A blog about substance abuse among our elected officials and all government officials. The purpose is not necessarily to embarass or humiliate, but to provide awareness of substance abuse and addiction problems.
Link Back to Substance Abuse CLE - Approved California MCLE Online
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.
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.
The financial situation in Los Angeles is so serious, according to the city controller, that the city will run out of cash in a month. Read here. So what is the city’s top budget analyst doing about it? Apparently driving around drunk in a city car! Here's the story.
Los Angeles’s City Administrative Officer, Miguel Santana, was arrested March 26, 2010 by the California Highway Patrol for allegedly driving under the influence after attending a charity event.
The CHP reported that Santana was speeding in a car owned by the city when he was pulled over. It was a Honda Civic. Hmm, at least he was getting good gas mileage! Santana was arrested in Covina, near Citrus Avenue and Navilla Place. He failed a field sobriety test. He submitted to a blood-alcohol test, but the CHP refused to release the results.
Santana had apparently been working on trying to solve L.A.’s $212-million budget deficit, which is expected to more than double next year. Four thousand jobs are on the line. Is the mayor sure he has the right man for the job? Santana reportedly entered treatment and will be away from his office for weeks.
Being arrested is one thing, being convicted is another. But if Santana is convicted and has his driving privileges suspended, he will be Walking in L.A.!
Think one little alcohol related incident won’t ruin your day, or have much effect on your life? Perhaps that is what California State Senator Roy Ashburn thought as he left a Sacramento bar around 2:00 a.m. and drove off. That’s probably not what he is thinking now. After police saw him driving erratically, he was pulled over and arrested for DUI. That in itself could be a big deal for a Republican who has tried to position himself as being strong on moral family values. In such a case, just one DUI could ruin a person’s career. Well, as we hear so often on commercials: but wait, there’s more! It is alleged that the bar from which the conservative state senator emerged in his drunken stupor was none other than Faces, a well-known Sacramento gay bar!
Stories are all over the internet. For a story on his arrest, see this short AP report. For the more provocative stories concerning where may have been, see here and here.
Hey Senator, take a walk on the wild side? For the purposes of the Drunk Politician Blog, we could care less whether or not someone is gay, straight, Democrat or Republican. The point is that a person’s sexual orientation or political philosophy doesn’t have anything to do with substance abuse. Alcohol does not discriminate! Alcohol is a strong contributing factor in putting Senator Ashburn in the position he is now in.
There is some dispute about whether the senator really did come from a gay bar. See here. Perhaps this is just some political hit job perpetrated by opponents of California’s Proposition 8, a voter initiative which officially makes marriage in California between a man and a woman. Senator Ashburn is known to have been in favor of Proposition 8. He has also taken a position on other legislation for which he has been labeled as being “anti-gay.” He has made lots of political enemies.
Forget the political debate for a second. The point we are making here is that were it not for his excessive alcohol consumption and his apparent decision to drive while intoxicated, would Senator Ashburn be in the center of this controversy now? Most definitely not.
In the military, Senator Ashburn’s DUI would be classified as an alcohol related incident and annotated in his record book. This is just one occasion of alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse differs from alcohol dependence, in that it is not a disease. A person can abuse alcohol without being an alcoholic. A person may drink too much and too often but still not be dependent on alcohol. Some alcohol related problems include not being able to meet work, school, or family responsibilities; drunk-driving arrests and car crashes; and drinking-related medical conditions. Under some circumstances, even social or moderate drinking is dangerous--for example, when driving, during pregnancy, or when taking certain medications.
Something else Senator Ashburn should have considered is that alcohol depresses your central nervous system, lowers your inhibitions, and impairs your judgment. Drinking can lead to risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex - but we won’t go there in this post!
