ILCAAAP News, April 2005, Volume 68, No. 1

April Is Alcohol Awareness Month

Together We Can Stop Underage Drinking

Alcohol is the drug most frequently used by American teenagers. It is consumed more frequently than all other illicit drugs combined and contributes to an estimated 1,400 student deaths, 500,000 injuries, and 70,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape each year on college campuses across the nation, according to a report issued by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

It's time for the nation to acknowledge that alcoholism is a disease, not a rite of passage," says Stacia Murphy, President of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. "America's adults can no longer evade the serious consequences of underage and excessive college drinking. Alcohol is constantly marketed to underage drinkers and is strongly associated with athletic and social events popular with high school and college students. Establishments knowingly serve underage drinkers at happy hours, two-for-one and all-you-can-drink specials, often with a wink and nod to fake identification. And, sadly, many underage drinkers are often first presented with alcohol in their own living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchens."

Binge drinking, the most prevalent form of underage drinking, is as common as it was in the early 1990's indicating that efforts to combat the phenomenon have so far failed. "You've seen the footage on television news programs and print publications," says Murphy. "Young men and women literally pouring beer and other alcoholic beverages down their throats without any regard for the tragic consequences that typically follow from this kind of behavior. These students think they're having a great time, being 'grown-up.' Unfortunately, as many as 360,000 of the nation's 12 million undergraduates will ultimately die from alcohol-related causes. This is more than the total number who will be awarded advanced degrees."

While the issue of underage drinking is a complex problem, one that can only be solved through a sustained and cooperative effort between parents, schools, community leaders, and the children themselves, there are three areas which have proven to be effective in prevention of underage drinking: curtailing the availability of alcohol, consistent enforcement of existing laws and regulations, and changing norms and behaviors through education. In addition, the alcohol beverage industry has a responsibility to discourage underage drinking and to curtail advertising and marketing that appeal to underage youth.

According to Murphy, "As a society, we've got to do a far better job persuading our citizens and our young people that alcohol use is a dead end, that they are playing Russian roulette, not only with their own lives, but with the lives of friends, neighbors, and loved ones."

Reprinted from the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
2005 Alcohol Awareness Month Kit.

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Staff Activities

In order to give our readers an idea of how and where their donations are allocated, some of our activities are listed here.

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Legislative Highlights

Alcohol Legislation

The following alcohol bills will be voted on in the House:

House Bill 1285 allows aldermen, members of the city council, village board, or county board to manufacture, sell, or distribute alcohol--currently prohibited by law. Alcohol laws are regulated at the local level. Indirectly these public officials are responsible for law enforcement in the community. From a public perspective, this appears to be a conflict of interest.

House Bill 48 repeals the law enacted last year to allow the sale of alcohol in a "dry" township for an agricultural event. HB 48 will allow people living in "dry" townships to maintain their quality of life and not override a vote of the people.

Senate Bill 244 allows a restaurant that has been operating for 10 years without an alcohol license to sell alcohol not less than 50 feet from a school with the approval of the school principal and the alderman. SB 244 weakens the Liquor Control Act and sets precedence for other restaurants to do the same. This bill passed in the Senate and was sent to the House.

Senate Bill 327 allows an exemption to the IL Liquor Control Act to sell alcohol at a restaurant at a parking garage at the University of Illinois in Champaign. Expanding the number of liquor licenses and making alcohol more accessible on the college campus will increase alcohol use. This bill passed in the Senate and was sent to the House.

The following alcohol bills will be voted on in the Senate:

Senate Bill 478 allows an exemption to the IL Liquor Control Act to sell alcohol at the Pavilion on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago during games for the Chicago Storm professional soccer team and women's professional basketball. Alcohol and underage drinking are causing major problems on college campuses. Selling alcohol at the college for professional sporting events will exacerbate the problem and lead to further exemptions.

Contact your state Legislators to voice your concerns or support (217-782-2000).

Gambling Legislation

The following gambling bills will be voted on in the Senate.

Senate Bill 198 expands gambling in Illinois to the Internet and to every home in Illinois with a computer. SB 198 would open the door to further expansion of electronic gambling with the Lottery--Keno, Video Lottery Terminals, and Sports betting. SB 198 will be called for a vote on the Senate floor.

