ILCAAAP News, June/July 2005, Volume 68, No. 2

The GRIP of ADDICTION

by Ed Betzelberger, C.A.D.C.

Teens learn how to become responsible, independent and productive adults by exploring their interests and developing skills that will serve them in life. Involvement with drugs, alcohol, gambling, even sexual behaviors can seriously work against these goals of growing up and lead to addiction.

The disease of addiction is not confined to the use of drugs and alcohol. Addiction is an obsessive-compulsive disorder, characterized by a set of behaviors and attitudes that surround a particular activity. These include gambling, sex, shopping, Internet use, overeating and dieting. Addiction is a destructive cycle in which a person will go to any lengths to engage in an activity, despite any negative consequences. A teen with an alcohol problem may develop a pattern of asking to stay home sick from school. They may often isolate from family, come home late, and skip classes in order to drink. The teen's behaviors may be inconsistent: what was a calm discussion yesterday is an epic argument today. If any kind of evidence is found, such as a beer can in their room, it will quickly be dismissed as "not mine!" A teen gambler might be seen as taking impulsive, unnecessary risks. They might run out of money quickly, receive strange phone calls in the middle of the night, or seem anxious and paranoid often.

Adolescents are not immune to these patterns. In fact, teens are more prone to addiction than adults, as their mental and emotional development is not complete. Typically, adults who began drinking when they were 21, take between 5 and 15 years to develop an addiction. In our experiences with adolescents, addiction can develop between 5 and 15 months. Drugs, alcohol, and other addictive behaviors will stunt the mental and emotional maturity at the age when the teen started using regularly.

Like any disease, addiction has signs and symptoms to identify it. In adolescents, these include isolation from family and friends, loss of interest in favorite activities, lowered performance in school and poor behavior. They are more likely to argue with adults, especially if someone or something is preventing them from engaging in their addictive behavior. They are likely to act more impulsively, making choices and judgments before thinking about consequences. They may be spending time with a different group of friends, and going out of their way to keep these associations secret. Involvement with the legal system is also common, dealing a variety of crimes from possession and consumption to theft and assault. Once a teen starts down this path, their value system becomes completely eroded, and they will do anything to engage in their addictive behaviors.

Addiction has defenses as well, in order to protect itself. The first and most powerful, denial, sends the message that there is nothing wrong here. "I don't have a problem, I can handle it," can be heard all too often. Admitting to a problem is just too much of a hassle.

The second, rationalizing, comes up with reasons to use drugs or engage in addictive behaviors. "Everyone does it," "I just need to relax," "It helps me stay awake," "This will be my big win" are all examples. Addicts are highly skilled in coming up with reasons to use chemicals or gamble.

The next minimizing, turns a mountain into a molehill. "It's no big deal. I only drank a little," or "It's not like I bet a thousand dollars," are examples of the addict trying to make those around feel better about their behaviors. "The problem is made to seem less than what it really is.

The last defense is projection, or blaming. Teen addicts will often blame their teachers, parents, friends and the law for their problems, especially if they get caught. An addict will usually be the last one to admit their part of a wrongdoing. Each of these defenses work together to take the focus off of the addict, and prevents them from dealing directly with their own feelings of guilt, anger, and shame.

Addiction has often been referred to as a "family disease," and rightfully so. Every member of the family is negatively affected in some way.

The "cunning, baffling and powerful" disease of addiction exists in epidemic proportions. Its chronic nature means there is not cure; no pill or magic wand will make it go away. To stop engaging in addictive behaviors is only the first step. Recovery is a lifelong process. Real hope lies in treatment. An addict can recover, and so can the family by learning to live life again to the fullest -- one day at a time.

Ed Betzelberger is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor at the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, where he works with adolescent patients and their families.
Reprinted with permission from Paradigm, Vol. 10 No.2, Spring 2005

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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

Several alcohol bills passed both houses and will be sent to the Governor. Call the Governor (800-642-3112) and ask him to sign the following alcohol bills into law:

HB 27 County Board can license and regulate any business operating in an unincorporated area as a public accommodation or adult entertainment facility that permits consumption of alcohol on the premises.

