Baton Rouge Alcohol Facts-
Issues that should be addressed before opening the door to more
risks and harms
Alcohol and Risks to our Children Family and Community
1. Primary worry of residents.
More than
nine out of 10
Louisiana
voters think crime and drug and alcohol abuse are at least
serious problems,
according to a year-end poll conducted for The Advocate
Faith Community Speaks Out in Opposition:
Pastor French and the 65 other church's in the Judson Baptist
Association will be working with us to promote health and safety
in our communities. Family's first!
Listen to Pastor French, of Jefferson Baptist Church
2. Inability to treat current
alcohol problems
NEED FOR Alcohol Treatment
in East Baton Rouge
1997 Social
Indicator Study estimates that the following number of adults
in East Baton Rouge Parish needs substance abuse treatment:
Parish
Residents who Need Alcohol treatment—
21,366
Parish Residents
who Need Drug abuse treatment— 3,953
Estimated 23,168
persons are in need of drug or alcohol treatment.
Only
4,171
admissions to
Office for Addictive Disorders
facilities in the
parish in 1998.
3.
Underage Enforcement
Youth in Louisiana
Alcohol is
the most widely used
substance in the state.
Youth in Baton Rouge:
71.3% of Baton Rouge 12th graders
report drinking
alcohol in their lifetime.
41.5% of Baton Rouge 12th graders report drinking alcohol in
the last 30 days.
College Drinking
Legal drinking age is 21 unless
with parent/guardian.
2002 LSU Results, College Alcohol
Study, Harvard School of Public Health
tells us students report that they:
Began drinking regularly between ages of 13-20
of the 18-20 year old respondents,:
yes = 65.8%
no = 34.2%
Said that they or
their friends usual get alcohol with no ID at off-campus bars
18-20 year old respondents
yes =
66%
no = 23% don't know =
11%
Best describe their current use of alcohol
18-20 year respondents,
abstainer = 10.5%
former drinker = 0.6%
infrequent drinker = 27.5%
light drinker = 21%
moderate drinker = 34%
heavy drinker = 6.4%
4. HIGH DWI's Too many people driving while intoxicated.Estimated
Fatal and Injury Alcohol-Related Crashes by Parish
2002,
Total DWI Arrests, EBR:
Baton Rouge Ranked 3rd
highest in the state.
20 people died
in alcohol related fatal crashes,
and
403
sustained serious injuries.
814-total
Arrests of those
186- DWI arrests were
under the Legal Drinking age of 21
Underage DWI:
2002 EBR ranked 1st in Louisiana in DWI arrests
under the legal drinking age of 21.
Source:
Table: Number of DWI Arrests by Parish Age <21 in 2002Source: LHSC
LA Traffic Data Reports (2002)
5. Social and Domestic concerns, and related costs.
Additional Risks:
Existing need to educate the public on Alcohol Harm/Public
Health risks:
Estimated 40% of Women given prenatal care at Earl K.
Long, in EBR, indicate a need for alcohol or other drug
treatment. (CAHSD)
FAS is leading cause of retardation at birth, and 100%
prventable.
Any alcohol consumption is unsafe for the unborn child.
Child Abuse/Domestic
Abuse
The LOUISIANA OFFICE OF COMMUNITY SERVICES, which provides child
welfare services, estimates that, currently, up to 75 percent
of the families receiving Child Protective Services
interventions have some substance abuse involvement.
(2003
Louisiana DHH Report
Card)
Crime/violence/ law enforcement
-- the costs associated with police, fire and EMS personnel
responding to alcohol-related accident and violence calls;
court-related costs of adjudicating alcohol-related cases; costs
for incarceration
·
Approximately 41% of entering
Louisiana
prison inmates were in need of treatment for alcohol.
Violence
occurs more often in neighborhoods where alcohol is widely
available than in those where it is not
Sources:
McGinnis, J.M., & Foege, W.H., “Actual causes of death in the
United States,” Journal of
the American Medical Association 270(18):2207-2212,
1993.
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