The Cost of Alcoholism

TV commercials, magazine ads, and billboards make drinking alcoholic beverages seem so cool. Gorgeous women and handsome men are shown getting together, having a wonderful time. Whether they are drinking beer, wine or spirits, they are laughing, they are relaxing and love never seems to be far away.

Reality paints a different picture. The cost of alcoholism to the economy is in the region of 134 billion dollars each year. Domestic violence, road accidents, alcohol-related illness and job loss all weigh heavy on the economy. Yet less than half of the expenses are born by the alcohol drinkers, the government and private insurance companies pay the bills.

Some men and women who indulge in too much alcohol are known for violence against their spouses. Some spouses suffer so badly they have to see a doctor or worse, be hospitalized. Every bed taken by an alcohol abuse victim is one bed less for a patient who may need that space for a non-alcohol related illness or accident.

Although many warnings are giving about driving under the influence of alcohol, some people still get behind the wheel of their car. In 2008 there were no less than 37,261 fatalities of which 13,846 were alcohol-related. Not all accidents are fatal though, some cause major or minor injuries, putting innocent victims in hospital, keeping them away from their jobs or putting them on disability.

The cost calculated for the treatment of medical consequences of alcohol is estimated at some 6.3 billion dollars, with an additional 500 million for the training of medical staff. Consequences include injuries of abuse, psychological treatment, and treatment for liver cancer.

In addition, there is the cost of research. Research why homes in areas with easier access to alcohol suffer more domestic abuse; what drives employees to excessive drinking; treatment for alcohol-related cancer; the effect of alcohol on unborn babies; and early death due to alcohol.

The cost of alcoholism to the economy is also felt in the criminal justice system. Some 10.5 billion is spent on alcohol-related court cases and imprisoned alcohol abusers. In turn, the rise in alcohol-related car accidents has an effect on insurance companies and higher cost premiums.

To fight the cost of alcoholism to the economy, environmental prevention has been proven to work. By reducing access to alcohol, banning alcohol promotion ads and stricter laws on alcohol abuse billions of dollars can be saved.

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/economic-2000/

http://www.marininstitute.org/alcohol_industry/secondhand_impacts.htm

http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics.html

7 month old baby dies at the hands of a drunk driver

For at least one family in Erie County, Christmas is over before it even began.  Due to a car accident, cause by a 24 year old female drunk driver, their seven month old baby was killed.

When can we expect laws that are harder on these drunks?  Do you really think the slogan “Don’t drink and drive” is enough?  In my opinion it’s not, not by a long shot.  Simply saying, don’t drink and drive is not even a slap on the wrist, it’s a tickle with a feather.

What we need are laws that scare the crap out of drivers who are thinking of drinking.  Fines starting from $10,000 would be a good start.  If caught again under the influence, $50,000 and 5 years in jail. 

If anyone gets hurt in an accident involving a drunk driver, 10 years in jail.  If anyone dies in the accident, life imprisonment.

In addition, labels should be posted on all bottles of alcohol and all glasses in which it is served.  Labels that look much like those on cigarette packets, carrying pictures of gruesome accident scenes along with slogans such as:

“Drinking and driving makes you a potential murderer”

“Alcohol abuse is the leading cause of spousal abuse”

“Drinking causes liver cancer”

Not to mention that for many, drinking can cause a complete change of personality.

Take last Wednesday for instance when Classic Trios got together for our weekly bowling night.

The team we bowled against that night started off perfectly friendly and well behaved.  During the course of the night that changed.  Two out of three players turned from friendly, to grumpy to downright rude.  The more alcohol got into them, the more abusive language spewed from their mouth.

While I have nothing against people enjoying a drink now and then, some people can’t hold their liquor and shouldn’t be allowed to drink.

I equally blame the bars selling alcohol to those people.  Can’t they see when these drunks had enough?  All things considered, when accidents or crimes happen due to drunk driving, the sellers are equally guilty as the consumers.

In the case of 24 year old Danielle Kellogg, her excessive drinking has not only claimed the life of a baby, it ruined the live of the mother and the father.  A child dying so young is bad enough, but to die because of some drunk brat … it’s unforgivable.

When she goes on trial, I hope justice is served and she goes to jail for years to come.  I’d say, lock her up and throw away the key and make an example out of her for other drunk drivers.

http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121129/CITYANDREGION/121129158/1010

Santa can no longer smoke his pipe

I noticed an article this morning that right away put my teeth on edge.  The smokers are being attacked again, this time by Pamela McColl.

"What was her explanation for the publishing of a new version?  According to a Telegraph article , she is quoted as saying, “I just really don’t think Santa should be smoking in the 21st century. Santa is the most powerful character in the world. "

McColl’s father died in a fire, apparently caused by smoking in bed.  Now she’s made it her mission to join the ranks of smokers haters. 

McColl couldn’t sleep at night until she accomplished one thing … changing the line in a Christmas song “The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth / and the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath”. It was too much for her, she couldn’t make peace that Santa smokes and thought this was a bad example for kids.

This let me frown on more than one level.  Does McColl believe in Santa?  Perhaps she hasn’t heard the news, but Santa doesn’t exist, he is an imaginary figure.

