Addiction

[premed.mom]

Hi, So I have read you want to stay far away from mentioning addiction if you can. In my case, I think I will have to mention it. I struggled with substance use, domestic violence, homelessness, and mental health issues for the better part of my early twenties. I found out I was pregnant and after a long time of struggling, I was able to get clean for my baby and myself. (although not before getting misdemeanors for shoplifting which is a whole nother issue I know) It's been 5 years of sobriety now I am almost done with undergrad. I went to inpatient treatment and still have ties to support people to this day. A big reason I am where I am today and wanting to pursue medicine is because of the bias in healthcare I experienced when trying to get help in the beginning, and my initial lightbulb moment was when I found a dr that didn't belittle or look down at me but genuinely wanted to help. I am now working in research in my local teaching hospital, volunteering, and doing well in school. Everyone I have talked to about it says they would never have guessed I used to have those issues. I feel like that part of my life, no matter how ugly and uncomfortable to talk about was really important in shaping who I am today and a major reason why I pursued medicine. I just don't know how to do this the right way.

Any advice in using this experience in my personal statement? Feel free to ask me any clarifying questions.

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[Bonne Nuit]

Hi, So I have read you want to stay far away from mentioning addiction if you can. In my case, I think I will have to mention it. I struggled with substance use, domestic violence, homelessness, and mental health issues for the better part of my early twenties. I found out I was pregnant and after a long time of struggling, I was able to get clean for my baby and myself. (although not before getting misdemeanors for shoplifting which is a whole nother issue I know) It's been 5 years of sobriety now I am almost done with undergrad. I went to inpatient treatment and still have ties to support people to this day. A big reason I am where I am today and wanting to pursue medicine is because of the bias in healthcare I experienced when trying to get help in the beginning, and my initial lightbulb moment was when I found a dr that didn't belittle or look down at me but genuinely wanted to help. I am now working in research in my local teaching hospital, volunteering, and doing well in school. Everyone I have talked to about it says they would never have guessed I used to have those issues. I feel like that part of my life, no matter how ugly and uncomfortable to talk about was really important in shaping who I am today and a major reason why I pursued medicine. I just don't know how to do this the right way.

Any advice in using this experience in my personal statement? Feel free to ask me any clarifying questions.

First, congratulations on your 5 years of sobriety. That is a remarkable accomplishment, and you should be so proud of turning your life and your health around.

Now, for the litany of reasons why you should not disclose your history of substance abuse. Not to admissions committees in your personal statement, not to your medical school when you get in, not to residencies, not to anyone until you're an attending (and even then, I probably wouldn't advise it). The same advice stands about disclosing any significant mental health struggles:

1. Medical school and residency can be extraordinarily high pressure settings. If you discuss your relatively recent history of addiction, the first thing the admissions committee is going to ask is "Is this person at risk for a relapse?" And, to be honest, this is a very fair question. Lots of med students without a significant history of addiction/mental illness begin to crumble under the pressure of school. Discussing your substance abuse in such a central part of your application is going to throw up red flags right and left.

2. I don't think it is possible to convince an admissions committee that your sobriety is solid enough to survive the gauntlet of medical school through your personal statement alone. You just don't have enough characters to give your story the full explanation it deserves. If you can't convince them, the path of least resistance will be to reject you.

3. Physicians have relatively unimpeded access to controlled substances, and being open about your history of addiction is going to raise serious questions about your ability to obtain a DEA number and safely practice around drugs. These are not unreasonable concerns. It is very common for physicians who struggle with addiction to begin diverting. It's a real risk in certain specialties.

4. If you craft your narrative around addiction medicine (or psychiatry or whatever), adcoms might wonder if you are open to other areas of medicine - or they might say to themselves "Well, why doesn't she become an addiction counselor then? Why is it necessary that she become a medical doctor to help people in the way she wants to help?" Boxing yourself into one area of medicine at the start like that can be a risky strategy.

