Timely alcohol detox saves the lives of drunk drivers and their accident victims

If you think that drinking alcohol is a normal and acceptable social activity, you have plenty of company. The vast majority of Americans never think about the potential disaster driving home after lifting a few could cause, much less the risk of alcohol addiction. That’s something that happens to movie stars and rock musicians who end up in hip country club alcohol detox centers.

So let me ask you a few questions: Why is it okay to get drunk at all parties since high school? Get drunk every weekend at college and keep getting drunk at party after party as life progresses? And what’s worse, why is it okay to drive home drunk? Why are people laughing at that instead of getting into the alcohol detox where it should be?

And here’s another: Why is drinking at a party different from going to a friend’s barbecue where everyone is shooting heroin? Or are you sprawled on yoga mats smoking raw opium? Because the only real differences between alcohol and illegal drugs have nothing to do with addiction or danger, but with social mores and the fact that alcohol is legal and cheap.

For some 25 million Americans, alcohol has proven to be just as addictive, and much more physically debilitating, than most other addictive drugs. Not only that, although heroin and opium can be difficult and extremely uncomfortable to leave without a drug detox, withdrawal rarely kills anyone. Alcohol withdrawal, on the other hand, can actually kill someone unless there are experienced alcohol detox professionals in the case.

Every day we read about a person arrested for DUI, about alcohol-related injuries, crimes, and tragic deaths – things we rarely consider when looking for another drink at a party. If they are famous, the reporter may add that the person is “entering an alcohol detox” or something like that, which is commendable and no joke, by the way.

But when was the last time you heard on the news that someone driving under the influence of opium or heroin hit a divider and killed someone? I can’t remember such a story, and maybe it could happen. But millions more people drive under the influence of alcohol than narcotics, and this affects drivers much more seriously.

And while most people would react negatively to any suggestion that they try heroin or opium at a neighborhood barbecue or elsewhere, many continue to drink until they stagger and then pick up their car keys and head for the door. They should take a taxi, probably to the nearest alcohol detox center.

I’m not sure of any scientific surveys, but I think people with real alcohol problems are the ones who drink and drive regularly, not the occasional drinkers. These people should have the keys removed and engaged in alcohol detoxification and rehabilitation to deal with their problems.

Here is an example of it. A 32-year-old West Virginia man was recently convicted of driving under the influence, causing death. Police said Brian Stone of Gans, Pennsylvania, killed five people from two different families while driving drunk on Interstate 68 in West Virginia last year. Prosecutors said Stone’s car was filled with beer and his blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit.

Police say Stone killed Courtney Evans, 31, and Sawyer Evans, 12, and wounded Sheena Evans, 29, and their youngest son, John, 3. Stone also killed Donnell Perry, 52, and his daughters Jacquesha Perry, 13, and Jentil Perry, 15, and injured family members Marcia Perry, Justine Perry, 18, Cory Perry, 10, Aynna de 8-year-old Perry and Mia Barnes, 18 months.

Now here’s the catch: This was the seventh time Stone was arrested for DUI, five times in the last five years alone. This is a person who needed alcohol detox and rehab a long time ago. An alcohol detox could have paved the way for a full alcohol rehab program that actually saved the lives of five adults and children, and rescued the life of a young man who is now looking at possibly decades in prison.

The total cost to society of alcohol abuse dwarfs the costs of all other drugs. If someone you know and care for has an alcohol problem, speak with an alcohol detox counselor as soon as possible. It is never too early to take someone on an alcohol detox that can open the door to full rehab and a sober life.