If a domestic court judge has ordered you to get an alcohol and drug evaluation or assessment for a child custody or visitation hearing, there are a number of important things to consider before you get your evaluation.
Most requests for an assessment come in one of three contexts:
So they tell you to go get an assessment but they don’t tell you what to expect. Who do I go to? What is this going to cost me? How do I know they will treat me fairly? Are they going to assume I am an alcoholic? Should I downplay anything that might be a red flag…. or just outright lie to them? What if they send me to one of those treatment places?
Being ordered to get an alcohol and drug assessment can create a lot of anxiety. What if I’m labeled an alcoholic? What if the evaluator just wants to say I have a problem just so she can send me to her own treatment program? What if my report makes me look bad in court?
These are all valid concerns but there are things you can do increase the chances that you won’t be manipulated in the process.
