Portland Maine OUI Prevention

Alcohol Abuse and Getting Help:
Alcohol abuse can be influenced by a number of factors. Most people use alcohol socially to change how they feel because they want to feel better or different. They use alcohol for the perceived benefits, or the benefits experienced, not for the potential harm. People use alcohol to relax, have fun, to be part of a group, out of curiosity, and to escape from physical and/or psychological pain. Many of the reasons young people use alcohol are the same reasons adults use alcohol.

What causes alcohol abuse? Many factors influence a person's initial alcohol use. Personality characteristics, peer pressure, and psychological stress can all contribute to the early stage of alcohol abuse. These factors are less important as alcohol use continues and the person repeatedly experiences the potent pharmacological effects.

This chemical action, which stimulates certain brain systems, produces the abuse, while other psychological and social factors become less and less important in influencing the individual's behavior. When the pharmacological action of a drug dominates the individual's behavior and the normal psychological and social control of behavior is no longer effective, the abuse is fully developed. This chemically induced "loss of control" is a common feature of alcohol abuse and reflects the biological nature of the problem. People who are physically dependent on alcohol usually develop a tolerance. This means that they need to drink more and more to get the same effect.

School and job performance may suffer either from the aftereffects of drinking or from actual intoxication on the job or at school; child care or household responsibilities may be neglected; and alcohol-related absences may occur from school or job. The person may use alcohol in physically hazardous circumstances (e.g., driving an automobile or operating machinery while drunk).

Legal difficulties may arise because of alcohol use (e.g., arrests for intoxicated behavior or for driving under the influence). Finally, individuals with alcohol abuse problems may continue to consume alcohol despite the knowledge that continued consumption poses significant social or interpersonal problems for them (e.g., violent arguments with spouse while intoxicated, child abuse). When these problems are accompanied by evidence of tolerance, withdrawal, or compulsive behavior related to alcohol use, a diagnosis of alcohol addiction, rather than alcohol abuse, should be considered.

Maine OUI Statistics
In Maine, as with many states, drunk driving deaths have dropped significantly in the twenty four years since tracking began. Alcohol related fatalities peaked in 1983 at 135 and decreased by more than half to 51 in 2002. The percentage of fatalities that were alcohol related also dropped by more than half, from 60% to 23%. In 2005, out of all traffic fatalities, 30% involved a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher.

MADD mission statement:
MADD believes it’s possible for our nation to eliminate the tragedy of drunk driving and prevent underage drinking. And we are committed to serving drunk driving victims/survivors.

Since 1980 (the year Mothers Against Drunk Driving was founded), alcohol-related traffic fatalities have decreased by about 44 percent, from over 30,000 to under 17,000 and MADD has helped save over 300,000 lives.

Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost the public an estimated $114.3 billion in 2000, including $51.1 billion in monetary costs and an estimated $63.2 billion in quality of life losses. People other than the drinking driver paid $71.6 billion of the alcohol-related crash bill, which is 63 percent of the total cost of these crashes. Learn More About MADD

SADD's mission simply stated:
To provide students with the best prevention and intervention tools possible to deal with the issues of underage drinking, other drug use, impaired driving and other destructive decisions.

Originally, the mission of the SADD chapter was to help young people say "No" to drinking and driving. Today, the mission has expanded. Students have told us that positive peer pressure, role models and other strategies can help them say "No" to more than drinking and driving. And that is why SADD has become a peer leadership organization dedicated to preventing destructive decisions, particularly underage drinking, other drug use, impaired driving, teen violence and teen depression and suicide.

SADD does not support or condone the use of alcohol by underage young people. The purchase and public possession of alcoholic beverages by anyone under the age of 21 is illegal in all 50 states.

Alcohol alters an individual's vision, reaction times, perception of distance, and judgment of one's abilities. For adolescents, whose brains are still developing in critical ways, alcohol use makes them more vulnerable to learning and memory impairments. The use of alcohol is frequently coupled with risky and potentially destructive behaviors such as physical and emotional violence, rude or thoughtless remarks or actions, sexual mistakes or misjudgments, sexual assaults, and suicide acts and attempts.

SADD believes that young people can have fun, enjoy life and nurture positive personal relationships without the distraction and distortion of alcohol. SADD seeks to demonstrate positive and attractive alternatives to alcohol and other drug-infused activities for teenagers. Learn More About SADD and How they can Help

Alcohol and Drug Treatment Centers