Alcohol Help

Chatsworth a short-stay alcohol rehab center in Montreal claims with one year jail terms at $45,000 annually DUI lawyers can help their clients recover. When a DUI attorney advises their repeat offender client to enter a three week alcohol recovery program to receive the recovery help they need for their alcohol problem the criminal lawyer offers good will for all involved including great savings to U.S. tax payers. DUI attorneys and nonviolent criminal lawyers can offer the solution to their client’s binge drinking and alcohol abuse that causes them to continue to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle and drive while impaired.

Many professionals commit illegal acts like driving under the influence (DUI) because they are suffering from a disease. Alcohol abuse and addictive behaviors like binge drinking are medical diseases and are legitimately diagnosed by mental health professionals and doctors. Unfortunately, many people who suffer from alcohol abuse go untreated and unnoticed until they break the law and land in front of a judge in the United States court system. These criminals need to be treated for their alcohol issues and because they repeatedly do not receive the recovery help they need, they continue to repeatedly drink and drive. Many repeat DUI arrests across the U.S. are because the accused criminal is suffering from alcohol addiction. Prisons and jails offer incarceration, not alcohol rehabilitation.

When people are in the throes of active alcohol abuse they participate in socially and legally unacceptable behaviors because they are mood and mind altered. The consequences of these illegal self-defeating behaviors, like driving while intoxicated (DWI) lead to arrests by law enforcement officers. Criminal attorneys across the U.S., representing DUI and nonviolent alcohol offenders are fighting to maintain their clients’ freedom but find themselves baffled by the dilemma of their client being sentenced to lengthy jail and prison terms when what they need is medical care and recovery so they will stop drinking and driving once and for all. The professionals at Chatsworth alcohol rehab in Montreal assert judges in the U.S. court system look more favorably upon the suffering DUI offender who is actively seeking help for the root cause of their illegal activity, which is the disease of addiction. Lengthy jail and prison sentences place these individuals in an already over crowded penal system at a high taxpayer cost ($45,000 per year per inmate) where they don’t receive treatment for their alcohol abuse problem.

Chatsworth in Montreal offers a solution for your clients’ repetitive and baffling self-defeating habits. Through alcohol rehab and addiction recovery by licensed mental health and addiction professionals, repeat DUI offenders can successfully return to society and stop their drinking and driving which puts innocent people at risk and costs thousands. These otherwise normal individuals go back to being the healthy people they once were as productive members of their communities and cease their repetitive self-defeating behaviors that led to their criminal activity.

Justice News Flash

Despite its reputation, Las Vegas did not make the No. 1 spot on the March 2010 list of drunkest cities in the U.S. It did, however, come in 11th, according to Las Vegas Weekly, just falling short of the top 10 for deaths, arrests and binges related to alcohol and alcoholism.

This does not mean that alcohol does not cause problems in Sin City. Few bars and other establishments in Las Vegas ever announce a "last call" because visitors and locals are known to party all night long. For some, this means that there is never a stopping point for alcohol consumption, leading to alcohol poisoning, drunk driving and other serious problems.

The prevalence of gambling in Las Vegas may also play a part in the city’s high national ranking. Gamblers often drink for free in the casinos, and it is not uncommon for some gambling patrons to lose count of the number of cocktails they have imbibed before calling it quits.

The drunkest cities list compiles data from numerous sources and includes statistics related to liver disease and the specifics of DUI penalties, as well. Not all alcoholism is related to partying and gambling, however, and although Las Vegas boasts both in excess, there are certainly other reasons for the severity of this problem.

Several other west-coast cities made the list of drunkest in the nation, including Reno, Nevada, which came in at the No. 2 slot. Others include Fresno and Modesto, California, and Tucson, Arizona.

According to AlcoholAlert.com, 33 percent of all traffic fatalities in Nevada in 2008 were alcohol-related with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of 0.08 or greater. This statistic, of course, includes all of Nevada rather than just Las Vegas.

It is possible that Nevada will impose harsher DUI laws in the future, though other alcohol-related issues, such as binge drinking and public intoxication, must be considered as part of the equation.

