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When are fun and games anything but?
Get a GRIP! |
Gallatin Responsive Interventions Partnership (GRIP)
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November 2006
What is addiction? with working definitions from folks in
substance abuse treatment, health practitioners, and criminal justice professionals.
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Addiction: Working Definitions |
Addiction: - The quality or condition of being addicted, especially to a
habit-forming
substance.
Addict: 2. To occupy or involve (oneself) habitually or compulsively.
� The American Heritage College Dictionary, 4th Addition.
My definition of addiction is: Whenever you have an uncontrollable urge to use
something even though you know its not good for you. It doesn�t have to be illegal
or immoral. It�s often about ingesting something but it can be about other addictive
behaviors. With food, quantity can be an addiction. � Mother of an alcoholic
Addiction is a loss of control. When a person can't cut down or cut back for
the long term. You might get in trouble with the law, family or friends but you
still don't stop. You make alibis and excuses for the destructive behavior. It's
where dysfunction runs your life and the addiction is a method to cope.- Melissa
Kelly, Director, Gallatin County Re-Entry Facility
Addiction is the lack of developed will . . . you've given your will over to an external
source. . . that has authority over your biology, your psychology. � Carolyn Myss,
Why People Can't Heal, from interview in Yoga Magazine, July/August 1997.
The best intentions in the world don't help you with addiction. . . Will power
is not a prognostic factor in recovery. Addiction resides in what is often
referred to as our reptilian brain, and -- well, alligators don't come when
they're called. � Dr. George Vaillant, M.D. Harvard Addictions researcher.
Such lovers, like all lovers, are of course obsessed with the object of their love.
They long for it, pine away when deprived of it, and think constantly about ways to
reunite with it. . . Everything is organized in a hierarchy on top of which the
beloved reigns supreme and secure and to which everything, absolutely everything
else is now subordinate. � Floyd P. Garrett, M.D. from "TheAddict�s Dilemma"
We need to develop a sense of being, the fact that 'we are' is more important
than what we do. An addict's history will tell them that it's best for them to
shut down; to live the life of the walking dead. . . Recovery "isn't just about
dealing with an addiction problem. It's about dealing with every day living
problems." � Jamie Martin, former addictions counselor. Butte.
Addiction: an extreme habit. It's a state that we consider to be normal. It's
what we're used to. You need to make a deep acknowledgement of the addiction, and that you're
choosing it. Empowering the individual is about telling them to grow as much as
they want, to learn as much as they want. To bring power, clarity, and "awakeness"
in to their lives. �
Kay Whitaker, author, Reluctant Shaman.
Change can be uncomfortable. Alcoholics know if they drink they feel better.
Alcoholics have learned to shut off their emotions and their heart with the
chemical. Change means moving into unfamiliar territory with no protection.
Emotions are unfamiliar and often "raw" without the chemical to numb them.
Change means moving out of the comfort zone and dealing with life on life�s
terms. � Alex Vukovich, WATCh Program Director
Restore vs. Recover:
When you recover, you return to a functioning state. You
may not, however, be as strong as you were before or have all the capacities you
had then. When you restore yourself, you return to your original state of health and
emotional balance or even improve upon it. � Isabel Parlett, from Distinctionary.
I suggest to you that the cause of alcohol and other drug abuse is a
combination of factors that is as diverse as every individual. Whether a
spiritual leader or police officer or counselor or physician or family member
starts the conversation is not nearly as important as the fact that this
conversation occurs across our communities. � Shelley Wickstrom, Pastor
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Changing our point of view can be both the
easiest thing in the world to do, and the hardest. In his book, �Future
Edge: Discovering the New Paradigm of Success,� Joel Barker defines
paradigms as �physiological filters. We quite literally see the world
through our paradigms.� Barker says that, �Data that exists in the
real world that does not fit our paradigms will have a hard time getting
through.�
The thing with paradigms is that when we are in ours, we don�t know it
because we simply consider it �Truth.� The work of GRIP and the
national Demand Treatment! movement asks that we reconsider our
attitudes, beliefs, and our thoughts about alcohol misuse and abuse. The
following five models of addiction are based on an article developed by
staff from Narconon* of Northern California. As you read the summarized
points, ask yourself which you subscribe to. Then, what might it take to
shift your thinking?
� The Moral Model sees addiction as a spiritual deficit, the result of
conscious choice.
