Alcohol Does Not Discriminate

If you would like to read about how anyone - including politicians - can suffer from substance abuse problems, read this article. Alcohol does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, wealth, class, or profession. And politicians from the left, right, and middle have all experienced problems.

Cocaine and the Facts

Our thanks to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for the following facts about Cocaine. 

Cocaine affects your brain. The word “cocaine” refers to the drug in both a powder (cocaine) and crystal (crack) form. It is made from the coca plant and causes a short-lived high that is immediately followed by opposite, intense feelings of depression, edginess, and a craving for more of the drug. Cocaine may be snorted as a powder, converted to a liquid form for injection with a needle, or processed into a crystal form to be smoked.

Cocaine affects your body. People who use cocaine often don’t eat or sleep regularly. They can experience increased heart rate, muscle spasms, and convulsions. If they snort cocaine, they can also permanently damage their nasal tissue.

Cocaine affects your emotions. Using cocaine can make you feel paranoid, angry, hostile, and anxious, even when you’re not high.

Cocaine is addictive. Cocaine interferes with the way your brain processes chemicals that create feelings of pleasure, so you need more and more of the drug just to feel normal. People who become addicted to cocaine start to lose interest in other areas of their life, like school, friends, and sports.

Cocaine can kill you. Cocaine use can cause heart attacks, seizures, strokes, and respiratory failure. People who share needles can also contract hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, or other diseases.


Pee Wee Herman Talks About Crack Cocaine

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From Drunk Boating to Drunk Driving in Anne Arundel

 

Don Dwyer, a member of the Anne Arundel County House of Delegates, had another alcohol related incident.  Last year he was arrested after crashing his boat while intoxicated.  There were several injuries.  That story is here. 
Delegate Dwyer was out on bond for the boating incident when he was arrested again.  He was arrested for drunk driving last month.  That story is here.  He is reportedly in rehab.

Want to more about driving and drinking?  Here are some facts from the Feds:

 -  Drunk driving is often a symptom of a larger problem: alcohol misuse and abuse.
 -  Alcohol-impaired motor vehicle crashes cost more than an estimated $37 billion annually.
 -  In 2010, more than 10,000 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes - one every 51 minutes.

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Gateway Drugs

What is a Gateway drug?  Gateway drugs are those that lead to the abuse of other more harmful drugs.  Generally, alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are considered to be Gateway drugs.  The theory is that young people begin using alcohol and tobacco because they are available.  To a young person, there is a lure to drinking and smoking (or dipping) because such use is exciting, risky, and it’s what adults do.  Marijuana is increasingly available as it becomes legalized.  Marijuana use is likely to increase the more it is decriminalized, particularly if it becomes completely legal, and marketed and distributed like alcohol and tobacco products.

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What is Binge Drinking?

When you were in college, did you and your buddies spend the week days planning how you would get totally trashed Friday night? Even now, do you look forward to a vacation where you will spend the nights - and days - drinking away? If so, you might be a binge drinker.

Binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men on an occasion during the past 30 days.  Binge drinking is reported by one in six adults in the United States.  Those who binge drink generally do so a lot, and with high intensity.  

Most binge drinkers are not alcoholics, so why is it bad?  According to this report, binge drinking is alcohol abuse and leads to more than half of the estimated 80,000 average annual deaths and three quarters of $223.5 billion in economic costs resulting from excessive alcohol consumption in the United States.

Bad things can happen when people consume lots of alcohol in one sitting, such as unintentional injuries (e.g., car crashes, falls, burns, drowning), intentional injuries (e.g., firearm injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence), alcohol poisoning, sexually transmitted diseases, and unintended pregnancy.  A pattern of binge drinking in the long term can lead to high blood pressure, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, liver disease, neurological damage, sexual dysfunction, and poor control of diabetes.

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Maryland Politician Blames Alcohol Abuse on Fellow Politicians

Not "Driving Under the Influence," but "Boating Under the Influence."   That's what happens when country club politicians drink and play in their powerboats.  Maryland Delegate Don Dwyer (R-Anne Arundel County), was charged last month with operating a vehicle while under the influence. 

His drinking and boating were discovered when his boat was apparently hit by another boat - Dwyer does not appear to be the cause of the accident or the resulting injuries to others when his boat sank.  But getting soaked - and not with water - as a boat captain is against the law.  The story is here and here.  Check out this YouTube video showing what can happen.

It's Dwyer's later comments that cause further eye brow raising.  He said that state legislators who voted for Maryland's same-sex marriage bill forced him to drink.  That story is here. 

He was recently removed from the House Judiciary Committee where he had been a member for the last eleven years. 

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What Drinkers Avoid Reading About: Alcohol and Your Liver

Here is a reminder about drinking alcohol and your liver. It is not material that heavy drinkers enjoy reading, but it's critical to know.

Your healthy liver metabolises alcohol at the rate of about one drink an hour. But that doesn't mean you should consume one alcoholic drink an hour every day. When you drink regularly - a lot - your liver becomes fatty. This reduces the ability of your liver to metabolize alcohol. This occurrence is reversible - just stop or substantially reduce your alcohol intake. But when you continue to drink heavily beyond this stage in your life, you might develop an inflamed liver, or alcohol hepatitis. At this point, the damage is reversible.