Christiansen Law Offices

Orkney Islands Council’s Education and Leisure Services in partnership with Orkney Alcohol and Drugs Partnership is teaming up with Scottish Youth Theatre, Scotland’s national theatre by and for young people, for a creative alcohol awareness project with all Primary 7 and Secondary 1 pupils in the county. The Wise Choices workshops will take place from March 8 to 19 2010 with organisers hoping to develop aspects of the workshops with schools in the future.

“Alcohol awareness is an important message for our young people”, says Chris Giles, Principal Teacher Expressive Arts. “We wanted to address the issue in a way that would engage the young people and make them actively think about the impact that alcohol abuse can have on our families and communities. What better way than to use drama to enable them to explore the many aspects of this critical subject in a relaxed and fun environment.”

Scottish Youth Theatre offers a range of workshops that use drama to help explore social issues. Recent collaborations have seen SYT work with Culture and Sport Glasgow to deliver the “Kool Kids” project with schools in North Glasgow focusing on themes of healthy living; with ChildLine to create and deliver a promotional DVD for its anti bullying service aimed at young males; with NCH Drama Project working with ‘at risk young people’ in Inverclyde on a long term project focused on personal and social development, and with the Southbank Centre in London on a nationwide project ‘Operation Soapbox’ that resulted in an exhibition about young people’s voices and opinions.

“An important part of Scottish Youth Theatre’s work is to partner a variety of organisations and use drama to help explore issues,” said Fraser MacLeod, Associate Director of Scottish Youth Theatre. He then continued, “young people are fantastically creative and our aim in all our collaborations is to harness this creativity. Through a series of workshops and performances the Orkney pupils will explore the impact of alcohol abuse. We hope they will then apply what they have learned in the workshops to make wise choices in their daily lives.”

Wise Choices will see two of Scottish Youth Theatre’s tutors, Steven Leach and Katriona Wilson, working with teachers and pupils over the next two weeks. Each day mixed groups of Primary 7 and Senior 1 pupils will come together for a series of workshops and performances. An associated CPD programme for teachers will enable them to then continue the project in schools across the islands.

“Sustainability is a crucial element of the this project,” adds Chris Giles. “Wise Choices is not simply a two week initiative, but will be developed by drama and class teachers across Orkney in the coming months to ensure that as many of our young people as possible can learn the message about wise choices.”

Orkney Islands Council

More alcohol sales sites in a neighborhood equate to more violence, and the highest assault rates are associated with carry-out sites selling alcohol for off-premise consumption, according to new research released Sunday Feb. 21 by two Indiana University professors.

Using crime statistics and alcohol outlet licensing data from Cincinnati to examine the spatial relationship between alcohol outlet density and assault density, Department of Criminal Justice professor William Alex Pridemore and Department of Geography professor Tony Grubesic found that off-premise outlets appeared to be responsible for about one in four simple assaults and one in three aggravated assaults.

The findings were released today at a press briefing titled "Using Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Analysis to Better Understand Patterns and Causes of Violence" and presented as part of the Feb. 18-22 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Diego, Calif.

"A higher density of alcohol sales outlets in an area means closer proximity and easier availability to an intoxicating substance for residents," Pridemore said. "Perhaps just as importantly, alcohol outlets provide a greater number of potentially deviant places. Convenience stores licensed to sell alcohol may be especially troublesome in this regard, as they often serve not only as sources of alcohol but also as local gathering places with little formal social control."

Using different suites of spatial regression models, the researchers found that adding one off-premise alcohol sales site per square mile would create 2.3 more simple assaults and 0.6 more aggravated assaults per square mile. Increases in violence associated with restaurants and bars were smaller but still statistically significant, with 1.15 more simple assaults created when adding one restaurant per square mile, and 1.35 more simple assaults per square mile by adding one bar.

"We could expect a reduction of about one-quarter in simple assaults and nearly one-third in aggravated assaults in our sample of Cincinnati block groups were alcohol outlets removed entirely," Grubesic noted. "These represent substantial reductions and clearly reveal the impact of alcohol outlet density on assault density in our sample."

The study examined 302 geographic block groups that encompassed all of Cincinnati, with each block group containing about 1,000 residents. Block groups are subdivisions of census tracts and represent the smallest unit available for socioeconomic analysis using data from the Census Bureau.

