An Alternative Solution to Drunk Drivers

Essay by happy_bubblesUniversity, Master's January 2006

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A person who drives drunk can be a danger to society and to himself. By society choosing to incarcerate the drunk driver, society is punishing him, briefly removing him from the streets, but also doing a great injustice to the offender and to society in the long run. Courts often demand that the offender attend numerous AA meetings as a condition to the offender's release. By reviewing statistics, one can come to the very real conclusion AA alone does not work. In recent years, a different approach was tested in a California DUI Court, whereas the offender was given the opportunity to participate in a program called the Butte County ReVia Project. As the literature tells us, "A preliminary review of the data reveals that ReVia (Naltrexone) is far and away the most successful method of dealing with high blood alcohol, repeat drunk drivers." The ReVia program is used as an aid in conjunction with other methods to allow the offender a promising chance of recovery.

DuPont Merck, manufactures of ReVia, conducted a 12-week, double blind study in 1992. In their finding, 61% of the participants while taking ReVia combined with traditional therapy significantly refrained from relapse as opposed to 22% without the aide of ReVia.

Other drug therapies are also available to discourage repeat offenders from drinking such as Antabuse, which has been around since the 1930's. The drug Temposil is a milder version of Antabuse. Both medications product symptoms much like one would experience with an extreme hangover, such as neck and head throbbing, nausea, vomiting, and headaches. Even the smallest dose of alcohol as found in cough syrup, shaving lotions and food sauces could produce these symptoms

The answer to addiction is not in a pill; it is in getting the right kind of...