Senate Bill 19 would legalize additional casinos in Chicago, South Suburbs, and Waukegan and allow existing casinos to purchase 800 additional gambling positions on land. This bill will be amended before it is called for a vote in the Senate.

The following gambling bills will be voted on in the House:

Senate Bill 1 authorizes a new scratch-off Lottery Ticket for the Cure. The government should not use the compassion for sick women to entice people to gamble. People would have to lose $8.8 million each year for 5 years on that one ticket to raise the projected $15 million for beast cancer research. SB 1 passed the Senate and was sent to the House.

House Bill 3825 will be used to legalize gambling in bars and could expand gambling in every community. By changing the definition of "skill", bars would be able to give money or prizes for video machine tournaments, pinball, pool, darts, etc. The language is so vague that HB 3825 could be used to legalize betting on sports and the Internet and be used to legalize gambling for "contests" at locations other than bars--restaurants and clubs with video machines, bowling alleys, etc.

House Bill 3640 would legalize additional casinos in Chicago and the South Suburbs, legalize slots and video gambling at racetracks, and allow existing casinos to purchase 800 additional gambling positions on land. This bill will be amended before it is called for a vote in the House.

House Bill 3472 authorizes a new scratch-off Lottery ticket for veterans. In an attempt to attract "new" gamblers, this bill would allow the Lottery money to go for a cause other than education. Only about one third of the money from the scratch-off ticket would go to veterans, the majority would be spent on prizes and operating expenses.

House Bill 1920 would eliminate casino gambling in Illinois. This bill opens the discussion on the economic costs and benefits of casinos and challenges Legislators to access the damage in communities surrounding the casinos instead of merely looking at the benefits

House Bill 448 expands gambling by authorizing a statewide, unlimited, unregulated raffle. HB 448 is special legislation for a children's research hospital and opens the door for other charities to ask for the same exemption.

Call your State Senator and Representative to voice your concerns or support (217-782-2000).

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STOP Underage Drinking Act

The Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Act would coordinate relevant federal agencies to work collectively combating underage drinking and increasing prevention activities in state and local communities, including college campuses. The bi-partisan bills would authorize a public service media campaign increasing adult awareness of the threat alcohol poses to their children as well as increase research and data collection done at the federal level on adolescent alcohol use and brain development. The legislation will help lead a national effort to combat underage drinking.

Call Illinois Senators Durbin and Obama and ask them to co-sponsor S. 408. Call your U. S. Congressman and ask him/her to co-sponsor the companion House Bill, H. R. 864. (Capitol Switchboard 202-224-3121)

Reprinted from NCADD Update, NCADD Amethyst, Spring 2005, Vol. 13, No. 1.

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Established economic costs of alcohol abuse in the United States, 1998 and 2004

The estimated economic cost of alcohol abuse for 2004 was $214.38 billion, or $761 for every man, woman and child in the United States. For every dollar of alcohol revenue in the U.S., the cost to American society is $8.10.

ARIS -Alcohol Research Information Service

Health Care Expenditures Alcohol use disorders: Prevention, Treatment and Support Medical Consequences of Alcohol Consumption	1998 ($ millions) 7,466 18,872	2004 (projected) ($ millions) 8,576 21,867
Productivity Impacts Lost Productivity due to Alcohol-Related Illness Lost Future Earnings due to Premature Death Lost Productivity due to Alcohol-Related Crime	87,622 36,499 10,085	101,618 42,235 11,576
Other Impacts Motor Vehicle Crashes Crime Fire Destruction Social Welfare Costs	15,744 6,328 1,537 484	18,222 7,289 1,715 540
Total Costs	184,636	214,385

Source: 10th Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health by the NIAAA with 1998 figures for inflation by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

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Heavy Drinking Dulls the Mind...

Even After You Sober Up, According to New Study

It's no secret a night of heavy drinking can leave you with a parched mouth, a ferocious headache, and an unsteady stomach the next morning.

But it can also make it tough to learn new information or recall things you already know, a new study says.

Researchers from Northern Ireland say they've shown that hangovers contribute to memory problems and delayed reaction time, even many hours after last call.