5. There is still a strong stigma against addiction in the medical community. This is not fair to you, it's not fair to physicians living with addiction, and it's not fair to patients struggling with substance abuse. But it exists, and I'm not going to lie and tell you it's not a thing. Disclosing your history is far more likely to hurt you than help you at nearly every step along the way. Medicine is an unusually conservative profession in this respect. I wish it wasn't this way, but it is.

Now, if you had drug-related offenses that appear on your criminal background check, my advice might be a little different - this would probably force you to discuss/explain your past. But since it sounds like you "only" have a shoplifting charge in your record, it is my strong recommendation that you avoid discussing your past drug use altogether. You already have enough significant challenges to discuss (motherhood, criminal record, homelessness, DV); you really don't want to throw your substance abuse into the mix as well.

I don't think this is the answer you wanted to hear, and I'm sorry for that. I really do admire your sobriety - lots of people struggle to put together 5 clean days, let alone 5 years. My hope is that you have many, many more.

 

[Dave1980]

Hi, So I have read you want to stay far away from mentioning addiction if you can. In my case, I think I will have to mention it. I struggled with substance use, domestic violence, homelessness, and mental health issues for the better part of my early twenties. I found out I was pregnant and after a long time of struggling, I was able to get clean for my baby and myself. (although not before getting misdemeanors for shoplifting which is a whole nother issue I know) It's been 5 years of sobriety now I am almost done with undergrad. I went to inpatient treatment and still have ties to support people to this day. A big reason I am where I am today and wanting to pursue medicine is because of the bias in healthcare I experienced when trying to get help in the beginning, and my initial lightbulb moment was when I found a dr that didn't belittle or look down at me but genuinely wanted to help. I am now working in research in my local teaching hospital, volunteering, and doing well in school. Everyone I have talked to about it says they would never have guessed I used to have those issues. I feel like that part of my life, no matter how ugly and uncomfortable to talk about was really important in shaping who I am today and a major reason why I pursued medicine. I just don't know how to do this the right way.

Any advice in using this experience in my personal statement? Feel free to ask me any clarifying questions.

Don't mention any of it. Say you were a stay at home mom raising your child.

Prior drug addiction will be a HUGE red flag.

Are you able to get the misdemeanors off your record? I think you are dead in the water if you have those on your record.

 

[premed.mom]

Don't mention any of it. Say you were a stay at home mom raising your child.

Prior drug addiction will be a HUGE red flag.

Are you able to get the misdemeanors off your record? I think you are dead in the water if you have those on your record.

because there are multiple, I cannot remove them until I think 3 years after I plan on applying

 

[premed.mom]

First, congratulations on your 5 years of sobriety. That is a remarkable accomplishment, and you should be so proud of turning your life and your health around.

Now, for the litany of reasons why you should not disclose your history of substance abuse. Not to admissions committees in your personal statement, not to your medical school when you get in, not to residencies, not to anyone until you're an attending (and even then, I probably wouldn't advise it). The same advice stands about disclosing any significant mental health struggles:

1. Medical school and residency can be extraordinarily high pressure settings. If you discuss your relatively recent history of addiction, the first thing the admissions committee is going to ask is "Is this person at risk for a relapse?" And, to be honest, this is a very fair question. Lots of med students without a significant history of addiction/mental illness begin to crumble under the pressure of school. Discussing your substance abuse in such a central part of your application is going to throw up red flags right and left.

2. I don't think it is possible to convince an admissions committee that your sobriety is solid enough to survive the gauntlet of medical school through your personal statement alone. You just don't have enough characters to give your story the full explanation it deserves. If you can't convince them, the path of least resistance will be to reject you.

3. Physicians have relatively unimpeded access to controlled substances, and being open about your history of addiction is going to raise serious questions about your ability to obtain a DEA number and safely practice around drugs. These are not unreasonable concerns. It is very common for physicians who struggle with addiction to begin diverting. It's a real risk in certain specialties.