� The Temperance Model believes that alcohol itself causes the
addiction
� The Disease or Medical Model considers alcoholism as a condition
resulting from inherited traits, a constitutional disease or disorder.
� The Psychological or Characterological Model sees an �addictive
personality,� birthed from low self-esteem and an inherently weak
ability to control impulses.
� The Social Education Model believes that good socialization, the
modeling of appropriate behavior, and the development of strong coping
mechanisms and skills protect against addiction.
(To learn about the Narconon program model, go to: www.stopaddiction.com
)
Each of these models invite a different approach for health and healing.
The power of our work in GRIP is in creating a unified voice that is
influenced by many perspectives of addiction. What are some of those
perceptions? Carol Girard, project manager of Join Together�s Demand
Treatment! Initiative, listed these: � Substance use problems are
strictly behavioral - that those with the problem can simply use will
power alone to change behavior;
� Substance use is a problem only for those needing access to public
funds;
� People have to hit bottom before getting treatment;
� Prison will take care of community substance use problems;
� One type of treatment works for any person with a problem regardless
of age, life circumstances or substance;
� Detox and/or 12 step groups are the only options needed in a
community;
� Treatment can only be delivered within the specialized treatment
system;
� Continuing life-long punishments and barriers will deter people from
substance use problems;
� Community substance use problems are the same as the national
substance use problems;
� Kids are the only people we need to worry about;
� Community members have to accept the treatment system that is given
to them without taking action to improve quality or access.
It�s exciting to be part of a movement that targets such extensive,
comprehensive change. And, it can be daunting. Each of us decides how we
can best contribute to the effort, and what piece of this initiative we
can most effectively take on. And that�s the reason GRIP asks you to
be part of a partnership.
Because groups include people with diverse perceptions, Joel Barker sees
groups as �. . . more capable than an individual in dealing with the
world in the long run.� Weaving our individual skills and experiences
-- our separate paradigms, creates a resilient fabric of change. GRIP
provides a forum for understanding the different perspectives that exist
in Gallatin County. By providing a safe place to collaborate and mold
your different perspectives into a new view of the problem and the
solutions to the problem -- to create a more responsive and powerful
direction for change. |
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Developing a Stronger GRIP Together:
A New Paradigm
By Jenna Caplette, GRIP Marketing Consultant |
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GRIP is really about instituting a
paradigm shift, in which our entire community becomes able to see
alcohol misuse as a serious health and social risk, and is able to take
ownership of this issue
-- Shaun
Phoenix, GRIP Project Coordinator
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Changing our
point of view can be both the easiest thing in the world to do, and the
hardest. In his book, "Future Edge: Discovering the New Paradigm of
Success," Joel Barker defines paradigms as "physiological
filters. We quite literally see the world through our paradigms."
Barker says that, "Data that exists in the real world that does not
fit our paradigms will have a hard time getting through."
The thing with paradigms is that when we are in
ours, we don�t know it because we simply consider it
"Truth." The work of GRIP and the national Demand Treatment!
movement asks that we reconsider our attitudes, beliefs, and our
thoughts about alcohol misuse and abuse. The following five models of
addiction are based on an article developed by staff from Narconon* of
Northern California. As you read the summarized points, ask yourself
which you subscribe to. Then, what might it take to shift your thinking?
The Moral Model sees addiction as a
spiritual deficit, the result of conscious choice.
The Temperance Model believes that alcohol
itself causes the addiction
The Disease or Medical Model considers
alcoholism as a condition resulting from inherited traits, a
constitutional disease or disorder.
The Psychological or Characterological Model
sees an "addictive personality," birthed from low
self-esteem and an inherently weak ability to control impulses.
The Social Education Model believes that good
socialization, the modeling of appropriate behavior, and the
development of strong coping mechanisms and skills protect against
addiction.
Learn about the Narconon program model.
Each of these models invite a different
approach for health and healing. The power of our work in GRIP is in
creating a unified voice that is influenced by many perspectives of
addiction. What are some of those perceptions? Carol Girard, project
manager of Join Together�s Demand Treatment! Initiative, listed these:
Substance use problems are strictly
behavioral - that those with the problem can simply use will power
alone to change behavior;
Substance use is a problem only for those
needing access to public funds;
People have to hit bottom before getting
treatment;
Prison will take care of community substance
use problems;
One type of treatment works for any person
with a problem regardless of age, life circumstances or substance;
Detox and/or 12 step groups are the only
options needed in a community;
Treatment can only be delivered within the
specialized treatment system;
Continuing life-long punishments and barriers
will deter people from substance use problems;
Community substance use problems are the same
as the national substance use problems;
Kids are the only people we need to worry
about;
Community members have to accept the
treatment system that is given to them without taking action to
improve quality or access.