Crime statistics from January through June 2008 provided by the Cincinnati Police Department found 2,298 simple assaults and another 479 serious assaults had occurred in the study area during that time. The location of each of these criminal events was geocoded to show the precise location where they occurred. The researchers, using data from the Ohio Division of Liquor Control for Hamilton County, Ohio, then used the same geocoding techniques to spatially aggregate the city’s 683 unique alcohol sales outlets into those block groups. The arithmetic mean, or average, density of assaults was 69 per square mile, while the average density of alcohol outlets per square mile was 20.

The researchers pointed to possible implications from the research on both public policy and on future research within the field of criminology.

Pridemore said ecological studies of alcohol and violence similar to this one, while appearing more and more over the past 20 years in journals of disciplines like public health, geography and epidemiology, have been rare in criminology journals.

"We believe that alcohol outlets, as a source of community-level variation in levels of interpersonal violence, deserve greater attention in the criminological literature," he said. "The nature of our findings should encourage further investigation of the nature of the ecological association between alcohol, violence and other negative outcomes within communities."

Grubesic added that explanations for crime ecological theories like collective efficacy, social disorganization and social cohesion that rely on elements like poverty, ethnic heterogeneity, residential mobility, anonymity of community members and willingness to intervene on another’s behalf,are difficult to remedy through public policy. That is not the case with alcohol outlet density, he said.

"Alcohol outlet density, on the other hand, is much more amenable to policy changes," Grubesic pointed out. "Unlike other negative neighborhood characteristics that often seem intractable, regulating the density of outlets, and to some extent their management, can be readily addressed with a mixture of policies by liquor licensing boards, the police and government agencies that regulate land use."

Indiana University

Most adults are not strangers to Alcohol. Few would say they have never had a drink and, if asked, many could name their favourite drink whether it be a particular spirit, or cocktail, a brand of beer or a wine variety. Others would say that they do not drink for any one of a number of reasons including religious observance, health, physical intolerance or simply preference.

The Many Faces of Alcohol.

Alcohol has a revered and prominent place in society. People enjoy it as part of celebrations, comings of age, to relax with friends or alone and its presence has become part of happy memories for many folk.

But Alcohol also plays a role in the tragic aspects of our society: drink driving, domestic violence, child abuse, poverty and homelessness, cultural disintegration, serious chronic illness and accidents to name a few.

Alcohol means different things to different people. It has many faces!

So given the power that Alcohol has to contribute to the destruction of lives and factor into social problems, how is it also possible for some people to enjoy Alcohol and not succumb to its power?

Everyone has A Relationship with Alcohol.

Everyone has a different relationship with Alcohol. A lot of people consider their problems with Alcohol to be about personal failure.

A man who came to counselling recently described himself as “an alcoholic”. He spoke of having a “disease” and he said that he would always have this “sickness”. He said he was an “Addict” and “…once an Addict, always an Addict”.

Other people could drink, he said, but not him, because of his “Alcoholism”. He said this sickness might have been genetic; his father had also been a drinker and the man’s entire family had suffered because of alcohol related violence in their home. This man spoke of having an “Addictive Personality”.

One striking thing about this story is another aspect of Alcohol’s power. Alcohol has convinced this man he is sick. It has left him believing that there is something “wrong” with him.

This is, of course, a common way of looking at drinking problems and problems in general. A lot of problems these days are framed in terms of being “diseases”.

But the way this man describes himself also raises a question. Has Alcohol been let off the hook?

Sometimes people arrive at counselling not wanting abstinence but seeking to reduce or limit their drinking because it is “getting out of hand”. A beginning question to ask in this situation is: So what kind of relationship with Alcohol do you have now?

Perhaps Alcohol was once a great and trusted friend, who would help this person relax, or forget about his problems, or lubricate the way to a business deal. But this person has started to lose trust in himself not to embarrass himself with strangers or colleagues or even friends. Alcohol no longer serves a purpose but seems to have its own agenda. It has become like an unwelcome guest who has taken up residence in the home and even sometimes the workplace. It can no longer be trusted.

