        More on Alcoholism/Alcohol Dependence SAMHSA news on Children from Addicted homes Family History of Alcoholism? Impact on Auto Insurance Rates Alcohol-related crashes accounted for an estimated 18% of Louisiana’s auto insurance payments. Reducing alcohol-related crashes by 10% would save $60 million in claims payments and loss adjustment expenses. Costs per Drink the societal costs of alcohol-related crashes in Louisiana averaged $1.30 per drink consumed. People other than the drinking driver paid $.80 per drink. Kids at risk, and the dangers of drinking-
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How can we begin to take the disease of addiction and define real solutions that will restore lives, our communities, and stop the cycle of addiction in moving into new generations in families across our diverse country? Perhaps the same way we approach "other" chronic diseases! Imagine if there were only 12 slots for heart attack patients! or No Insurance or medical services for Diabetics! It may seem far fetched but for millions of America's it is a painful destructive and often toxic reality. There is hope...... If you support Recovery, and are willing to "pull up your sleeves" and help us create a path to see that millions who seek help to find a better way, to heal, find it, then please register at our new Recovery focused project on policy, action, and advocacy. www.werecover.org "We can't end the consequence of a problem that is not being
addressed. If we really want to stop drinking and driving, then
our broken system must be changed. You can't have research showing that
315,000 residents meet the criteria and need help for alcohol and other
drug abuse and addiction, and expect not to have major problems in
society" Samantha-Hope Atkins
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Changing
the Culture-Supporting Recovery for Alcohol and other
Drug Addictions-
communities makes little sense. Expecting the Alcohol Industry to
"self regulate" is also silly, why would an industry that makes more
than $121 Billion a year consider reducing their revenues? They
are not in the business of promoting healthy and safe communities, they
are in the business of selling alcohol! We must realize this and
find balance in the price, availability, and access people have to this
drug. For more than 18million Americans are abusing alcohol, those
costs fall on all of us, as does the risk of harm. Alcohol and
other drug abuse abuse and addiction, are called our nation's number one
public health problem. Young people, Recovering people, and the
general public are exposed to risk and invitation to a life of
destruction.
 Alcoholism
treatment must be an integral component of all policies,
strategies, and laws which address drinking and driving.
Without treatment of the underlying disease there is no feasible
means of reducing the number of repeat offenders, and no real way to
identify those in need of treatment for Alcoholism (Alcohol
Dependence) a brain disease.
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Costs to Louisiana
(Compare to all other States
here) Intensive Probation Supervision with Treatment: Intensive probation supervision with treatment is an alternative to incarcerating repeat offenders. This early intervention program seeks to reduce alcohol-impaired driving by addressing repeat offenders’ drinking habits and provides intensive individual counseling and monitoring. Implementation of this program in Louisiana could decrease recidivism by an estimated 48%, causing DWI crashes to decrease by 4%. Typically, per person arrested, this program costs approximately $1,100 and can avoid an estimated $5,500 in crash costs and $480 in incarceration costs. Myths on DWI's and "HardCore Drinkers" HardCore insinuates people who just lack morality, are weak in character, generally believed to be irresponsible, negligent, or being poor decision makers. Truth
Alcohol problems are solved if the person just stops drinking, right?Treatment for alcohol problems usually involves multiple approaches. Treatment is a series of steps that individuals take under the guidance of family doctors, addiction specialists and other health care professionals to address the physical, psychological, emotional and social conditions that contribute to their alcohol problems. Alcohol treatment is frequently accompanied by self-help support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Rational Recovery. Treatment for alcohol addiction has proven as effective as treatment for other chronic, manageable, long-term health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma, so long as the treatment is well delivered and tailored to the needs of the particular patient. But as in any chronic disease, treatment brings varying levels of success. Some people stop drinking and remain sober. A national survey recently found that more than half of all persons in recovery from an addiction had never had a relapse once they stopped drinking or using drugs. Others have long periods of sobriety with bouts of relapse. And still others cannot stop drinking for any length of time. Treating Alcohol Problems is an important part of Recovery. Recovering takes time and support for from the family, community, and individual. Supporting Recovery, is how we can improve our communities, and risks related to addiction. Related: Preventing and treating alcohol and drug problems, means addressing
the fact that Alcohol is the drug of choice for those in recovery
according to this report It appears that common sense would provide resources to stop
underage drinking, and treat problem drinking until you realize what
research reports indicate:
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