I live in Florida and I'm not sure what the law is here with regards to background checks.

Different companies ask different questions. Most recently I applied for a job that asked on the application;

Have you ever plead no contest or not guilty to a crime?

At this point I'm thinking that it's outright ridiculous to ask someone that. If you've been found not guilty, perhaps arrested for something you didn't do or any other reason then why is it their business?

And in my case, I'm in A.A. and am clean and sober now for a year. However, my four cases all stem from drinking:

DUI 1992
Criminal Mischeif 1993 (under the influence)
Worthless checks 1998 (wrote bad checks to obtain alcohol)
Disorderly conduct (under the influence)

So how do I explain this to a prospective employer and expect to even be CONSIDERED for a job?