Most everyone knows that continued heavy drinking over your lifetime may cause your liver to become cirrhotic. That is when your liver has become shrunken and scarred. About 15–20% of chronic heavy drinkers develop hepatitis or cirrhosis. You can prevent further damage to your liver - but not reverse it.  Continued drinking after this stage can result in liver failure and death.

Now keep those New Year's resolutions about cutting back on drinking! 

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DWI City Councilman Parks Van in Neighbor's Yard

A City Councilman from Lorain, Ohio tried to park his van in his driveway, but it became stuck in the tree lawn.  The problem was that it wasn't his driveway or lawn, and he was allegedly intoxicated.

He took a field sobriety test, but reportedly refused a breathalyzer test.  The story is here.

Wow, scrolling down I notice several blog posts here about politicans from Ohio.  What's up?


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"Addiction Can Touch Anyone"

 

We couldn't have said it better ourselves:  "Addiction can touch anyone."  That's from this short but informative article from Fox4kc.com.  We quote in full this important point:

Addiction can touch anyone, ravaging physical and mental health, relationships and personal finances. No one is immune to the frightening long-term impact of hard drug abuse. What follows is a sobering depiction of real individuals who`ve fallen victim to the temptation of drug use — in this case, Methamphetamine — whose devastating effects are all too apparent.

The article then goes on to display the ravaging effects of methamphetamine addiction.  It's worth checking out. 

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Ohio Politician Arrested

We are not too sure where Hanging Rock, Ohio is located.  But the Mayor of that town was arrested for either operating a vehicle while intoxicated, or for physical control of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.  We're not too sure of that, either.  The story is here.

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Senators Are Not High and Mighty - Just DUI

 

Many people drink during the holidays, and as a result, many people are cited for drunk driving.  The people who earn our trust and votes, and who are thereby elected to public office unfortunately are no exception.   Though they may think they are high and mighty, it turns out they just have too much to drink every now and then.

At least that may have been the case with Senator Michael D. Crapo, a Republican from Idaho.  His party affiliation is identified here, though we caution you that no political party has the monopoly on substance abuse and addiction.  Alcohol tempts and seduces rich and poor, leaders and followers, bosses and workers, and Democrats and Republicans.  This time our post is about a Republican, but next time it is just as likely to be a drunk Democrat.  This is no political rant, folks. 

Senator Crapo was arrested in the wee hours of December 23rd for suspicion of drunk driving.  The story is here.   It is reported that his blood alcohol level was 0.11 percent - well over the 0.08 percent limit of Virginia where he was arrested.  If your blood alcohol level is 0.11, you may experience mood swings, feel angry or sad, have impaired reaction times, decreased motor control, stagger and speak with slurred speach.  We don't know how much the good Senator weighs, but to get a BAC of 0.11, a 200 lb. person would have to throw back around five drinks, at least according to this BAC chart.   

Senator Crapo is the fifth-ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.  According to the biography on his website, Senator Crapo graduated from Brigham Young University and received his law degree from Harvard Law School.  After law school he clerked for the Ninth Circuit and became a partner in a law firm.

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Cleveland City Councilman Arrested

 

Last month a Cleveland City Councilman was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving after he was caught speeding.  Later he entered a plea of not guilty.  There are reports his measured blood alcohol level was only 0.056, which is below the 0.08 legal limit.  The councilman suggested it was just the case of a guy having a drink while watching a football game.  You can catch him speaking about the incident here. 

An interesting situation developed, which was the recusal of Judge Angela Stokes and the other Cleveland Municipal Court judges.  Since the Cleveland City Council controls the court budget, a conflict of interest exists.  See here.  What now?




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Mayor from Scottville, Michigan Arraigned For DUI

The city of Scottville, Michigan is comprised of a small community in Mason County, approximately 8 miles east of Lake Michigan. The population was 1,214 as reported by the 2010 census. Scottville is the home of the Scottville Clown Band which performs at over 60 parades and concerts each year all throughout the Midwest. It sounds like a wonderful place where everyone has nothing but good days.

When the mayor of Scottville, Michigan rolled his pickup truck into a ditch he must have suspected that he was having a bad day. But when his blood alcohol level was reportedly measured above the legal limit, and he faced drunk driving charges, all doubt was probably removed.

The mayor's driving catastrophe occurred on October 18th. His arraignment was this month. He pled not guilty and a pretrial conference was set for January 21st. See here and here for more details.

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Treating Alcoholism

Did you know that about 30% of people with an alcohol problem are able to limit how much they drink or even refrain completely from drinking without professional help?  So says information from Medical News Today, which contains an abundance of useful information about alcohol abuse and addiction.  Books and information online can assist people in this do-it-yourself approach. 

However for people with serious problems, treatment from a qualified counselor may be necessary.  A counselor can help diagnose and treat substance abuse issues as well as any underlying problems ssuch as self-esteem, stress, anxiety, depression or other mental health issues. 

The MNT website is worth checking out for all kinds of useful information. 

Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator.

