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MADD Victim Support Service – A Ray of Light!

Posted on May 06, 2010

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Victim Support Services are a ray of light. This non-profit organization that seeks to stop drunk driving, and support those affected by drunk driving is based out of Irving, Texas. It was founded in the 1980’s the founder’s 13-year-old daughter was killed by a drunk driver.

The Goals of MADD

• To inform people about the harms of drinking and driving and helping victim assistance
• Advocating stronger laws such as raising the illegal blood alcohol content to .08% or higher and tougher punishments for DUI offenders, like automatic jail time, forced treatment for alcoholism and license suspensions
• Assisting those harmed by drunk driving (like family members and other loved ones of both innocent victims and guilty impaired drivers).
• Preserving the minimum drinking age at 21 years
• The using of alcohol breath testing ignition interlock devices (IIDs) when driver are convicted of DUI.

MADD’s Victim Support Services

MADD promotes victim impact panels (VIPs), this means a judge is required to hear victims or the kin of victims of DUI accidents tell their story. MADD got over $3,000,000 in 2004 from VIPs. A lot of this money was given freely by those witnessing in VIPs. A few states, including Massachusetts, allow victims of crimes, even DUI crashes, to give VIPs before the sentencing so that juries and judges can know the impact on victims in deciding on a sentence a person receives. The stories are very emotional, contain details, are graphic, and focus on the terrible negative effect of driving while intoxicated and alcohol caused accidents. The John Howard Society says that some studies show that permitting people to make statements and to give testimony has a psychologically benefit for them and help with their recovery and in their feelings about the criminal justice system.

MADD’s Impact on Drunk Driving Laws

Previously, MADD was really occupied with trying to lower the legal limit for blood alcohol from BAC .10 to BAC .08. In 2000, this level was approved by the House of Representatives and before 2006, all states had an illegal .08 BAC limit. MADD in Canada is asking for a maximum legal BAC of .05. MADD leaders have supported a limit like this, MADD in the United States has not yet officially asked for a legal limit of .05.

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Alcoholism Treatment Centers in US

Posted on Apr 23, 2010

Alcoholism treatment Centers in the US provide rehabilitation services for alcoholics. Finding the best alcoholism treatment center for each person’s unique problems can be a hard thing to do. A large amount of information on alcoholism treatment centers is readily available online; however, much of it is too difficult to sift through to be useful.

What should an Ideal Alcoholism Treatment Center Has to Offer?

There are some places where centralized information exists. Places where alcoholics and their loved ones can join together on the internet and share their knowledge rely on each other and spread hope. They can also let other people know about what they have seen at alcoholism treatment centers specifically. The best alcoholism treatment centers will have this service available.

Multiple Diagnoses and Alcoholism Treatment Centers in US

Alcoholism treatment centers exist to help people that cannot shake off the harms from alcoholism, learn what they need to enjoy life, live healthy and be free from alcohol dependency. These facilities are made to help alcoholics to recover physically, heal their mind and regain spirituality. They also can learn about themselves in an alcohol-free environment. The first turn on the road to healing oneself from alcoholism is the will to go through a treatment, and to find an alcoholism treatment center, that is best able to help to a person’s specific problem. Most alcoholism treatment centers can handle the mental health services.

Alcoholism and mental health related disorders often go hand and hand. So called dual diagnosis is growing in popularity in alcoholism treatment centers. Some alcoholism treatment centers specialize in double diagnosis treatment and have drug rehab and other dependency related rehab services as a main focus of their double diagnosis rehabilitation programs. This should be part of the alcoholism treatment center’s program that you choose if it is one of the best.

How to Find the Best Centers

Alcoholism treatment centers and programs in the U.S. have multiplied incredibly and almost all of these centers have mental health, eating disorder, and sex addiction treatment along with drug and alcoholism treatment programs. These double and triple diagnosis treatments are a boon for the addicts and the center alike. Alcoholism treatment center clearing houses exist on the web and organizations like MADD, SADD, and other community based groups that deal with drinking and driving should be able to steer you in the right direction.

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Harsh Realities of Drunk Driving – Sad but True!

Posted on Mar 22, 2010

There are some harsh realities surrounding drinking and driving that you might not want to swallow but you need to be aware of them. At the risk of going against popular opinion, most Americans have driven a car after having too many drinks and the overwhelming majority makes it home without causing an accident or being stopped by police. This does not change the fact that there are deaths, but this fact cannot be disputed.

Some Drunk Driving Facts you don’t want to know

How many times has a driver driven while intoxicated before he or she gets into an accident or is caught by law enforcement? Experts say 80 times. This is a real confidence builder for those behind the wheel. Mix this fact with the fact that most first time DUI offenders do not spend time in jail after their first drunk driving conviction and most DWI accidents are not fatal and you have a cocktail for disaster. After all of this experience by the drunken driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving , SADD and other anti-DUI groups start to sound like Chicken Little or the boy who cried wolf.

Harsh Realities and the Evolution of Drinking and Driving

When a species has no natural predators and natural selection is turned on its head by the fact that stupid people breed at a much faster rate than intelligent folks, you have to wonder what the cosmos will do to thin the herd. Maybe drunk driving is Mother Nature’s way of balancing the scales? Yeah, I know, every now and then the earth throws in a mass conflagration like a major earthquake, volcanic eruption or tsunami, but is this really enough to turn the tide? Have you ever wondered if maybe the Illuminati are already one step ahead of us and this is part of their grand plan? Makes you stop and think right? Why do bars have such large parking lots?

Conspiracy to Promote Drunk Driving

In some places in Texas, they tow away every car left on the street after 3am in the downtown district. Just think, you had a few too many at the bar that closes at 2 am. You stagger out to your ride and you remember some MADD slogan and you say “I am going to take a cab”. Then in another moment of clarity you think, “if I leave my car on the street it will be towed and the impound fee is $250 bucks. Maybe I do a little DWI its only two blocks?” Then –whamo blamo– the new top predator, a Ford Excursion, flattens your Geo Metro. Cha-Ching, one point for Darwin! Sometimes it seems like that catch-22 is out to get you.

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