Posted on 08/15/2015 9:33:07 AM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion
A decade ago, as attorney general of South Dakota, Larry Long saw the need for a more direct approach and launched a program called “24/7 Sobriety.” I first encountered 24/7 Sobriety five years ago, and it confounded much of what I had learned in my years as an addiction-treatment professional.
On a clear South Dakota morning, I found myself in a Sioux Falls police station, waiting for more than a hundred repeat offenders to appear for court-mandated appointments. They had to blow into a breathalyzer to prove that they had not been drinking. I expected that many wouldn’t show up; I felt sure that many of those who did show up would be intoxicated—and the rest would be surly.
But every single offender trooped peacefully by, chatted briefly with a friendly officer, blew a negative test and went on his or her way. This was remarkable and new to me, particularly because it was almost absurdly simple.
Offenders in 24/7 Sobriety can drive all they want to, but they are under a court order not to drink. Every morning and evening, for an average of five months, they visit a police facility to take a breathalyzer test. Unlike most consequences imposed by the criminal justice system, the penalties for noncompliance are swift, certain and modest. Drinking results in mandatory arrest, with a night or two in jail as the typical penalty.
The results have been stunning. Since 2005, the program has administered more than 7 million breathalyzer tests to over 30,000 participants. Offenders have both showed up and passed the test at a rate of over 99%.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
My favorite Addams cartoon is the one where a middle age couple answers their front door on Halloween, and the woman tells the little kid, “I’m sorry little boy; we’re all out of candy.”
The little “boy” is dressed like a space alien, and he’s holding a ray gun. He’s not really a “little boy;” he actually IS a space alien!
The rest of the cartoon shows the other homes and lawns in the couple’s neighborhood. Alien spacecraft have landed all over the place, and little aliens with ray guns are running in all directions towards the houses.
The sky above the neighborhood is loaded with additional alien spacecraft, stretching all the way to the horizon, as far as the eye can see.
It seems to me that many localities are more interested in the revenue generated from DUI than they are in actually trying to stop it. My perception is that I live in one of those localities that are not as interested in stopping it as they are in profiting from it.
I’ve lived in Southern California.
During the winter months, in non-drought years, you would be extremely happy, because the rain comes out of the sky in buckets, sometimes six inches or more per storm.
They’re expecting an “El Nino” this winter, so the skies will probably be opening up in California in four of five months.
Thank you. I just did that and it works.
Such great twisted humor, I always like the one of
the two kids building a roaring fire in the fire place
and the parents are on the balcony and one says,
“The little dears, they still believe in Santa Claus!”.
Yes, the cure is to STOP DRINKING.
People who drink do not seem to compute the idea
that as long as you are intaking alcohol you are
and alcoholic and the only way to deal with it is
to STOP DRINKING, totally.
Alcohol free for thirty years.
Apparently other states are adopting the program.
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=24/7+sobriety+program&start=20
The great benefit of AA and other programs is they give the recovering alcoholic a process to clean up the 'ic' in their life. Without this they are almost certain to drink again and be right back where they left off or worse.
"Ceterum censeo 0bama esse delendam."
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Or the Addams cartoon where a man up late reading in his easy chair slowly realizes that the CBS logo on his TV screen has turned into a large malevolent human eye casting its baleful gaze in his direction.
Creepy.......
As long as they quit at the right time to get the BAC back to zero, I think this is wishful thinking.
The author explains that there are indeed people who do exactly that. And, precisely because they are problem drinkers, fail to control their impulses - and fail their next required breathalyzer test on that account.This program works on people who have a drinking problem, precisely because they do have a drinking problem.
“It worked for me.”
what is the google search page url you used, because NOTHING worked for me.
thanks.
10,000? that it?
why do we care about 10,000 people a year when we're killing 1,200,000 every single year via abortion?
the logic just escapes me
I’m using the “search” box in my firefox browser.
It’s not house arrest to not be able to drive. It just means life gets more challenging. Once driving down the road I passed a series of 5 or 6 bike rider. All were dressed like normal people with physical jobs no spandex. Each was towing something, from baby trailers to jury-rigged red wagons. And each thing being towed was filled with tools. Pretty clearly some sort of construction crew, probably got fond of tying one on near some job, and got busted. But still managing to find a way to go to work. And probably getting a lot less fond of alcohol along the way.
I want in, to be the wholesaler of Drug Testing Kits.
Cha-ching.
Try doing it when it’s 110. Decisions have consequences. Doesn’t change the fact that a loss of license is NOT house arrest and they CAN go on with their lives and their jobs it’s just going to be a tough road for them.
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