It�s exciting to be part of a movement that
targets such extensive, comprehensive change. And, it can be daunting.
Each of us decides how we can best contribute to the effort, and what
piece of this initiative we can most effectively take on. And that�s
the reason GRIP asks you to be part of a partnership.
Because groups include people with diverse
perceptions, Joel Barker sees groups as ". . . more capable than an
individual in dealing with the world in the long run." Weaving our
individual skills and experiences -- our separate paradigms, creates a
resilient fabric of change. GRIP provides a forum for understanding the
different perspectives that exist in Gallatin County. By providing a
safe place to collaborate and mold your different perspectives into a
new view of the problem and the solutions to the problem -- to create a
more responsive and powerful direction for change.
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Presentation to Gallatin Valley Interfaith Association
by Pastor Shelley Wickstrom . excerpted by Jenna Caplette
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Did you know?
One of eight adults in America is suffering
from some form of chemical dependency.
One dependent person has a harmful impact on
five to eight other people, including all family members.
Governor Martz's Task
Force on Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco
reported in 2001 that Montana's youth have the 2nd highest rate of
illicit drug use, the 6th highest rate of tobacco use, and the 4th
highest rate of alcohol use of all 50 states.
The costs of not preventing substance abuse
are high both in terms of human lives and monetarily. Montanans spent
approximately $256 million in 1998 on programs related to the negative
effects of substance abuse. Less than 1% of that was invested in
prevention and treatment.
Of the clergy surveyed in 2001 by
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 94.4% consider
substance abuse and addiction to be an important issue among family
members in their congregations and almost 38% believe that alcohol abuse
is involved in a least half of the problems they confront. Yet only
12.5% of priests, pastors and rabbis received any substance abuse
training during their theological studies and only 36.5% preach a sermon
addressing the issue more than once a year.
In Montana, alcohol use and abuse is
a part of our shared culture. We celebrate, we mourn, we entertain with
alcohol. Adolescent alcohol use is often considered a rite of passage.
Whether your theological tradition
approaches substance abuse from a moral,
disease, temperance, psychological or social education model, the more
important question is, How do we speak honestly and act effectively
with this very large, very prevalent elephant in Montana�s living
room?
The answer lies
in raising the level of education around substance use and risky
behavior and by linking those who already are dependent or addicted with
resources that can assist them in recovery.
How
we understand alcohol and other drug abuse
will shape how we understand prevention and treatment and who is best
equipped to provide treatment.
I suggest to you that the cause of alcohol
and other drug abuse is a combination of
factors that is as diverse as every individual. Whether a spiritual
leader or police officer or counselor or physician or family member
starts the conversation is not nearly as important as the fact that this
conversation occurs across our communities.
Models
of Addiction: Read the following "models of
addiction," then, ask yourself, which do you subscribe to? What
would it take to shift your thinking? Next month�s GRIP E-Zine will
talk about the power of paradigms, how they define our world. In the
meantime, consider this: When the rules change, the whole world can
change. � Joel Barker.
GRIP invites you to be part
of the paradigm shift around how we treat alcohol use, misuse, abuse and
addiction in Gallatin County.
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Hospital Detox: A crisis in care
by Jenna Caplette |
In detox, �. . . we give ourselves the chance we�ve always deserved.�
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Detoxing from alcohol abuse can and does kill people. It�s a medical issue and needs
to be handled carefully. Just the same, there are better options than those
available in Gallatin County, where when someone wants or needs to �detox� their
only immediate option is to arrive at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital, probably by
presenting themselves at the emergency room.
Vickie Groeneweg, head of Emergency Room Services at BDH says that though in an
average month the emergency room might admit only one detox patient, they will
also admit about forty alcohol poisoning patients. To get their blood-alcohol level
down to the level where they can be discharged, thirty-two of those forty will stay
in the ER for more than eight hours.
�To put that in perspective,� she says, �we don�t have 40 diabetics in a month. And
we have maybe forty admissions for chest pains a month.
Other patients with alcohol-related health concerns are admitted because of an
accident or traffic crash related to drinking. They may have passed out somewhere,
or experienced a seizure from the long term consequences of drinking. They may be
DUI offenders, transported to the hospital for assessment and stabilization.