HB 48 Repeals law to allow the sale of beer in "dry" townships during an agricultural event.

HB 657 Increases penalties for driver over 21 driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and transporting children under 16.

HB 1471 Aggravated DUI for drivers driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs who don't have a valid driver's licenses or insurance, with the vehicle subject to seizure or forfeiture.

Call the Governor (800-642-3112) and ask him to VETO the following alcohol bills:

HB 1285 Public office holders allowed to distribute, manufacture, and sell alcohol.

HB 3022 Exemption to the IL Liquor Control Act to allow the sale of alcohol in a Fire Protection District (fire station in Apple River)

SB 244 Exemption to the IL Liquor Control Act to allow a restaurant within 50 ft. of a school, operating at the same location for 10 years, to sell alcohol. Sets precedence for other businesses operating near a church or school.

SB 327 Exemption to the IL Liquor Control Act to allow a restaurant located in a parking garage on the campus of the U of I in Champaign to sell alcohol.

SB 478 Exemption to the IL Liquor Control Act to allow the sale of alcohol at the U of I Chicago sports pavilion during professional sports games--Chicago Storm and WNBA.

SB 945 Exemption to the IL Liquor Control Act to allow public office holders (aldermen, county board members, and village trustees) to have a direct interest in the distribution, manufacture, or sale of alcohol.

Gambling Legislation

Many bills were introduced this session to expand gambling in the home, on the Internet, at racetracks and off-track betting parlors, in bars, through the Lottery, and at casinos. The Capitol was rife with highly paid and influential gambling lobbyists.

HB 1919 was introduced and passed the last week of the Spring Legislative Session. This bill allows casinos in Rock Island, East St. Louis, and Alton to move up to 5 miles off the Mississippi River to become land-based casinos. The casinos want to double in size, and they need to move off the rivers to do so. If three casinos are allowed to move on land (boats in moats), the other casinos will ask for the same privilege.

On the last day of the session SB 316 was introduced and passed in both the House and Senate to roll back the casino taxes. The casinos will pay a graduated tax of 15% to 50%. The 50% tax is only on income over $200 million. The casinos promise to "hold harmless" and pay additional money if the lower tax provides less revenue for state during the next two years. The casinos wanted their taxes lowered so they can expand.

In the final hours of the session, the House voted to pass SB 1 (Scratch-off lottery Ticket for the Cure) and the Senate voted to pass HB 3472 (Scratch-off Lottery ticket for Veterans). Voters approved the Lottery to fund education. This legislation is a major change in public policy--for the first time Lottery tickets will fund programs other than education. Only about one third of the money from Lottery tickets would go to these groups--66% of the money is used for prizes, promotion, and administration.

Call the Governor (800-642-3112) to voice your concerns.

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Dram Shop Liability

A New Jersey court recently awarded $135 million to the family of a girl paralyzed in a 1999 automobile accident caused by a drunk driver following a New York Giants football game. The jury assessed punitive damages against Aramark Corporation, the team's beer concessionaire at Giant's Stadium, and split the liability for the compensatory dam ages evenly between the company and the driver who caused the accident - who reportedly had a blood alcohol level double the legal limit at the time of the accident.

Aramark's liability for the accident caused by its patron is based on "dram shop" laws, which holds retail establishments accountable for any harm - death, injury, or other damages - caused by an intoxicated patron.

Dram shop liability can help prevent problems by shaping the environments in which alcohol is sold. As stated by Illinois courts, "the dram shop act is intended to place responsibility for damages caused by intoxicants on those who profit from the sale of alcohol ... [and] to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the people from the dangers of traffic in liquor." These laws can provide an incentive for owners of alcohol establishments to develop responsible service policies and train their employees when to refuse alcohol sales.

