation instead of other serious penalties for their crime. Agreeing or obliging to participate in drug rehabilitation as a DUI/DWI Offender may not completely eradicate other penalties from the crime, but tends to decrease the severity of such consequences to a great extent. Specifically if the individual willingly participates in drug and alcohol rehabilitation and is also a first time offender. Studies have shown that a large proportion of folks who do receive alcohol and drug rehabilitation for a DUI/DWI offense avoid the courts for comparable charges later on.