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One Berwick mother is hoping to create a toll-free hot line that
would allow anyone to alert authorities and medical personnel if
someone is having alcohol-related medical problems.
Tammy Domingue's
19-year-old son Corey died in October 2003 at his LSU-area apartment
after drinking a fifth of rum. Now, Domingue is working to garner
legislative support for a bill that would create the Corey Alcohol
Abuse Hotline. The bill also would require stores selling alcohol to
post signs listing the hot line number and symptoms of alcohol
poisoning.
"It's so that when
you call this number, we won't call anybody to get you in trouble,"
Domingue said of the hot line, which would be funded through a state
treasury fund and $20 annual fees paid by stores selling alcohol.
"It's to get medical attention so that nobody has to be scared to
call so that no one else will die."
Domingue said she
thinks a fear of getting in trouble is a main reason that drinkers,
especially those underage, delay calling for medical help if they
notice someone in distress.
"I think it's a big
reason," she said. "But I don't want any other parents or any other
family to go through what we've been going through."
In addition,
Domingue said the bill would require any store selling alcohol to
post signs alerting customers to the dangers of binge drinking, a
problem she said many people are unaware of.
"The first time my
son drank, he died," Domingue said. "These kids need to know that
it's not just about drinking and driving. If you drink too much, you
can die. I'm not against drinking, but we need to put something out
there letting people know the dangers of drinking too much."
Domingue said the
bill failed by six votes in its first try in the state House of
Representatives, but she hopes to bring it up again later this
session in hopes of getting it approved. She said her tenacity is
one of the ways she hopes to honor her son's memory.
"I believe that
Corey didn't die in vain and that God had a purpose for taking him,"
she said. "Corey helped people all of his life, and I think God took
him so he could help others."
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