"Oh no, I just said I wanted to die because I was drunk. I'm not really suicidal"
"I just cut myself when I drink."
" I punched the wall and broke my hand because I had a few drinks."
" I didn't really mean to threaten her life. I was drunk."
These are just a few quotes from actual patients I have had.
Approximately 190,000 ER visits by people under the age of 21 occurred in 2008.
Alcohol is the key to Pandora's box. It makes us MORE likely to be in fatal car accidents, get STD's, have unwanted pregnancies, feel depressed, act wrecklessly due to the depression, be perpetrators and victims of violence, commit suicide, and LESS likely seek help for ANY of these problems.
It made a patient in my St. Joseph's Hospital ER more likely to set her exam room on fire 5 months ago, while the department was filled with doctors, patients, even police. She had been told that if she left the ER while intoxicated, she would go to jail. So, she set the fire, and earned a visit to the psychiatric ward before going to jail.
For people engaged in underage drinking, add disruption of normal growth and development.
While underage drinking (drinking alcohol before age 21) is illegal, according to the CDC, people aged 12-20 drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the U.S. and more than 90% is consumed during binges. Youth drink more during binges than adults.
The Abuse, Addiction, and Affliction
What is Addiction?
According to the Encarta World English Dictionary, it is "a
physical or psychological need: a physical or psychological need to use a drug or other substance regularly, despite the fact that it is likely to have a damaging effect."
What is Abuse?
It is the "excessive consumption or misuse of substance: the excessive consumption or misuse of a substance for the sake of its non-therapeutic effects on the mind or body, especially drugs or alcohol."
According to Webster's 1913 Dictionary, Affliction is
n. 1. The cause of continued pain of body or mind, as sickness, losses, etc.; an instance of grievous distress; a pain or grief.
2. The state of being afflicted; a state of pain, distress, or grief.
Some virtues are seen only in affliction.
Would this include repeated incidents of public drunkenness, drunk driving, drinking heavily while already in trouble with the law,
calling police officers degrading names, writing "F U" on your middle finger, knowing you are going to court?
Yes.
The rich and famous culprits of the moment are, two in particular whose judgment has been so flawed that they cannot keep their issues from becoming public, overwhelming even the interest of the public in their troubles.
Now while these rich and famous folks, when presented with the title role model, shrug it off, I would say that they, especially at their worst, are the best role models through their negative reinforcement. We want the absence of such embarrassment and punishment so we act to avoid it. Many of us respond more to negative reinforcement, meaning we are more likely to abstain from underage drinking and alcohol abuse to AVOID the grief that comes with it. We look to celebrities for so much. Why not look to them to learn what not to do?
"I just cut myself when I drink."
" I punched the wall and broke my hand because I had a few drinks."
" I didn't really mean to threaten her life. I was drunk."
These are just a few quotes from actual patients I have had.
Approximately 190,000 ER visits by people under the age of 21 occurred in 2008.
Alcohol is the key to Pandora's box. It makes us MORE likely to be in fatal car accidents, get STD's, have unwanted pregnancies, feel depressed, act wrecklessly due to the depression, be perpetrators and victims of violence, commit suicide, and LESS likely seek help for ANY of these problems.
It made a patient in my St. Joseph's Hospital ER more likely to set her exam room on fire 5 months ago, while the department was filled with doctors, patients, even police. She had been told that if she left the ER while intoxicated, she would go to jail. So, she set the fire, and earned a visit to the psychiatric ward before going to jail.
For people engaged in underage drinking, add disruption of normal growth and development.
While underage drinking (drinking alcohol before age 21) is illegal, according to the CDC, people aged 12-20 drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the U.S. and more than 90% is consumed during binges. Youth drink more during binges than adults.
The Abuse, Addiction, and Affliction
What is Addiction?
According to the Encarta World English Dictionary, it is "a
physical or psychological need: a physical or psychological need to use a drug or other substance regularly, despite the fact that it is likely to have a damaging effect."
What is Abuse?
It is the "excessive consumption or misuse of substance: the excessive consumption or misuse of a substance for the sake of its non-therapeutic effects on the mind or body, especially drugs or alcohol."
According to Webster's 1913 Dictionary, Affliction is
n. 1. The cause of continued pain of body or mind, as sickness, losses, etc.; an instance of grievous distress; a pain or grief.
2. The state of being afflicted; a state of pain, distress, or grief.
Some virtues are seen only in affliction.
Would this include repeated incidents of public drunkenness, drunk driving, drinking heavily while already in trouble with the law,
calling police officers degrading names, writing "F U" on your middle finger, knowing you are going to court?
Yes.
The rich and famous culprits of the moment are, two in particular whose judgment has been so flawed that they cannot keep their issues from becoming public, overwhelming even the interest of the public in their troubles.
Now while these rich and famous folks, when presented with the title role model, shrug it off, I would say that they, especially at their worst, are the best role models through their negative reinforcement. We want the absence of such embarrassment and punishment so we act to avoid it. Many of us respond more to negative reinforcement, meaning we are more likely to abstain from underage drinking and alcohol abuse to AVOID the grief that comes with it. We look to celebrities for so much. Why not look to them to learn what not to do?
No comments:
Post a Comment