4. If you craft your narrative around addiction medicine (or psychiatry or whatever), adcoms might wonder if you are open to other areas of medicine - or they might say to themselves "Well, why doesn't she become an addiction counselor then? Why is it necessary that she become a medical doctor to help people in the way she wants to help?" Boxing yourself into one area of medicine at the start like that can be a risky strategy.

5. There is still a strong stigma against addiction in the medical community. This is not fair to you, it's not fair to physicians living with addiction, and it's not fair to patients struggling with substance abuse. But it exists, and I'm not going to lie and tell you it's not a thing. Disclosing your history is far more likely to hurt you than help you at nearly every step along the way. Medicine is an unusually conservative profession in this respect. I wish it wasn't this way, but it is.

Now, if you had drug-related offenses that appear on your criminal background check, my advice might be a little different - this would probably force you to discuss/explain your past. But since it sounds like you "only" have a shoplifting charge in your record, it is my strong recommendation that you avoid discussing your past drug use altogether. You already have enough significant challenges to discuss (motherhood, criminal record, homelessness, DV); you really don't want to throw your substance abuse into the mix as well.

I don't think this is the answer you wanted to hear, and I'm sorry for that. I really do admire your sobriety - lots of people struggle to put together 5 clean days, let alone 5 years. My hope is that you have many, many more.

Thank you for taking the time to write out this post. Has given me a lot to think about.

 

[Dave1980]

because there are multiple, I cannot remove them until I think 3 years after I plan on applying

That's unfortunate. You may want to wait until you can get them off to apply. I really can't see any med school taking someone with multiple theft misdemeanors. You would have to lie and spin it as you weren't making ends meet and got desperate trying to provide for your child. But even that sounds terrible.

 

[premed.mom]

That's unfortunate. You may want to wait until you can get them off to apply. I really can't see any med school taking someone with multiple theft misdemeanors. You would have to lie and spin it as you weren't making ends meet and got desperate trying to provide for your child. But even that sounds terrible.

Well, I had my child after I got clean so it had nothing to do with my kid. I was struggling and homeless and made bad choices. While I understand the logic of having to consider criminal history, I have significantly changed my life since then so it's unfortunate that it's such a barrier.

 

[Moko]

Hi, So I have read you want to stay far away from mentioning addiction if you can. In my case, I think I will have to mention it. I struggled with substance use, domestic violence, homelessness, and mental health issues for the better part of my early twenties. I found out I was pregnant and after a long time of struggling, I was able to get clean for my baby and myself. (although not before getting misdemeanors for shoplifting which is a whole another issue I know) It's been 5 years of sobriety now I am almost done with undergrad. I went to inpatient treatment and still have ties to support people to this day. A big reason I am where I am today and wanting to pursue medicine is because of the bias in healthcare I experienced when trying to get help in the beginning, and my initial lightbulb moment was when I found a doctor that didn't belittle or look down at me but genuinely wanted to help. I am now working in research in my local teaching hospital, volunteering, and doing well in school. Everyone I have talked to about it says they would never have guessed I used to have those issues. I feel like that part of my life, no matter how ugly and uncomfortable to talk about was really important in shaping who I am today and a major reason why I pursued medicine. I just don't know how to do this the right way.

Any advice in using this experience in my personal statement? Feel free to ask me any clarifying questions.

I'm very glad to hear that your life has turned around, but despite your 'redemption' story, there are three red flags that will be difficult to overlook: your history of substance use disorder, your mental health issues, and your misdemeanors (plural). Any one of these can easily torpedo an otherwise fine application.

To get a better sense of your situation:
1) What substances did you use? Was it "just" alcohol, or did it involve hard drugs?
2) Did you take classes during this time period when you were struggling with these problems? If so, what was your GPA by year?
3) How many misdemeanors did you have for shoplifting, and did any of these crimes involve violence against person(s)? Did you ever have any misdemeanors for drug use? What were you stealing? Food, essentials, or something else? If it was for food and essentials, why not access homeless shelters, soup kitchens, etc. for support?