For
these patients, and those seeking detox, emergency personnel need to find them a
doctor.
Many chronic alcohol abusers no longer have a personal care physician, so they are
assigned the next doctor on the ER call list. When doctors sign on for hospital
priveleges, they agree to to become part of that call list. Most of those calls come
in the middle of the night. If that patient stays in the hospital, the doctor who has
been assigned to them will need to visit them on their rounds, once or twice a day.
If a patient has health complications during their detox process, they can be in the
hospital for up to a week. Doctors typically don�t schedule those rounds out of
office time, so those visits are made before or after office hours. For that extra
work, most detox patients will not be able to pay.
�It�s charity care,� says Dr. Andrea Cady of Bozeman Creek Family Health. Even
when doctors do get reimbursed, �hospital care is not lucrative.� And its not
satisfying work in the sense that working with a long term patient might be. In
addiction-prevention work a physician may feel more empowered to work with a
patient to change their behavior.
Kerry Erickson, Adult Liason Case manager for Alcohol and Drug Services of Gallatin
County, meets with ER detox patients, as well as those admitted for other alcohol-
related issues. After doing a brief drug and alcohol use history, she helps them look
at the consequences of their use. She asks, �What do you want to do about it?� If
they want help, and have insurance, she tries to get them into a program right
way. If not, she works to get them involved with services or support groups that
can help bridge the gap between hospital detox and treatment.
That gap in care creates a significant risk for relapse. Instead, Dr. Cady would like
to see �residential, short-term detox with medical supervision.� That kind of detox
is called Social Detox. In it, Kerry Erickson says, the patients who don�t need acute
care still work with a doctor. �They get medication to help with the withdrawal.
There are counselors to help and personnel who monitor their �meds.�� It doesn�t tie
up an emergency room bed. Its more cost-effective.
Either way, what we need, is to address alcohol misuse and addiction as they
public health crisis they are. Either way, when patients complete the detox
process, they need a readily-available treatment option so that there is no gap in
the continuum of services that best offers the hope of healing.
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Models of Addiction
(Source: Narconon)
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Moral Model
Alcohol and other drug abuse is seen as an
infringement of societal rules by the abuser. Proponents feel it is
a punishable crime and the individual is responsible for his or her
choices.
Temperance Model
This began with the prohibition movement in
the late 19th century. The core assumption of the temperance
movement was that the addictive and destructive power of the drug is
strong and that it is the drug itself that is the problem.
Abstinence was the only solution.
Disease or Medical Model
In 1935, the same year Alcoholics Anonymous
was founded by Bill W. and Dr. Bob, the American Disease
perspective was developed primarily from the assertion that
alcohol and other drug addiction is a unique, irreversible, and
progressive disease.
Development of the understanding of
alcoholism as a disease has contributed to the lack of involvement
in prevention and treatment by the faith, work, and other
specialized communities because it seems to place substance abuse
beyond their concerns.
Psychological or Characterological Model
The proponents of this model follow that an
"addictive personality" exists in such individuals and is
inherent with a degree of deficit in personal and psychological
boundaries.
Social Education Model
Social Education theorists extend their
thinking to place an emphasis on human-environment interactions as
key to shaping alcohol and other drug abuse behaviors. They stress,
in particular, socialization processes, imitation of observable
behavior, as well as the influence of modeling (role models) in both
the forming of an alcohol and other drug abuse behavior, but also in
the successful treatment thereof.
For more detail on all these models,
visit: Narconon
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Substance Abuse � You can make a difference
By Jenna Caplette, GRIP Marketing Consultant
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As a helping professional, if someone asked you, �What�s the most
dangerous drug to withdraw from?� what would your answer be? The
correct answer may surprise you. Not heroin. Alcohol. People can die
from withdrawal.
In fact, there are health consequences from even moderate use of
alcohol. So, wouldn�t you expect to have been trained in those
consequences in order to better do the work you do? Wouldn�t you
expect to be questioned about your consumption when you visit your
health practitioner?
How about yes to both questions?
Brought to Bozeman in mid-April by Gallatin Responsive Interventions
Partnership, a division of Alcohol and Drug Services of Gallatin County,
Dr. Brown is a national authority on the benefit of integrating
screenings and brief interventions on alcohol use and abuse into normal
health care visits. Brown says that Wisconsin and Montana share the
distinction of being northern tier states, a region that leads the
nation in alcohol and drug use.
