The Alcoholic

Though considered by some as too intrusive, the drug courts have really helped in a major way to bring down the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse in Alaska. When a person is caught guilty of an offense that is committed under the influence of drug or alcohol, then the person is made to go through a program in a drug school. Failing this, the person may be kept away from certain privileges and benefits, or may be even imprisoned if the offense warrants it. An example is seen in the DUI school program which a driving offender has to undergo if caught guilty of DUI. The program of the drug school becomes more and more severe as the person is repeatedly booked for the same offense under the same influence. However, repeat offenses are quite unlikely in a person who has attended a drug school program once.

The drug courts have definitely proved to be very beneficial in controlling the incidences of substance abuse in Alaska. One of the main things they have achieved is to get people into treatment. Normally, these people, if only imprisoned for their crimes, would revert to the addiction as soon as they would be out of their sentence. This would not solve the problem at all, and there would be a possibility that these people may commit the same offense again too. But the drug courts are taking care of that. About 98% of the people who have undergone these programs do not offend again.

Moreover, the drug schools are getting people into some form of substance abuse treatment in Alaska. If left on their own, they would never have accepted this treatment, making the situation much more difficult to handle and causing personal problems also.

Posted in: Alcohol Abuse, Drug Abuse