Ideally, you were not in school during this time period so that your GPA is at least unscathed. A misdemeanor involving violence against persons or substance use will be much harder to overlook than non-violent, non-substance misdemeanors; however, having multiple misdemeanors will also be tough to overlook despite your circumstances during that time.

Certainly, I believe that one's application to medical school should be "authentic" and representative of one's journey. However, applying to medical school is also about risk management. When an applicant has a potential deal-breaker, it is generally advisable to either not mention it (if they are not required to disclose such information), or to minimize the situation as to not draw too much negative attention. If you have either a poor GPA, a significant gap in your education, or the "better part of your early twenties" unaccounted for, you will be forced to disclose some information to account for these breaks. In this case, it might be better to take the offensive to frame your narrative instead of allowing adcoms to assume the worst.

Assuming you do NOT need to disclose your substance use history and your misdemeanors were 'crimes of necessity', would framing your story as follows still be a "truthful"/representative account of your experience?
- you were the victim of domestic violence that led to a prolonged period of homelessness
- lacking available resources, you resorted to stealing, actions that you deeply regret to this day (ideally you will not need to mention this if you wait long enough to expunge these from your record)
- during your period of homelessness, you met and connected with many others during their times of vulnerability: those suffering from domestic abuse, uncontrolled psychiatric conditions, and/or substance use disorders, etc. Through these interactions, you saw the impact that these conditions can have on one's well-being.
- you eventually and painstakingly turned your life around for both yourself and your baby
- you met a truly compassionate and non-judgmental physician who inspired you to pursue medicine. This led to your pursuing activities A, B and C, which helped solidify your desire to become a physician. In your conclusion, you can mention how you have now built a strong support network, and remain dedicated to helping others who were in your situation.

I personally would not be opposed to voting for someone with the above narrative, but I would struggle to vote for someone with substance use disorders, violent misdemeanors, or significant mental health issues (even if currently in remission). Just my thoughts and best of luck.

 

[premed.mom]

I'm very glad to hear that your life has turned around, but despite your 'redemption' story, there are three red flags that will be difficult to overlook: your history of substance use disorder, your mental health issues, and your misdemeanors (plural). Any one of these can easily torpedo an otherwise fine application.

To get a better sense of your situation:
1) What substances did you use? Was it "just" alcohol, or did it involve hard drugs?
2) Did you take classes during this time period when you were struggling with these problems? If so, what was your GPA by year?
3) How many misdemeanors did you have for shoplifting, and did any of these crimes involve violence against person(s)? Did you ever have any misdemeanors for drug use? What were you stealing? Food, essentials, or something else? If it was for food and essentials, why not access homeless shelters, soup kitchens, etc. for support?

Ideally, you were not in school during this time period so that your GPA is at least unscathed. A misdemeanor involving violence against persons or substance use will be much harder to overlook than non-violent, non-substance misdemeanors; however, having multiple misdemeanors will also be tough to overlook despite your circumstances during that time.

Certainly, I believe that one's application to medical school should be "authentic" and representative of one's journey. However, applying to medical school is also about risk management. When an applicant has a potential deal-breaker, it is generally advisable to either not mention it (if they are not required to disclose such information), or to minimize the situation as to not draw too much negative attention. If you have either a poor GPA, a significant gap in your education, or the "better part of your early twenties" unaccounted for, you will be forced to disclose some information to account for these breaks. In this case, it might be better to take the offensive to frame your narrative instead of allowing adcoms to assume the worst.