So what kind of relationship does this person want to have with Alcohol?

What Kind of Relationship with Alcohol do you Want to Have?

We would never let someone we mistrusted look after our children, or have the keys to our house or drive our car. But Alcohol has a habit of creeping into all of these roles. A starting point to dealing with drinking problems is to ask about the kind of relationship you currently have with Alcohol and, given what you know about it, what kind of relationship you would prefer to have.

For some people this might be a relationship of “moderation” (which can be quantified), or perhaps one where an association with Alcohol extends to specific times and places and not others. Some people may decide that there is no room for Alcohol in their home. Others may decide to cut all ties with Alcohol except the memory of why cutting these ties is so important.

These are decisions that will be dependant on your own history and hopes, values and commitments. They are personal decisions that take into account the knowledge and experience you have with Alcohol as well as the skills and support that you can bring into play in renegotiating a new relationship. All of these questions and answers can be explored and drawn out in conversation with a skilled counsellor or therapist.

So what kind of relationship with Alcohol do YOU want to have?

Forward Therapy

Alcoholism is a term that can be used interchangeably with alcohol addiction. Alcohol abuse, on the other hand, is often used to describe a person who may not drink on a daily basis—in fact, he may not even drink on a weekly or monthly basis—but when alcohol consumption does occur, it continues until the person has reached an extreme state of intoxication.

A person who suffers from alcoholism actually reaches a point to where his body requires frequent, usually daily, alcohol intake in order to prevent the body from immediately entering the withdrawal phase. In other words, specific physical and mental effects occur if the person does not drink.

A person who has a problem with alcohol abuse, on the other hand, may not even feel the desire or urge to drink at all. Instead, as frequently happens, he takes a drink, perhaps in a social setting, of an alcoholic beverage, then finds that he cannot stop until he is totally intoxicated, sometimes to the point that his life is actually put in danger.

Once this episode passes, and the person has recovered, it may be months before it happens again. In the meantime, there is still no change in the desire or urge to drink. Depending on various factors—for instance, the amount of time between alcohol abuse episodes is becoming shorter, or the last episode was a particularly dangerous one—a person who considers himself, or is considered to be suffer from alcohol abuse may decide that alcohol abuse treatment is warranted. To this end, there are programs which concentrate on alcohol abuse treatment.

Alcohol abuse treatment programs are similar to programs designed to treat alcoholism. The methods in these programs, however, may focus more on the triggers for alcohol abuse, such as a social gathering or the fact that alcohol is otherwise available. The patient can then learn how to control these triggers without necessarily having to avoid the situation all together.

Recover Forever

The phrase ‘Saga Lout’ was first coined back in 2007 when Dr Peter Rice, an expert in alcohol abuse, identified the increasing problem of elderly binge drinkers. Recent results from the Office for National Statistics have shown that the problem of alcohol abuse amongst the elderly is increasingly a cause for concern. In fact, it reported that the 65+ age group had "the highest figure for proportion of people who drank every day (15 per cent)." It also showed that there is a correlation between an increase in age and alcohol consumption: "The proportion of people who drink every day rises as age group rises. For example, 1 per cent of men and women aged 16 to 24 had drunk every day during the previous week, compared with 20 per cent of men and 11 per cent of women aged 65 and over."

So, why are the elderly increasingly turning to the drink? Sue Allchurch, director of Linwood Group, explains further: "The elderly of today are drinking far more than the generation before them. This can in part be explained by the fact that drinking in the home has become more socially acceptable over the past 30 years and that the comparative price of wine, beer and spirits has fallen significantly. In addition, home delivery services are now making it even easier to buy alcohol discretely.

"Alcohol is often used as a coping mechanism when a person faces stress and for the elderly this can be anything from dealing with social isolation, ill health or bereavement to simply a change in lifestyle following retirement. The reason that the media has been slow to pick up on this growing trend of alcohol abuse in the elderly is that the majority drink in the privacy of their own homes, rather than publicly in the pubs and clubs."

