State Certified Alcohol & Drug Evaluations
Administered by Mike LaTella, Master Addiction Counselor DBHDD #3241
NOTE: While the information below focus's on DUI Evaluations, the process is the same for other Court and Probation ordered Evaluations. LifeSwitch is certified to administer all court-related evaluations for drugs and alcohol.
At LifeSwitch, we understand how stressful it is to get a DUI. Suddenly, you are required to accomplish several unexpected and unwanted tasks to satisfy the court, a probation officer or the attorney you just hired. These are unfamiliar waters and the consequences for not doing all of this right is scary indeed. Let us help. We do evaluations every day. We know the process, the rules and how all this works. When you hire LifeSwitch, you not only get a professional, accurate and timely evaluation, you also get our expertise and a commitment to do whatever we can to help.
So, let’s start out with the rules. In Georgia, DUI recipients are required to complete an alcohol and drug evaluation. This is different than the NEEDS assessment that is part of the DUI / Risk Reduction Course that offenders must complete. Georgia law requires the evaluation be administered by a counselor who has been specifically certified to do these evaluations. These certified clinicians have been vetted by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and have the education and experience necessary to effectively administer these assessments. The link below will take you to the state website that lists all approved evaluation clinicians.
https://dbhddapps.dbhdd.ga.gov/MOPAS/ProviderSearch/SearchDUIIPProvider.aspx
Whomever you choose to use, please make sure they are on this list or you will likely be wasting your money.
Completing the evaluation. At LifeSwitch, you can come into our office to complete the evaluation or you can do it completely online from anywhere in the state. At LifeSwitch, the alcohol and drug evaluation have two parts: participant testing and the clinical interview.
For testing, the individual will be given four tests of multiple choice and true / false questions. In total, the testing takes about 30 to 40 minutes to complete. Afterward, the participant will meet with the counselor either at our offices or virtually via ZOOM. During the interview, the counselor will ask about the circumstances of the DUI charge, past and present drug and alcohol habits and other relevant topics. The clinical interview takes approximately 20 minutes.
Evaluation Results. Once you are finished, the clinician will analyze all of the information gathered from the test results and the clinical interview. He puts the determined outcomes along with his recommendations into a comprehensive report. That report is then sent to your probation officer, the court, your attorney – whomever you have designated as the required recipient, with a copy to you. If you have any questions about the results, feel free to reach out to us and the counselor will be more than happy to talk with you about it over the phone. You also have the option to set an appointment – either in office or via ZOOM, to fully discuss the results and implications. The more detailed review is available for a nominal fee.
How much does it cost? The state mandates the lowest price an evaluation provider can charge but does not put a limit on how much can be charged. Currently, the state of Georgia puts the minimum charge for an evaluation at $150 and again, there is not maximum. Below is a list of LifeSwitch rates along with a few ancillary options should you choose to employ them.
LifeSwitch Alcohol and Drug Evaluation Costs
| Full Alcohol & Drug Evaluation In-Office | $155* |
| Full Alcohol & Drug Evaluation All Virtual | $195* |
| Additional Options | |
| Expedite within 72 hours | $25 |
| Expedite within 48 hours | $50 |
| Expedite within 24 hours | $100 |
| Phone call (15 min) to answer questions about results | N/C |
| Office or Zoom meeting (45 mins) to explain results | $50 |
| * A 3% transaction fee is added for credit / debit card (it is a pass-through cost and is what we pay) | |
If at any time you need help with any part of this process, please call us at 770-731-2479 or email our office manager Jacob @
[email protected]
How to Register for the Alcohol And Drug Evaluation
- To begin, fill out the registration form by clicking the link "Register Now" below. Make sure you have the pertinent information regarding your arrest or other instigating information, your driver's license, etc.
- Make sure you fill out the form completely. Fields marked with * are required.
- Once you submit the form you will be taken to a payment screen. You can choose to have the evaluation administered in our office ($125) or virtually from your PC at home or office ($195).
- Once you have completed registration and made your payment, within 24 hours you will receive an email with a link that allows you to sign on to our online platform. You will need the email address you used to register along with a pin # that will be sent to your cell phone or given to you verbally.
- Once you are in the platform you can conveniently fill out the necessary state forms and sign the documents required for the evaluation.
- If you have paid for virtual evaluation, you will receive links to all three tests via email within 24 hours of competing your paperwork. Upon completing the tests we will reach out to you within 24 hours to set up your ZOOM clinical interview.
- For office evaluations, we will reach out to you within 48 hours to schedule your office visit for testing and clinical interview. We are committed to getting you scheduled within 7 business days of you completing your paperwork.
- Once you have completed the testing and the clinical interview, your results will be completed and sent out via email within 10 business days, but usually sooner.
- Once you have received your results, please reach out to us as you work with your probation officer and the DDS should you need help or direction. Even though the evaluation is complete we are committed to helping you from beginning to end.
Contact
LifeSwitch Driving Academy
We are here to help you successfully complete your course or evaluation.