Assuming you do NOT need to disclose your substance use history and your misdemeanors were 'crimes of necessity', would framing your story as follows still be a "truthful"/representative account of your experience?
- you were the victim of domestic violence that led to a prolonged period of homelessness
- lacking available resources, you resorted to stealing, actions that you deeply regret to this day (ideally you will not need to mention this if you wait long enough to expunge these from your record)
- during your period of homelessness, you met and connected with many others during their times of vulnerability: those who suffering from domestic abuse, uncontrolled psychiatric conditions, and/or substance use disorders, etc. During these interactions, you saw the impact that these conditions can have on one's well-being.
- you eventually and painstakingly turned your life around for both yourself and your baby
- you met a truly compassionate and non-judgmental physician who inspired you to pursue medicine. This led to your pursuing activities A, B and C, which helped solidify your desire to become a physician. In your conclusion, you can mention how you have now built a strong support network, and remain dedicated to helping others who were in your situation.

I personally would not be opposed to voting for someone with the above narrative, but I would struggle to vote for someone with substance use disorders, violent misdemeanors, or significant mental health issues (even if currently in remission). Just my thoughts and best of luck.

1) It was an opiate additcion that started with pills and led to heroin. My town was hit particularly hard by the epidemic and I know of many former high school classmates who have either died or are still struggling with addiction.
2) I did not decide to go to college until after I got clean and gave birth to my son so thankfully my GPA has been rather steady I am currently at 3.52 and rising. I still have one more year at least of classes.
3) I had three misdemeanors for stealing ~$110 worth of clothes during the time I was homeless. Something I regret and think about often. None of my charges were violent. for the sake of transparency, I did get into a fight when I was 12 in middle school and ended up getting a class 4 misdemeanor (lowest possible) for that. I don't know if I need to include that information. Another symptom of the part of town I grew up in and something that still haunts me. I am 28 now so that was again when I was a minor and about 12 years old. I have many people who will write letters for me. I currently work as a research intern in a hospital consenting patients for studies. Have submitted an abstract (super proud of myself lol). Have a decent (could be better) GPA, volunteer, and also take care of my son as a single parent. (His dad was abusive as mentioned above).

I will keep trying to hash out how to talk about this I would love your advice. Thanks again.


Thank you for taking the time to write all this out.

 

[tina_b]

1) It was an opiate additcion that started with pills and led to heroin. My town was hit particularly hard by the epidemic and I know of many former high school classmates who have either died or are still struggling with addiction.
2) I did not decide to go to college until after I got clean and gave birth to my son so thankfully my GPA has been rather steady I am currently at 3.52 and rising. I still have one more year at least of classes.
3) I had three misdemeanors for stealing ~$110 worth of clothes during the time I was homeless. Something I regret and think about often. None of my charges were violent. for the sake of transparency, I did get into a fight when I was 12 in middle school and ended up getting a class 4 misdemeanor (lowest possible) for that. I don't know if I need to include that information. Another symptom of the part of town I grew up in and something that still haunts me. I am 28 now so that was again when I was a minor and about 12 years old. I have many people who will write letters for me. I currently work as a research intern in a hospital consenting patients for studies. Have submitted an abstract (super proud of myself lol). Have a decent (could be better) GPA, volunteer, and also take care of my son as a single parent. (His dad was abusive as mentioned above).

I will keep trying to hash out how to talk about this I would love your advice. Thanks again.


Thank you for taking the time to write all this out.

I don't have much input on the application process - but as someone who has been working in harm reduction and now wants to be in medicine, I seriously hope that schools do not dismiss you because of your history - I think medicine would be much improved by folks with your experience who can relate to patients who have been in your situation. Thanks for your openness and sincerity - you will be an excellent doctor! I so wish that you could write the essay you wanted!

