our health care system is not set up to fund any sort of situation to deal with the disease of alcoholism.

The courts are manipulated to the advantage of the offender if the dates are constantly postponed and lawyers hope the policeman will not show up at the hearing.

Prison is funded by...private? the state? the federal government? Money from where?

Rehab. Not funded unless one has private insurance, no public option or health care for everyone.

Dej makes it perfectly clear. Alcoholics don't understand what they are doing.

And don't give a dam, even when they sober up, except, when can they have their next drink. It's a sickness yes, but curable and people can and do Stop!!

@Sally. I agree with you. I wish it was simple.

But I smoked cigarettes so I understand addiction and the incomprehensible need for nicotine. Alcohol takes on a more deadly form of destruction and impacts not just a person's liver but the lives of total strangers in the case of a car accident.

Me too, Cyn, but when I found out the possibility of 2nd hand smoke harming others, I stopped smoking with children and other around.

My DH was an Alcoholic and he didn't drink and drive. He went thru the DT, in the hospital before he died and didn't take anyone with him. He was a kind wonderful person who loved people and did many kindnesses and had many friends....a good husband, father and provider.

So, I understand addiction. It's your lucid sober moments when you make the decision to drink and drive, when you get into that car and drive yourself to a bar!!!

I'm sure you wish you could go back in time and try to do that with your ex husband... It's the right thing to do, but you know from experience it's difficult. Often times we're part of the whole system of alcoholism: codependents, enablers, etc...

I was in a an alcohol related accident when I was younger, as the passenger in a car. I completely empathize with how difficult it is to know what's right, and then also act on it, especially when you're close to the alcoholic.

Alcoholics are masters of manipulating their loved ones to somehow be complicit in their actions of addiction.

In my case - the situation was similar. I was lucky enough to get out of it with 5 knocked out teeth and 63 stitches in my chin....

Again, being previous law enforcement, I realize the elements of alcoholic syndrome. BUT, to me it does NOT alleviate personal responsibility. This "victim" mentality is all part of the manipulation and projecting blame on others or circumstances.
This is a primary key and speaks more of our society and the contradictions in dealing with this problem regardless of the social dynamics and resulting deaths.

Technology is finally catching up with the installation of auto shut down breathalyzers in cars. This should be standard equipment. Police can only act primarily AFTER the fact to prevent a tragedy, if lucky.

There really is not "simple" answer as this is a multifront war which must be addressed at many levels. This is all complicated with many people predisposed genetically to the lack of alcohol tolerance. In this situation, future DNA manipulation may be a solution, but will that prevent them from drinking of or from just becoming an alcoholic.

I was stupid enough to be married at 16. I was young, dumb, scared, and confused. This man was quite aggressive and while I did speak up, most of the time it got me a slap in the mouth. I used to think "the cops KNOW this is the exact route all those drunks take on their way home from the bar at THIS hour. Why are they not sitting out here waiting?!" At that point I wanted someone to save me. I didnt know I could save myself.

We implant spinal stimulators or insulin pumps into folks. Why cant we implant those pumps into drunks to force them to submit to that med that makes alcohol turn sour and make them very sick? I think the court systems are VERY easy on drunks unless you get a judge with a drunken daddy or has seen what the drug can do. We allow folks to drink till they fall down, but we cant have MJ for sick folks? I dont get it.

Unfortunately, it's a "good old boys" system here......or so it seems. If you're lucky enough to get a lawyer who knows a Judge or knows somebody within the "system" a drunk driver can sometimes get by with minimum impact on their life.

It's very frustrating to those in law enforcement who put their life on the line to get these drunks off the road only to have them walk back out the revolving door of the courthouse.

Now I "LOVE" your thinking on this! What a great idea!

I definitely see the benefit of that in terms of how it will protect any of us sharing the roads with incorrible drunks who insist on driving their cars.

On the flip side, it would have to be mandated and upheld by the courts and will become fodder for all kinds of litigation regarding civil liberties and medical ethics, etc. I don't know that it should prevent us from doing something this difficult however... I mean, it could work under the right circumstances, right? (thinking out loud)

Regardless, I do agree with you that a person who's clearly indicated a disregard for the law should have serious penalties imposed on them ...because essentially they've RELINQUISHED their right to be an unsupervised member of society.