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Political Officer Arrested For DUI - This Time It's A Republican

Last month a former California political party chairman was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.  It was the former California GOP chairman.  Though we caution you that no party has the monopoly on substance abuse.  The story is here. 

 A driver tends to stand out while motoring down the freeway at 3:20 in the morning.  When the driver starts weaving, he is sure to attract the attention of the California Highway Patrol,  And that is exactly what happened.  Worse, the driver smelled of alcohol, spoke with blurred speech, and failed a field sobriety test. 

Fortunately the former GOP chairman was not involved in an accident.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports the following:

In 2010, 10,228 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (31%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.

Of the 1,210 traffic deaths among children ages 0 to 14 years in 2010, 211 (17%) involved an alcohol-impaired driver.

Of the 211 child passengers ages 14 and younger who died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2010, over half (131) were riding in the vehicle with the alcohol-impaired driver.

In 2010, over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.3 That's one percent of the 112 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.

Drugs other than alcohol (e.g., marijuana and cocaine) are involved in about 18% of motor vehicle driver deaths. These other drugs are often used in combination with alcohol.

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Local Florida Politician Has Bad Week

Photo by Julica da Costa

The vice mayor of Maitland, Florida, Phil Bonus, had a bad week earlier this month. First it was announced that his name appeared on the client list of a suspected brothel. Then the local news media got hold of a police video showing his arrest for drunk driving. The story from WFTV is here.

The video, from Bonus’ arrest in December, shows him struggling to complete a field sobriety test.

Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways. It can affect the way your brain works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination.

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Can you be “Almost” An Alcoholic?

Over at the Huffington Post there is an excellent article by clinical psychologist Joseph Nowinski. Nowinski describes our tendency to categorize drinkers as being either alcoholics or “the rest of us” – that is, non-alcoholics. After all, can a woman be “almost” pregnant? But Nowinksi shows that society’s understanding of drinking behavior is inaccurate.

You most likely know that alcohol is an addictive substance. Over the course of time, drinking may lead to physical dependence. So the truth about drinking Nowinski writes, is that that drinking behavior may generally fall into four categories. There are non-problem social drinkers; drinkers tending to be almost alcoholic; alcohol abusers; and finally, alcoholics. But Nowinski stresses that there are infinite degrees of differences between each category.

Being “almost alcoholic” may result in adverse affects, such as poor sleep and the resulting loss of energy and vitality. There are several other effects of which you should be aware. So I definitely recommend that you read Nowinski’s article if you want to get a handle on understanding drinking behavior and the consequences.

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Oklahoma GOP Wants You Piss-Tested

You probably know that several states are passing laws that require welfare recipients to be tested for drugs. Those states include Utah, Florida, Arizona, and Missouri. The funny thing is that politicians don’t mind ordering citizens without power and means to subject to drug tests, but they exempt themselves. The latest example is in Oklahoma. In the military I was taught leadership by example. That does not seem to exist among our elected representatives.

The idea behind welfare drug testing is apparently that those on welfare should not be spending taxpayer dollars on illegal drugs. Welfare recipients should be spending state money on essential items like food and housing.

I have a few questions. Who will do the drug tests? Who will pay for them? Will this also be more taxpayer money spent? Did drug testing companies lobby politicians to get these bills passed? Will this be more government regulations, more government employees to keep track of the testing, to monitor the testing, to watch people pee in a bottle, to inspect the drug testing facilities, etc?

If you ask me, it seems like many times it is the politicians who act like they are on drugs and need to be piss-tested.



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City Council Member In Alabama Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges

On December 3rd, police from Tuscaloosa, Alabama went to an apartment in search of a possible witness to a murder. At the apartment they found two men who allowed them inside. Although the police found no witness, they did find crack cocaine and crack pipes in plain view. The two men were arrested. One turned out to be Kip Tyner, the 56-year-old City Council member. The story of the arrest is here and here.

As part of his plea, Tyner will apparently enter a court-monitored counseling program. Details about the requirements of the program are reported here.

Crack cocaine is a highly addictive and powerful stimulant that is derived from powdered cocaine. Crack emerged as a drug of abuse in the mid-1980s. It is abused because it produces an immediate high and because it is easy and inexpensive to produce.

Cocaine, in any form, is powerfully addictive. But addiction develops more quickly when the drug is smoked in crack form as opposed to being snorted – though snorting cocaine is addictive, too.

Cocaine use causes constricted blood vessels; increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure; and risk of cardiac arrest and seizure. Crack users may also experience acute respiratory problems, such as coughing, shortness of breath, and lung trauma and bleeding. Crack cocaine smoking also can cause aggressive and paranoid behavior.



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Top FAA Official, Randy Babbitt, Steps Down Following DWI Arrest

It didn’t take long for the Federal Aviation Administration to take down the web page of its Administrator - well, former Administrator - Randy Babbitt.

Babbitt was arrested on December 5, 2011 after he drove on the wrong side of the road. The story is here.

Babbitt , a former pilot, was the top aviation safety official in the United States. He quickly resigned so as not to bring further discredit to the FAA.

Babbitt is not the driver in the video below, however it does depict unsafe driving.



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