Results from a survey commissioned by Foundation66, found that out of the 800+ over 60’s questioned ‘13% said they drank more after retirement, despite the risks to their health’. So, why are alcohol and elderly consumers such a bad mix? Well, not only does a person’s capacity to tolerate alcohol deteriorate with age, but the dangers of alcohol are increased among older drinkers, particularly because of medication, frailty, and other health problems. The Department of Health recommends that men and women should not regularly drink more than 21 units and 14 units respectively of alcohol a week; exceeding these limits means that older people are particularly vulnerable to alcohol-induced memory problems and dementia. In addition, heavy drinking is associated with a raised risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, liver disease and certain cancers.

As drinking tends to be carried out in the privacy of the home and there are so few services set up specifically for late-onset drinking problems, the elderly might find it difficult to admit they have a drink problem or even see that their ‘harmless glass of wine’ every day might be doing more damage than good. If asked, they would most likely say that they were social drinkers, and yet could not imagine dinner or a bad day without alcohol. If you are unsure if that drink or two you, or a loved one, is having are becoming a damaging habit, Sue Allchurch recommends the following: "Keep an alcohol diary for a week or two and see just how much alcohol is actually being consumed. It will very soon become apparent by doing a diary, if that ‘odd’ drink is a regular occurrence or not."

To help identify if your drinking is becoming a problem rather than a pleasure, the Linwood Group has set up a Traffic Light System. By checking through the symptoms, you will quickly be able to see whether you are on green, amber or red alert with your drinking levels.

If you are worried about alcohol abuse in an elderly family member or friend, what can be done about it? The first step is to seek professional advice. This could be simply making an appointment with your GP to get help and advice, or it could be calling an approved treatment centre to talk through your issues and any possible treatment options. The first step is always the hardest, so make the choice today not to let alcohol steal yours or your family’s health any longer and make that call.

Linwood Manor

It is estimated that one in 17 people (6.4%) in Great Britain are alcohol dependent . Although alcohol dependence was once considered a problem associated with middle age, this is no longer the case. In fact a report by the Department of Health has shown that alcohol dependence is now highest in women between the ages of 16-24 and men between the ages of 25-34. So what is the definition of alcohol dependence and what can be done to encourage a person dependent on alcohol to seek help?

Sue Allchurch, director of Linwood Group, a leading provider of alcohol treatment facilities, explains further: "Alcohol dependence is characterised in a person by their increased tolerance to the effects of alcohol, the presence of characteristic withdrawal signs and symptoms, and impaired control over the quantity and frequency of their drinking. A person moving towards alcohol dependency will drink even when they know it is not safe and at levels way above the safe limits and their blood tests would show signs of dangerous drinking. They may have already experienced difficulties at work, home or even with the police. When a person reaches this stage, it is vital that they are encouraged to admit and confront their drinking, before it is too late."

So, what can be done to encourage a person to get the help they so desperately need? The first stage will be some form of intervention by family, friends or a trained professional. Alcohol addiction intervention is very often a key first step on a person’s road to recovery. Realisation that there is even a problem is vital if a person is going to be able to see that their drinking is out of control and that they need help. It is common for a person dependent on alcohol to deny that they have a problem when confronted and to blame, become angry, play the victim or use fear to avoid admitting the reality of the situation. This is where a professional interventionist can play a vital part in getting an addict to face the truth about their addiction.

Here are some things to keep in mind for those beginning to think about planning some sort of the path of alcohol treatment and intervention:

• Who to invite? Choose a selection of people closest to the person being challenged. This doesn’t have to just be family members, but can include best friends or significant others in their lives (it is recommended that children not be included). Avoid including friends or family struggling themselves with addictions, or those who could potentially prove untrustworthy with the details of the intervention to others.

• When and where? Try and arrange for the alcohol treatment intervention to take place somewhere the person goes to often. As it is best to try and time the intervention for shortly after a person’s last bout of drinking has occurred, the home is usually the most practical location. Remember, an intervention can be very emotional, so the venue should be chosen with this in mind.

• What needs to be said? Be specific. Use examples of the ways that the person’s drinking is impacting on you and the rest of the family and friends and include the latest incident as a prime example.

• Be clear on the next step. You need to make it obvious to your loved one what you will do if they refuse to seek help for their addiction.

• Know your options. Gather information in advance about the type of help available so you can immediately book an appointment for them with a treatment counsellor or GP if they agree to get help.

