How Many More Times Do We Have To Do This?

It's getting old and tiresome. There is a bevy of legislation across the United States, and North America for that matter, that is absurd. From Megan's Law to the so called partial birth bans, I get incensed. This is my latest. Much like Megan's Law, it does not address the real issue.

According a survey by the National Highway and Safety Administration, 11% of drivers on the road on the weekends are under the influence of an illegal drug. That number climbs to 16% at night. Florida, Delaware and Pennsylvania observed no change in fatal DUI crashes in 2009, while seven states actually saw increases: New Hampshire, Kansas, Wyoming, Rhode Island, Idaho, Oklahoma and Colorado. Overall, drunk driving fatalities declined by 7% nationwide. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood reported that the largest declines were in states that sought and prosecuted Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (DUI) most aggressively, with checkpoints and stepped-up patrols.

DUI does not happen on it's own though. The reason for alcohol consumption vary deep and wide. However, there is one pivotal reason that is often over looked. The Mental Health Foundation in the UK suggests that at the more severe end of the spectrum, the co-existence of alcohol problems and mental ill-health is
very common, and often referred to as “dual diagnosis”.

The idea that people ‘self-medicate’ their mental health problems using alcohol is also very well known and documented. The basic premise is that the psychopharmacological properties of alcohol help individuals deal with negative effects of mental ill-health by altering the chemistry of the brain, which in turn counters the negative feelings. The prevalence of alcohol dependence among people with psychiatric disorders is almost twice as high as in the general population. People with severe and enduring mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, are at least three times as likely to be alcohol dependant as the general population.

A 1999 from the University of Pennsylvania reported alcoholism and depression are two of the most common and disabling mental illnesses in late life. The study sampled 49 adults who had recently been convicted of DUI. A lifetime history of alcohol abuse or dependence was present in 48 subjects (98%), while a depressive disorder occurred in 24 (49%) of the subjects.

I am arguing that requiring someone to serve a 25 year jail term is useless without the treatment of the underlying mental illness that often leads one to consume alcohol and get behind the wheel. It will not resolve the underlying issue for many repeat offenders. Not to mention that this law reaches at the argument that so many anti-abortion activists work towards -- upholding children above adult health and freedom over one's own destiny. Such actions miss the target they are shooting towards.

As mentioned, this is not to say that all DUIs are the result of mental illness. My comments also do not address all reasons that DUIs occur and the the public health and safety work that is still needed. However, ignoring the aspects of mental health in favor of retribution seems absurd when living with depression is punishment on its own merits.