 

[Crayola227]

1) It was an opiate additcion that started with pills and led to heroin. My town was hit particularly hard by the epidemic and I know of many former high school classmates who have either died or are still struggling with addiction.
2) I did not decide to go to college until after I got clean and gave birth to my son so thankfully my GPA has been rather steady I am currently at 3.52 and rising. I still have one more year at least of classes.
3) I had three misdemeanors for stealing ~$110 worth of clothes during the time I was homeless. Something I regret and think about often. None of my charges were violent. for the sake of transparency, I did get into a fight when I was 12 in middle school and ended up getting a class 4 misdemeanor (lowest possible) for that. I don't know if I need to include that information. Another symptom of the part of town I grew up in and something that still haunts me. I am 28 now so that was again when I was a minor and about 12 years old. I have many people who will write letters for me. I currently work as a research intern in a hospital consenting patients for studies. Have submitted an abstract (super proud of myself lol). Have a decent (could be better) GPA, volunteer, and also take care of my son as a single parent. (His dad was abusive as mentioned above).

I will keep trying to hash out how to talk about this I would love your advice. Thanks again.


Thank you for taking the time to write all this out.

Look into your record and see if you can have that issue from when you were 12 expunged. Don't listen to people who say you have to disclose things expunged, even if a form says you have to disclose something expunged.

 

[Dave1980]

I did not decide to go to college until after I got clean and gave birth to my son so thankfully my GPA has been rather steady I am currently at 3.52 and rising. I still have one more year at least of classes.

If you can get your record wiped clean in 3 years and have at least one year of college left you really only need to push back your application deadline by 1 or 2 years. As someone who works in admissions I can say that you will be DOA at most (all?) places if you have those on your record.

I would love to be proven wrong but I think if you apply before those are off you are basically just making a donation to the med schools.

 

[deleted1065262]

Personally I would choose not to mention drug use or addiction to med schools just because I feel it would not help me at all.

Especially hard drugs. Even if you think psychadelics may have some medical applications I would steer clear from mentioning that.

This is just my opinion, I could be wrong.

 

[Crayola227]

I know one physician that led with the whole former IVDU angle. However I think it might have been impossible for them to apply without addressing it because I think where they applied and were accepted it was also where they were very much tied into care there as well, and later extracurriculars and application mentorship. Not totally clear to me.

It's a huge risk. I wouldn't use it unless like the above it was already known to the institution and there was no hiding it, and it seemed like from those encouraging and mentoring me that they thought I should lead with it. If the people trying to help you apply know your story AND are admissions themselves and when your app comes up they're going to push for you, this might be the exception.

Or, if there's really no other way to hide it (it comes up somehow in a crime in a background check), your extracurricular and other aspects of your app practically begs the question, like thousands of hours sponsorship in a 12 Step Program and then being say a halfway house director for employment.

Unless you are literally in a corner to explain your circumstances AND you have reason to think a particular school(s) are going to be interested in your redemption arc in particular, I would never use this kind of thing or mental health. Because as everyone else has said, unless the particular exceptions exist for you, you will be DOA at most places.

 

[premed.mom]

If you can get your record wiped clean in 3 years and have at least one year of college left you really only need to push back your application deadline by 1 or 2 years. As someone who works in admissions I can say that you will be DOA at most (all?) places if you have those on your record.

I would love to be proven wrong but I think if you apply before those are off you are basically just making a donation to the med schools.

wouldn't I still need to disclose them even if I get them expunged?

 

[Crayola227]

wouldn't I still need to disclose them even if I get them expunged?

No. By law, and you should double check your state laws AND that the expungement has happened successfully by checking your records, most states state that with expungement you have the legal right to answer no or not answer questions about anything expunged or if you are asked about expungements.

Now my understanding is that on a federal check they can pop back up. In that case I would still answer no and let them find it and bring it up if they are going to. This isn't really maybe applicable until you apply for VA privileges which can happen later in training. Although I know that some have had expungements of a juvenile record and went through the VA homeland security rigamorale and never were asked about it. Maybe they even saw it and it just never came up, I don't know.

But you need to just be clear on what is expunged and the terms of that and how it works in your state. Double check because expungement for juvenile might be different that other things.

Keep in mind I am not an attorney, just someone with a little experience and experience in various medical application processes.

