Alcohol Treatment in Lethbridge, Alberta
General Situation
Concerning the subject of alcohol abuse Lethbridge fairs pretty well compared to most. Lethbridge is very nearly a model city, but certainly not perfect in many respects. Accepting public drunkenness from teens and adults is one of the more standout issues. Other aspects include nonchalance toward those who are accused of driving while intoxicated while harboring disdain for those who seek treatment for their problems. As a city Lethbridge is in need of more social or moral rethinking than a legal one.
Teenage Alcohol Problems
Teens in Lethbridge have been known to ride on what's known as 'party buses'. These coach buses often serve as a safer way for people to drink and be moved from place to place without driving themselves. But there are some pitfalls that need to be examined before people throw their support behind them.
Party bus acceptance is often seen as acceptance of binge drinking as an activity. Binge drinking is growing in popularity with nearly one in three teens engaging in it. It can result in everything from increased rates of liver damage to date rape. Consuming large amounts of alcohol in a short time is nothing to be encouraged.
Party buses have grown in popularity from a niche vehicle once used to shuttle around adults for pub crawls to very near ubiquity anywhere young people are gather in large numbers to party. They often booked now as a means of transportation for prom going teens. The drivers have been known to look the other way as the teens engage in dangerous levels of inebriation.
Downtown Debauchery
The way in which Lethbridge most visibly falls short is its downtown area. Even with police upping the patrols and enforcement within there is still much to be done. With the public drunkenness comes many other related issues. Public drunkenness increases violent conflicts, and the likelihood of there being prostitution and graffiti. A crackdown must focus on all of these sides to the die or else it will come up short and only serve to delay rather than prevent the return of public alcohol abuse and its ramifications.
Treating Alcohol Addictions
Though Lethbridge may be further ahead in responsible behavior around alcohol there are stills some issues that need to be resolved. A major sticking point is those who hide their alcohol abuse. Stable successful women are especially prone to being functional alcoholics. Without treatment they're bound to get worse until they cease to be functional.
One of the primary reasons for hiding their problems is shame and embarrassment. The steps that need to take place aren't legal or financial, but social. People need to stop being afraid to seek out alcohol treatment in Alberta for the alcoholism and people need to stop making them feel as though they should be ashamed. Both parties are responsible and need to be comfortable with treatment otherwise everyone loses.
Police Response
The police in Lethbridge engage in activities that put them further ahead when it comes to stemming alcohol abuse than others. The benefits of crime prevention seminars are twofold. They get the police and civilians familiar with each other, which leads to a higher chance of calling the police when necessary. It also decreases the number of crimes committed outright. Both of those outcomes translate into a city that is responsible with alcohol use.
A recently passed bill also allows police to better be able to crack down on drivers that endanger others. Rather than being limited to pulling over those who are talking on their cell-phones they can take action against those who are caught performing any task inappropriate to do while driving. This allows them to better be able to fight against those who are clearly distracted and likely intoxicated, but not demonstrably so.
Even with the police doing the best they can to prevent and limit alcohol abuse there are some things that are out of their hands. The sluggish court system is one of them. Trials of those accused of driving while intoxicated often drag on in an attempt to soften the perceived damaged done by the accused. On top of all that you have delays from within the court system itself due to a shortage of resources. All of which makes for a situation that often favors the drunk driver over the public.
