U.K. Drinking Costs

[Shawnee123]

Which is exactly why alcohol treatment is important. People will say it's a choice, drinking. I agree with that to some degree, but making the choice in an illness, a disease, may require treatment. We don't discuss treatment for diseases that are attributable to obesity, or not walking a mile a day to stay heart-healthy, but we will discuss costs of treatment for drinking or smoking or drug use, and there will be uprising that these dregs of society don't just pick themselves up by their bootstraps and quit doing what it is that is making them unhealthy.

At least, I think that was the original point of the thread, that it is bound to come up that there are people who will be outraged that Johnny the Alcoholic will get treatment, when Johnny the Alcoholic quit his job some time ago and has no personal insurance.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

Which is exactly why alcohol treatment is important. People will say it's a choice, drinking. I agree with that to some degree, but making the choice in an illness, a disease, may require treatment. We don't discuss treatment for diseases that are attributable to obesity, or not walking a mile a day to stay heart-healthy, but we will discuss costs of treatment for drinking or smoking or drug use, and there will be uprising that these dregs of society don't just pick themselves up by their bootstraps and quit doing what it is that is making them unhealthy.

At least, I think that was the original point of the thread, that it is bound to come up that there are people who will be outraged that Johnny the Alcoholic will get treatment, when Johnny the Alcoholic quit his job some time ago and has no personal insurance.

I guess my original intent was to make the point that, although I support the idea of universal health-care, there will be a price to pay in terms of individual freedom. The American tendency to over-do the moralizing will probably lead to ineffective one size fits all interventions similar to Bush era sexual abstinence trainings. We'll end up with nonsense like .05 blood alcohol limits. Keep in mind that this is being written by someone who shouldn't drink even a little.

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by Griff

~snip~The American tendency to over-do the moralizing will probably lead to ineffective one size fits all interventions similar to Bush era sexual abstinence trainings. ~snip~

Perhaps we'll try prohibition again?

Good thoughts, Griff, there are always multitudes of angles no one sees until the ball really gets rolling. You're a thinker, you are. These issues will certainly become apparent as time goes on, and as those who opposed the health care reform will tell us "should have been careful what you wished for...watch THIS, how you like them poison apples, eh?"