The findings may sound obvious. However, the new findings show that even after blood-alcohol levels had returned to zero, study participants still have trouble with basic tasks.

"That's significant because it suggests that if you went out drinking and allowed enough time so that your blood-alcohol concentration was at zero by the time you went to class the next day, you could still have difficulty learning new information," says researcher Aaron White, an assistant research professor of psychology at Duke University. "These findings suggest that alcohol can affect your ability to learn long after the effects of the drug have worn off."

The study didn't speculate about how hangovers contribute to lower performance on mental tasks. However, Duke University's White says they have a lot to do with the fact that alcohol simply isn't good for the body.

"It's a poison, and it just so happens to be a poison that gives us a nice buzz," White says. "But you pay for it. The body must devote energy to processing and removing it."

Even when no alcohol is left in the body, after effects such as fatigue, nausea and dehydration plague people, he says. "All of that is going to make it harder for you to pay attention, to feel like learning and stay awake," he adds.

Reprinted from Monday Morning Report January 17, 2005

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Malt Liquor Favored by Homeless, Unemployed Drinkers

Malt-liquor drinkers are more likely to be homeless, unemployed, or receiving assistance than those who drink other alcoholic beverages, according to researchers who studied drinkers in Los Angeles.

Reuters reported March 14 that Researchers from Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in California interviewed 329 drinkers and concluded that malt-liquor drinkers also consumed more alcohol than other drinkers, in part because malt liquor has a higher alcohol content than beer and is sold in larger containers.

"We found that the combination of these differences resulted in the average malt liquor drinkers in our study consuming 60 percent more alcohol per drink than the average regular beer drinker," said study leader Ricky Blementhal.

The study authors said that malt liquor is heavily marketed to black and Hispanic youth. University of Minnesota researcher Rhonda Jones-Webb, who reviewed the study, noted, "Rap artists have been popular images in malt-liquor advertising, and "gangsta" rap performers portray malt liquor as a sign of masculinity. Advertising influences brand choice, and what young people drink in early years influences what they drink as adults."

Jones-Webb added that rappers suggest chugging the 40-ounce bottle of malt liquor. "The combined effects of higher alcohol content, larger serving, and faster consumption can result in higher blood-alcohol levels, increased risk of aggressive behavior, and other alcohol-related problems," she said.

The study appears in the March 2005 issue of journal Alcohol: Clincial & Experimental Research

Reprinted from jointogether.online, March 15, 2005

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Drug Use a Key Part of 'Narc' Video Game

'Narc,' a video game coming out on PlayStation 2 and Xbox, includes drug use as a key component of game play, with different drugs having different effects on characters, the New Your Times reported March 17.

For example, while the game involves arresting dealers, players also can sample their confiscated goods. Smoking marijuana temporarily slows down game play, while taking a hit of ecstasy mellows players out. Smoking crack temporarily sharpens focus, making the player a more accurate shooter.

The game is designed so that drugs in small doses can improve play. On the other hand, drug use also can lead to addiction and blackouts, which can cause players to get expelled from the police force. Players who use crack twice get addicted; addiction to other drugs requires more use. To get "clean," players need to pass a coordination skill challenge while going through withdrawal.

It is possible to play the game without using drugs at all, according to officials with Midway, which publishes Narc.

The latest iteration of Narc is a far cry from the original 1988 arcade version of the game, which had an anti-drug theme and the message, "Say No or Die."

Another forthcoming game, Snow, will allow players to oversee a drug cartel. Snow will be published by Take Two Interactive, the creator of the controversial Grand Theft Auto series. Vivendi Universal is planning a game based on the cocaine-suffused movie scarface, as well as Bulletproof, which follows rapper 50 Cent through his past profession as a New York drug dealer.

Some observers say that the trend in video games is not so much about drugs specifically but rather towards greater realism and more provocative content. "If you can blow someone's head off, I don't see why you can't have drugs, as long as it fits the context," said game designer Doug Walker of Guerrilla Games.

But industry analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities said, "Narc was a bad idea. Violence is embraced in our culture, which is why you see violence in video games. I don't believe society believes drugs are an appropriate thing. I think that alienates consumers."

Reprinted from jointogether.online, March 17, 2005

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