In his presentation to students from the first year medical school
program at MSU, Brown cited Wisconsin data showing that 30% of its
population is abstinent from alcohol. Another 48% are low risk drinkers.
The drinkers Brown wants his audience to focus on are the nine percent
that are at risk; the eight percent that abuse alcohol, and the five
percent that are alcohol-dependent. Why? Because, that means that
twenty-two percent of patients visiting Wisconsin doctors, or one out of
five people, could benefit from discussing their alcohol consumption.
Brown thinks that as another northern tier state, Montana�s data would
be similar.
Brown says doctors have lots of opportunities to identify and help these
people. "But," he asks. "Is that happening? Each missed
opportunity increases the impact of the drinking on wellness,
psychological suffering, and family issues.
"It�s like talking with people about cholesterol � what�s
normal and healthy are two different things."
Few health care professionals know about the distinctions in alcohol use
levels. Few know how to talk with patients about those. If they do, they
may be concerned about how to integrate these kinds of discussions into
already packed schedules. The additional five to ten minutes this kind
of discussion can take often amounts to a large percentage of a patient�s
visit.
Add to that the concern that these kinds of questions will alienate
patients. Brown�s experience has taught him otherwise. "Most
patients are relieved to be asked, if they are approached in a
respectful, non-judgmental way."
Brown advises health care professionals to, "practice your approach
beforehand. Patients will sense if you�re asking because you care,
because its good medical practice. If they get defensive, its probably
because they have a problem. Most people are glad to talk. They want
help. They don�t know who is safe to talk to about this.
"When you screen patients, you�re making a provision for
recognizing people with a disorder before obvious manifestations of the
disorder occur.
"You need to get comfortable with asking transitional questions
rather than asking straight out about use. Blend those questions with
others, like: How do you cope with stress? Do you drink some alcohol?
Does anyone in your family have a problem with alcohol or drugs? Ask
them about their diet. What are they eating? Then, ask about liquids.
What are they drinking? Nod as you listen, then ask and learn more. You
can make it safe for people to talk about their use."
Brown suggests delaying asking a heavy drinker for specifics about their
consumption because those kinds of questions put them on the defensive.
First ask general questions, like those that are part of the CAGE
screening process: In the past year,
Have you ever felt you should Cut down on your drinking?
Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
Have you ever felt Guilty about your drinking?
Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your
nerves
or get rid of a hangover (Eye-opener)?
One or more "yes" responses constitutes a positive screening
test. Then ask quantity and frequency questions. "Ask abstainers
why they abstain. You may want to affirm that choice with information,
like about genetic predisposition," so that person knows the choice
to abstain is an important one for them. With low risk drinkers, you
might give them a message about healthy use, encouraging them to
continue using in a low risk way.
"There are more risky drinkers than abusers and dependent drinkers,
so they have a larger impact on society. Give them feedback about the
consequences of risky drinking. Educate them."
"If an abuser doesn�t want to go to treatment, you can still
encourage them to make a decision to cut down or quit with five to ten
minutes of counseling, and two to three scheduled follow up visits. For
dependent drinkers, refer them to treatment. Treatment does work, but
not like an appendectomy. Its more like the treatment for diabetes,
though in fact, there are fewer relapses with treatment for alcohol
dependency.
"What percentage of diabetics are in
control of their disease? Ten percent? Do we look at that statistic and
conclude that treating diabetes doesn�t work? No. This just means we
need work harder with people to help them figure out how to better
control their disease. Same with alcohol problems."
After educating each patient about the potential impacts of their
alcohol consumption, and making recommendations, Brown suggests that
healthcare professionals be ready with a fall back position. If a
patient won�t go to treatment, will they make a commitment to quit? To
cut back? Find out about patients' life goals. Then ask them how their
alcohol or drug use fits with those goals.
Once an agreement on a course of action has
been reached, Brown sets a follow up appointment. "This process
should be routine in all health care settings," he says. "It�s
easier for counselors. They�re already taking 50 minutes with people.
Taking another 5 to talk with someone isn�t that hard. With a doctor
that�s most of the visit."
It�s worth it though. Statistically, even though patients may not seem
to be receptive to a brief intervention, one fourth to one third of them
will decrease their drinking over the next year.
