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According to dictionary.com, “affluenza” is the guilt or lack of motivation experienced by people who have made or inherited large amounts of money. This term comes from the combination of the words affluence and influenza.

Texas teenager Ethan Couch caused the death of four people while drunk driving last year in June.

He is allegedly a victim of “affluenza,” though the judge did not take that into account when examining this case.

This year in early February, the judge ordered the teen boy to attend a rehabilitation facility, which will be paid for by his parents, for an indefinite amount of time.

Ethan was sentenced to ten years of probation but will not serve any jail time for his actions. Not only is he prohibited from drinking alcohol during this time period, but he is also not allowed to drive.

Many Upper School students have the privilege to drive and will face the consequences if they take the rules lightly.

California banned the defense of “affluenza” in court after Couch’s case.

This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on March 14, 2014