• Strength in numbers. If they refuse to get help, ask one of their most respected friends or family members to talk to them and reiterate the steps you have already outlined.

• Professional help? The benefit of having someone involved in the intervention who is professionally trained is that they are not emotionally tied to the situation, so can keep the process on track, steering a person towards the end goal of agreeing to get help. They are trained to handle any issues that arise during an intervention and can also escort the person to alcohol rehabilitation treatment then and there if required.

Linwood Manor

Open Minds, Chester
Abstinence-based alcohol treatment that integrates the 12-step model

About us:

Open Minds aims to improve the lives of people affected by alcohol by offering high quality, abstinence-based treatment that integrates the 12-step model with other appropriate therapies. It is committed to delivering a service that best meets the needs and interests of its clients.

Open Minds will exclude alcohol clients who have:

*psychiatric morbidity e.g. acute psychosis, requiring acute psychiatric treatment
*physical morbidity e.g. life threatening physical illness
*physical disabilities due to limited access.

Assessment and admissions; Following a telephone referral, potential alcohol clients are invited to attend an interview with a counsellor at Open Minds. An application form is completed and clients are encouraged to ask questions and to talk to clients on the programme.

Additional admissions services; Open Minds are able to carry out telephone assessments and it is happy for applicants to meet existing clients.

Harm reduction policies for alcohol clients leaving the programme early; Clients are encouraged to contact a family member, care manager or support worker before leaving. They are assisted in making plans for a safe journey and in deciding where they will stay on leaving the project.

Contact Details:

Open Minds
The Estates House
West Cheshire College
Eaton Road
Chester
Cheshire
CH4 7ER

Telephone: 01978 312 120

Peer pressure to drink to excess could be all in our minds according to a survey published for the Department of Health today.

A YouGov poll of more than 2,000 English adults suggests over one in five (22%) people who have ended up drinking more than planned put it down to peer pressure, while 39% of drinkers feel the need to make up an excuse or lie to justify refusing a drink.

However, the survey for the Department of Health’s ‘Alcohol Effects’ campaign shows this is unnecessary as it appears peer pressure hardly exists.

The poll found:

* only 1% of English adults who drink, think less of people who refuse a drink or choose to drink less than them;
* just 4% expect their friends to keep up with them when drinking; and
* only 2% admit to piling on the pressure for friends to drink more when they don’t want to.

The NHS recommends women do not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day (about 2 small glasses of wine), and men do not regularly drink more than 3-4 units a day (about two pints of beer).

Public Health Minister Gillian Merron said:

"Many of us enjoy a drink — drinking sensibly isn’t a problem, but too many are regularly drinking more than the NHS advises. This means you’re at higher risk of getting cancer or having a stroke or heart attack.

“This survey should encourage us all that it is ok to be honest with our friends about when we’ve had enough.

“Protecting our long-term health should be a good enough reason for anyone.”

Health and Wellbeing Expert Liz Tucker said:

“There is sometimes a certain amount of cajoling that goes on between friends on a night out to have an extra tipple, but people need to realise this is usually all in good jest, as this research backs up.

“In reality, nobody really minds when a friend calls it a night if they feel they’ve had enough, or when our partner doesn’t fancy sharing a bottle at home – and we should all feel confident enough to say so.”

Top tips

Rather than having to resort to bending the truth to avoid drinking, those wanting to drink less could try the following tips:

· Take it a day at a time: try and cut back a little every day. Each day you cut back is a success.

· Make it a smaller one: you can still enjoy a drink but have less. Try bottled beer instead of a pint or a small glass of wine instead of a large.

· Have a lower strength drink: manage how much you drink by swapping a strong strength beer or wine for one with a lower ABV.

· Take a break: have the odd day here and there when you don’t have a drink

The health facts:

· You could be three times more likely to have a stroke and three times more likely to get mouth cancer if you’re a man regularly drinking more than two pints of strong lager a day.

· You are 50% more likely to get breast cancer and twice as likely to have high blood pressure, which could lead to a stroke or a heart attack, if you’re a woman regularly drinking two glasses of wine or more a day.

Department of Health