If he exists, than he is thousands of years old.  Who (smokers or non-smoker) can say as much?

Children who believe in Santa don’t smoke.  Any normal child only believes in Santa until the age of 5 or 6 and then one way or another the mystery is revealed.

By the time they are ready to make the choice whether to smoke or not, they no longer believe in Santa, so what difference does it make whether Santa smokes or not?

But let’s leave smoking out of the picture for a second.  Let’s look at what else McColl should be interested in.

As we all know, North American children are not just fat, they are obese.  Should Santa advertise junk food McColl?

With alcohol being the leading cause of accidents and spousal abuse, should Santa advertise alcohol?

What about this Santa, this not only looks like indecent exposure, it looks like plain bad behavior.

What about this Santa … that looks like marijuana to me.

How does Santa feel about the sport of ice skating?

 How does he feel about men going to the gym?

And what about this Santa, McColl, what is he up to?

This anti-smoking campaign is getting more ridiculous by the minute.  Perhaps McColl should learn a lesson from the sun and the wind.

Have you heard about the bet the sun made with the wind?

The wind said “I bet I can make that man take off his coat.”

The sun said “I accept that bet.”

The wind blew as hard as he could, but the harder the wind blew, the tighter the man held on to his coat.  Then the sun came out and the man took off his coat.

If McColl doesn’t understand the bet (after she must be of limited intelligence if she still believes in Santa as a grown woman) she can contact me and I will explain it to her.

http://www.forces.org/evidence/index.htm

http://www.rogerwallace.com/smoking.html

http://www.smokersclubinc.com/

Book characters

Aspiring actors are given the advice to avoid type casting. Only being able to portray one type of character might lead to an audience quickly becoming bored with that actor. 

Aspiring authors would do well to follow the same advice. Writing about the same subject over and over again will make what the reader can expect predictable. Some very talented authors can get away with it, weaving a completely different story writing about their favorite subject.

Among others, Jilly Cooper can do this. Whether she writes about Rupert Campbell Black’s antics in “Riders” or an emotionally abused grandma in “Jump”, somewhere along the line a horse is playing a part, but the stories are very different.

Author X (I shall not mention her name) is not such an author or she didn’t get the memo. All her books are about the rich and famous. I liked her first book, I like it enough to buy the second one. I was somewhat disappointed when the second story was again about people with money and power, but okay, maybe it was a coincidence.

Research about her third and fourth novel revealed that the story was again about the rich and famous and I thought “Oh hell no.”

Author X’s books summarized:

·       The main character is filthy rich. He’s not just a millionaire, he’s a billionaire. While it can be nice to read about people with pots of money, it can also become rather annoying. Especially if your bank balance lacks a couple of zeros.

·       Supporting characters work themselves into a stupor. Working 18 hours a day is part of the package in clawing their way to the top.

·       After work they attend parties (only movers and shakers invited of course) where they drink copious amount of champagne and sniff a few lines of coke. I have no experience with coke sniffing, but on the few occasions that I looked too deep into a glass I had such a hangover the next day that I was in no condition to go to work. 

·       When the supporting characters come home from the party they have steamy sex for hours on end. This really makes me wonder. If they worked an 18 hour day and got wasted at a party, how do they manage to romp around until the wee hours of the morning? When do these people actually sleep?

·       Still on the subject of sexual escapades … the men are always ready for action and the women have multiple orgasms. I have a little trouble with that too. I think it’s far more likely that a woman who’s been on her feet since the crack of dawn, and for whom the room starts to spin to moment she lies down (on account of all the champagne) is more likely to utter the words “Not tonight honey”.

·       While the women sleep their way around New York, Los Angeles, London, Sidney and a few other cities, they don’t give a second thought to sexually transmitted diseases. They meet a man who can help them reach their goal and hup, they’re between the sheets. Whatever happened to women making it on their own? Isn’t it a little degrading that they still use sex as a means of advancement?

·       The men in author X’s stories invariably look like George Clooney. I can only sigh and shake my head at the comparison. I mean really, is there only one attractive man on earth? Personally I don’t see what the big deal is. I’ve seen Clooney in his early years in the TV series E.R. and in movies such as “Up in the Air” and “The Descendants” and I see nothing special. He’s a good actor, but as far as looks are concerned he’s not my cup of tea.

·       The women in author X’s stories are always chic and glamorous. They wear designer clothing (of course, if you worked 18 hours a day in a power job you could afford designer labels too), their hair is always smooth and sleek no matter what the weather conditions are, and short of mascara and a bit of lip gloss they wear no makeup. They are blessed with a natural beauty.

Darn, I wish I was blessed with a natural beauty. When there’s moisture in the air my hair turns frizzy no matter what I do.
As for makeup, I need the full nine yards. If I was to just use a bit of mascara and lip gloss I’d look like death warmed up.

While some people will undoubtedly enjoy a story about millionaires and their entourage, that doesn’t mean that author X has to be the sole provider of those stories. Can’t she write about something else? 

Then again, maybe I’m taking this all a bit too seriously. After all, it is just fiction. But if I am taking these stories seriously, I’m hardly the only one. One woman posted on author X’s website “Could you give Adam H.  my phone number? Even though he’s selfish and arrogant, I want to marry him (and his billions)”.