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Excerpts from

How Alcohol Outlets Affect Neighborhood Violence

by Kathryn Stewart

Neighborhoods where bars, restaurants and liquor and other stores that sell alcohol are close together suffer more frequent incidences of violence and other alcohol-related problems, according to recent research by the Prevention Research Center and others.

A larger number of alcohol outlets and a higher rate of violence might be expected in poorer neighborhoods or in neighborhood with a larger population of young people. But research shows, even when levels of poverty and the age and the ethnic background of residents are taken into account, a high density of outlets is strongly related to violence regardless of a neighborhood's economic, ethnic or age status.

The density of alcohol outlets has also been found to be related to other alcohol problems such as drinking and driving, higher rates of motor vehicle-related pedestrian injuries and child abuse and neglect.

States and communities can regulate the number of bars, restaurants, and stores that sell alcohol in a given area. Research increasingly finds, however, that geographic density is the key aspect of outlet location - that is, distance between outlets. Where over concentration of outlets occur, greater problems arise.

Governments can use their regulatory powers to reduce violence by:

• Making rules that set minimum distances between alcohol outlets.
• Limiting new licenses for areas that already have outlets too close together;
• Not issuing a new license when a particular location goes out of business;
• Permanently closing outlets that repeatedly violate liquor laws (such as selling alcohol to minors or to intoxicated persons or allowing drug sales or prostitution on the premises).

Alcohol is a legal and widely consumed commodity; but it is also a commodity that can create a variety of serious health and social problems. Alcohol polices are an important tool for preventing these problems.

The regulation of availability is important because research generally shows that when more alcohol is more easily available, people drink more and more alcohol problems occur.

The entire report can be downloaded at www.resources.prev.org

Reprinted with permission from Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation

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Drinking Reinforces Smoking, Study says

Drinking seems to encourage smoking even among people who are light smokers, according to a new study.

Medical News Today reported April 15 the study of researchers at the University of Chicago and the Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research at Duke University Medical Center found that the more test subjects drank, the more they craved cigarettes. The study involved 16 nonalcoholic heavy social drinkers who were light smokers (defined as smoking less than 10 cigarettes per day).

"Smoking-urge ratings were higher after consuming four versus two alcohol drinks, and increases were not observed after consuming a placebo beverage," said study co -author Andrea King of the University of Chicago. "These findings were observed in a nonsmoking environment, which may indicate that alcohol directly produced these effects and they were not due to direct smoking cues triggering cigarette craving. In other words, the greater the alcohol consumption, the greater the urge to smoke.

Researchers said that people who are trying to quit smoking also should probably abstain from alcohol use.

King said the study cast some doubt on the theory that drinkers crave nicotine to offset the sedative effects of alcohol. "We showed that the desire to smoke sharply increased within a half hour after drinking, which is when alcohol's stimulant-like - as opposed to sedative-like - effects are usually observed," she said.

Added King: "It also appears that smoking urges may increase rapidly after a person engages in binge drinking, that is, consuming four or more drinks relatively quickly. These urges remain elevated even when BAC (blood alcohol content levels) are declining, so a person may be at increased risk for wanting to smoke for hours after drinking alcohol.

The study appears in the April 2005 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Reprinted from Join Together Online, April 18, 2005

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Adolescent Binge Drinking Associated with binge Drinking During Early Adulthood

Persons who were binge drinkers during adolescence are more likely to be drinkers in early adulthood, according to an analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY)

One-half of the males who were binge drinkers at ages 17 to 20 were also binge drinkers at ages 30 to 31, compared to slightly less than one-fifth (19%0 of those who were not adolescent binge drinkers. Similar results were found for females.

These differences remained even after statistically controlling for potentially confounding factors, such as early marijuana and cigarette use, college enrollment, and race/ethnicity.

The authors conclude that "efforts to prevent and treat adolescent problem drinking are likely to have an impact on adult drinking patterns and therefore may have immediate as well as longstanding effects on public health."

For details, including data charts, source information and caveats, go to www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/cesarfax/vol14/14-19.pdf.

Reprinted from Joint Together Online at www.jointogether.org.

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