Living in a college town like Madison, you might find yourself having a beer or two in the evening.

However, if you look into Wisconsin's drunk driving laws, you'll see that they use the term OWI, or Operating While Intoxicated, instead of DUI.

What's surprising is that a typical first OWI is treated as a civil violation rather than a criminal offense.

For regular drivers, the BAC limit is 0.08, while for commercial vehicle drivers, it's 0.04.

For those under 21, it's effectively zero tolerance, and drivers with three or more OWI offenses have a limit of 0.02.

Moreover, even if your BAC is below 0.08, you can still face OWI charges if your ability to drive is impaired by alcohol or drugs.

The basic forfeiture for a first offense is between $150 and $300. At this point, you might think, "That's not too bad, right?" But the real costs come afterward.

Currently, Wisconsin has a $365 Driver Improvement surcharge related to OWI, along with court costs and various assessments. If convicted, you'll also need to complete an alcohol and drug assessment and a Driver Safety Plan. Typically, your license will be suspended for 6 to 9 months. Later, when trying to reinstate your OWI-related license, the DMV reinstatement fee alone is $200.

When you add in attorney fees, towing costs, increased insurance rates, and expenses for education or treatment programs, the situation changes dramatically. The Wisconsin DOT warns that the actual cost of a single OWI can reach about $10,000 when including these additional expenses.

If your BAC is 0.15 or higher, even for a first offense, you'll need an Ignition Interlock Device (IID). This device requires you to blow into a breathalyzer before the car will start. IID restrictions also apply to subsequent OWIs. Refusing a chemical test complicates matters further. Just one refusal can lead to a one-year suspension of your driving privileges, and you can't immediately obtain an occupational license; you'll have to wait 30 days after the first refusal.

From the second offense onward, the situation changes significantly. It is no longer just a civil violation but a criminal case, and jail time may follow. Especially if you have a child under 16 in the car while driving drunk, the penalties can double. If an accident results in injury or death, it becomes a much more serious crime.

So, don't assume that Wisconsin's first OWI being a civil violation means the state is lenient on drunk driving. Going to the police station, attending court, losing your license, facing increased insurance rates, and having an IID installed in your car can turn a few hundred dollars in fines into a much larger issue.

Enjoying a beer by the lakeside in Madison is nice. Watching a Wisconsin Badgers game with friends is great too.

But the moment you think, "It's just a 10-minute drive home," after drinking, the story changes.

Being stingy about a $20 to $30 Uber ride could lead to a minimum of $10,000 in trouble down the line.