I would definitely check with an attorney before listening to someone who told me to fire bomb my own app with an unflattering disclosure I may not be required to make, though.

 

[premed.mom]

No. By law, and you should double check your state laws AND that the expungement has happened successfully by checking your records, most states state that with expungement you have the legal right to answer no or not answer questions about anything expunged or if you are asked about expungements.

Now my understanding is that on a federal check they can pop back up. In that case I would still answer no and let them find it and bring it up if they are going to. This isn't really maybe applicable until you apply for VA privileges which can happen later in training. Although I know that some have had expungements of a juvenile record and went through the VA homeland security rigamorale and never were asked about it. Maybe they even saw it and it just never came up, I don't know.

But you need to just be clear on what is expunged and the terms of that and how it works in your state. Double check because expungement for juvenile might be different that other things.

Keep in mind I am not an attorney, just someone with a little experience and experience in various medical application processes.

I would definitely check with an attorney before listening to someone who told me to fire bomb my own app with an unflattering disclosure I may not be required to make, though.

Yeah, I am going to not mention that part and discuss overcoming other obstacles like the DV and homelessness and if anything "health issues"(anxiety/adhd) briefly.

Yeah, that makes sense. I am meeting with legal services tomorrow. I also found out that I am not eligible to get them expunged until 2028 because even though I was charged in 2015, i was not sentenced until 2018. Need to wait 10 years because I have 3 charges instead of one. So I am really weighing if I should wait or not. Thanks

 

[Dave1980]

I also found out that I am not eligible to get them expunged until 2018 because even though I was charged in 2015, i was not sentenced until 2018. Need to wait 10 years because I have 3 charges instead of one. So I am really weighing if I should wait or not. Thanks

2018 was 3 years ago...

 

[premed.mom]

2018 was 3 years ago...

I meant 2028... (2018 + 10 = 2028)

 

[Dave1980]

I meant 2028... (2018 + 10 = 2028)

ok well that seems like too long to wait.

is there really no way of getting them off sooner? probably worth seeing a lawyer for a few hundred bucks rather than relying on "legal services" which sounds like it may be provided by your school.

if you have multiple years of being drug free without getting anymore misdemeanors it seems like there should be a way of clearing your record.

 

[premed.mom]

ok well that seems like too long to wait.

is there really no way of getting them off sooner? probably worth seeing a lawyer for a few hundred bucks rather than relying on "legal services" which sounds like it may be provided by your school.

if you have multiple years of being drug free without getting anymore misdemeanors it seems like there should be a way of clearing your record.

Yeah unfortunately where I live, if you have one charge you only need to wait 3 years I think. But because I have 3, the law says 10 years from being sentenced. I am going to request a bar referral to talk to someone about that in addition to meeting with legal services.

I have been clean for over 4 years now but have also been a productive member of society so I would like to think there is some way to at least try to get it removed sooner if they would listen to everything I have done to change my life since then. Like going to school, participating in research, volunteering, being a parent, working, etc. I would also have character references from multiple people.

 

[premed.mom]

You won't believe what just happened.. My state recently changed the expunction law. Now I only have to wait until next year after the law goes into effect to get all my charges expunged. Not only that but I only have two theft charges. The third was a failure to appear misdemeanor.
I was thinking seriously about waiting until 2028 or just going for it and trying my best to explain them. This is great news. I know getting licensed i may still have to disclose even if they are expunged but there will be a lot of time between me and when it happened when that time comes.

 

[deleted1065262]

You won't believe what just happened.. My state recently changed the expunction law. Now I only have to wait until next year after the law goes into effect to get all my charges expunged. Not only that but I only have two theft charges. The third was a failure to appear misdemeanor.
I was thinking seriously about waiting until 2028 or just going for it and trying my best to explain them. This is great news. I know getting licensed i may still have to disclose even if they are expunged but there will be a lot of time between me and when it happened when that time comes.

That’s great news!!