Affluenza Is it real ? Attorneys for Texas teen Ethan Couch claimed that his "affluenza" meant he was blameless for driving drunk and causing a crash that left four people dead in June. http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/12/health/affluenza-youth/ Simply put, Couch, 16, claims that his condition stemmed from having wealthy, privileged parents who never set limits for him. Judge Jean Boyd sentenced him Tuesday to 10 years of probation but no jail time, saying she would work to find him a long-term treatment facility. affluenza ethan couch