Wrapping up, Dr. Brown challenges, "In our
increasingly financially strapped health care system, how often to we
find a way to both improve care and cut costs? Alcohol screening and
intervention does just that."
The unspoken question: "So, why aren�t
we doing more of it?" Your Gallatin Responsive Intervention
Partnership works with you to change that reality.
Learn more about Rich Brown�s work, and
access his free on-line resources.
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Responsible Drinking?
Why BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) matters.
Contributed by guest columnist, Stephen Scott
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Why is progress in the fight against drinking and driving so difficult? Public
awareness messages and enforcement of DUI laws have increased nationwide,
but with only limited success. DUI is one of our nation�s biggest social problems,
with over 16,000 alcohol driving related fatalities in 2004.
Demographics have shown there is a large group of people between 20 and 34
years of age that the messages have had little effect on. They continue to
kill
and maim at a level that is shameful.
You may laugh when I say this, but the problem is alcohol. It�s not
because
people are stupid or don�t listen. Contrary to popular opinion, most
people
arrested for DUI do have a brain. But alcohol, even in small quantities,
has a
direct effect on thinking. If you are wondering about drugs, then just
double
what you are about to read.
When alcohol is consumed, it dissolves through cellular membranes into the
body�s organs, altering their function. The mechanisms through which this
occurs are complex and involve receptors in the brain that influence
thought
and decision-making. At a blood alcohol level less than half the legal
limit the
brain�s control over judgment is altered. In other words, you make
decisions
differently with low levels of alcohol versus no alcohol. Relating this
to the
public awareness message of drinking responsibly, we are really saying,
�Behave responsibly as you consume this substance that causes you to
behave
irresponsibly.�
The act of drinking and getting behind the wheel of an automobile is
itself proof
of impaired judgment. It is unlikely anyone starts out with the idea of
consuming enough alcohol to be arrested for DUI. The old saying
attributed to
alcoholics of �One drink is too many and a thousand is not enough� fits
here.
If you drink �responsibly� and keep your blood alcohol below the legal
limit of
0.08%, shouldn�t you be okay to drive? Absolutely not -- at 0.08%, all
individuals are under the influence of alcohol and unsafe to operate a
motor
vehicle. Maybe the legislature wanted to make sure no one was falsely
accused of DUI when they set the legal driving limit.
Experts in the field of alcohol impairment will tell you all people become
under
the influence at a level significantly below the legal limit. Literature
published
by the American Medical Association points out that alcohol impairment is
seen
consistently in individuals with a blood alcohol level between 0.04% and
0.05%.
For some people, that�s the equivalent of the alcohol from two and 1/2
beers in
their bloodstream.
So, if 0.04% isn�t safe, what is?
If you are planning on a glass of wine tonight and then driving home, here
is
some more bad news. Driving a motor vehicle is a divided attention task.
Like
a computer that multi-tasks, the brain must switch from one chore to the
next
while processing the information to safely operate the vehicle. Drivers
must
constantly switch their focus between tracking the vehicle, watching for
changes in signal lights, oncoming traffic, pedestrians, and everything
else we
do while sitting behind the wheel. Impairment of this process can be
measured
after a single drink because the time it takes the brain to switch from
one task
to the next increases rapidly starting at very low blood alcohol levels.
A friend once summed up his thoughts on the safest blood alcohol level and
driving. He said that when he �came to� on the floor of the county jail
after his
fourth DUI arrest, it occurred to him that if he didn�t drink, this
wouldn�t
happen. Taking that a step further, what if the legislature passed a zero
tolerance law, would it work? Prohibition was tried in the 1920s, and
everyone
knows what a success that was. Sweden has a 0.02% legal limit, but their
blood alcohol levels and arrest rates are similar to other countries with
much
higher limits.
It would be great if there were an apparent quick solution, but there
doesn't
seem to be one. We could start saving lives by using our resources to
better
educate people starting at an early age about the scientific facts
concerning
the use of alcohol and driving. Convincing that young person, just
waiting for
their first DUI to happen, that the negatives far out weigh the positives
when
it comes to the use of alcohol and driving will not be easy. But, if we
are
persistent and keep our facts straight, perhaps their hearts and brain
receptors
will follow.
Stephen Scott is a citizen volunteer for the
Gallatin
County DUI Task Force. Prior to moving to Bozeman in 2004, he retired
from the California Department of Justice, Division of Law Enforcement.
He was the Assistant Laboratory Director in charge of the statewide DUI
program.
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