As intrusive as it may seem, the United States government is going to pry into your private and social life before giving you security clearance. Everything from with whom you used to associate right down to your taste for alcoholic beverages. In this entry of our multipart blog series, we talk about Security Guideline G: Alcohol Consumption and how your party past could keep you from a higher career in the military or government.

Drunk Lips Sink Ships

DUI Security ClearanceThe United States government holds information that cannot be let loose simply due to a lapse in judgement. When people drink unto excess and become intoxicated, good judgement is usually the first characteristic to fall by the wayside. No one would reasonably or convincingly argue oppositely.

Guideline G can be grounds for security clearance disqualification if:

  • You have been arrested and convicted of driving under the influence (DUI).
  • You have been arrested and convicted of other alcohol-related crimes, such as domestic violence while drunk.
  • You have been accused of drinking on the job, or attempting to perform work duties while intoxicated or hungover.
  • You have been officially diagnosed with alcoholism or psychologically evaluated to have an unhealthy dependence on alcohol.
  • You are known by multiple parties to frequently drink beyond light intoxication, or participate in binge drinking.
  • You have been found to continue consuming alcohol despite completing an alcohol rehabilitation program.

Accept Your Past to Secure Your Future

Alcohol consumption is going to impact your judgement to some degree, but there is nothing that guarantees it will make you a security risk. Each person will react to intoxication in different ways. Some perform physical stunts, others get tired, and only a few actually start to divulge secrets to strangers. If your security clearance is in jeopardy due to Guideline G, you can still make an argument in your favor.

If you can prove any of the following, you might still be selected for security clearance:

  • There is no reason to believe your episodes of intoxication formed any sort of irreversible pattern.
  • Any indication of alcoholism occurred many years ago and has not recurred since.
  • Others can attribute to the betterment of your behavior in recent years, which you can attribute to maintained sobriety.
  • You have completed an alcohol rehabilitation program and have not consumed any alcohol for a year or more.

Has your petition for security clearance been denied due to Guideline G? You may still have the chance to appeal that decision, but you must act quickly. Government agencies are not known to give people several opportunities to “prove themselves” after a security clearance denial. Team up with The Edmunds Law Firm and our national security clearance attorneys, who have been handling cases like yours for more than 40 years of total legal experience.

Reach us online or call (800) 481-2526 to start your petition or appeal.