First Step provides a comfortable, private environment for you to complete your assessment. 

PROGRAM PLACEMENT CRITERIA
(From the NC DHHS DWI Services and Wake County Court Services Homepages) 

The DWI Assessment results will assign you to one of the following levels of group or class.

There are five placement levels for DWI substance abuse treatment in North Carolina. There are a minimum number of contact hours and minimum lengths of time a person must be involved. These are now codified into a new section 122C-142.1 of the General Statutes: "Substance abuse services for those convicted of driving while impaired, or driving after drinking by person under 21."\

State Rules require that a Substance Abuse assessment is valid for only 6 months. Treatment or ADETS must be started prior to 6 months from the date of the assessment or a whole new assessment will be required at a full cost of $100. 

Level I- DWI Education (Alcohol & Drug Education Traffic School):
 First DUI/DWI conviction (Total lifetime)

 Arrest BAC of .14 or less

 Did not refuse breath test

 Has no substance abuse diagnosis

 Must be a minimum of sixteen contact hours completed in no less than 5 sessions. 

Level II-DWI Short-term Treatment:

 More than 1 DUI/DWI

 Refused breath test 

 BAC of .15 or greater

 DSM-IV diagnosis of Substance Abuse

 Meets Level I ASAM (American Society of Addictions Medicine) program placement criteria.

 A minimum of 20 contact hours lasting a minimum of 30 days

Level III-DWI Intermediate Level Treatment:
 Meets criteria for DSM-IV Substance Dependence Diagnosis

 Meets Level I ASAM program placement criteria

 Minimum of 40 contact hours, minimum of 60 days duration

Level IV-Intensive Outpatient Treatment:
 DSM-IV diagnosis of Substance Dependence, moderate to severe

 Meets Level II ASAM program placement criteria

 A minimum of 90 contact hours with a minimum duration of 90 days

 According to ASAM, to be considered intensive outpatient, this requires at least 3 sessions and 9 hours per week in treatment. This program may be preceded by a brief inpatient stay for detoxification or stabilization of a medical or psychiatric condition.

Level V-Inpatient/Residential Treatment:
 DSM-IV diagnosis of Substance Dependence, severe

 Meets Level III or IV program placement criteria

 Upon discharge from inpatient treatment, a person has to enroll in an approved continuing care or outpatient program to meet the 90-day time frame.

N. C. law allows up to 15 days credit for inpatient treatment in place of mandatory active sentence. However, an inpatient treatment facility can admit a person to inpatient treatment, ONLY, if that person meets the ASAM criteria for this level of treatment. This is true, even if the person wants to pay for this in full out of his own pocket.

 Failure to follow the ASAM criteria can result in a facility's losing its Medicare or Medicaid accreditation and puts in jeopardy payments by private insurers. Admission to inpatient treatment is based solely on medical or psychiatric necessity, not on a legal requirement or personal preference! (From the DHHS DWI Services)

(ASAM refers to the criteria established by the American Society of Addictive Medicine.)