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Alcohol Related Death
- Loaded and Dangerous- Hat tip to TDA reader Zentient for bringing this story to our attention.
Considering our nation will absolutely mobilize over tainted spinach or potentially dangerous toys from China, one has to wonder why one of the biggest killers in our country barely rates mention in Yahoo News. The same press that will disseminate an amber alert to millions in minutes or host an hour long special on a missing girl does very little to raise awareness of the deadliest of killers in our midst, unless you count the funny commercials and almost constant glamorization of alcohol in its programs.
A father arrested after his 6-year-old daughter was fatally shot in their Washington state home allegedly told authorities he had been drinking double shots of vodka while cleaning his guns… he had asked his daughter, Stormy, to bring him the .45-caliber handgun Sunday. He said he must have pulled the trigger, and the girl fell to the floor. She was pronounced dead Monday. ~ Yahoo News
So now we have another dead little girl, shot by her drunken father to add to the yearly thousands that die in alcohol attributable incidents. It wasn’t the loaded gun that was the problem, it was the loaded father. A wasted life, a broken family, and a tortured dad- and yet next week we’ll all be laughing at the funny Bud Light commercial. - No Finer Tribute- The Bianca Center for Substance Abuse, named after Bianca Halstead of the band Betty Blowtorch, will open in Los Angeles this month offering a sane alternative to the quasi-spa and reality show treatment centers that have become some popular of late. I can think of no finer tribute to a recovering alcoholic than to have a treatment center dedicated in their name, it’s just a shame that this one has to be done posthumously. In 2001 after over a decade of sobriety working in arguably one of the harshest environments for a recovering alcoholic, Bianca Halstead was killed in an accident where the driver was intoxicated.
"I didn't get sober until a few years after she died," states Bianca Center Executive Director and Halstead's nephew, Jaymee Carpenter. "What [still] blows my mind is how she made the sober lifestyle look so ridiculously cool and worth fighting for. She was an example to countless others by not only projecting that image, but by regularly offering help to those seriously seeking sobriety." ~ MarketWatch
Fellow addicts and alcoholics in recovery including Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Duff McKagen of Velvet Revolver, and Ozzy Osbourne will attend the opening ceremonies on November 10th. Here’s my tribute and TDA Salute to a memorable artist and alcoholic who is still inspiring great works in recovery. I picked this particular song for another recovery diva, The Junkys Wife, who I know is going through some hard times… take care my friend. - Casual Criminal Stupidity-
After ordering takeout from Del Taco, a Colorado couple were surprised to find among the taco sauce and other condiments a small bag of pot. They notified police who then arrested 26 year-old Dennis Klermund at the restaurant, it goes without saying that he was also fired.
Yes the story is funny, but it also serves as a great example of how casually people break the law and risk arrest, fines, jail, injury and even death that are inherent with drug and alcohol abuse. The above idiot was so nonchalant about his drug use that not only did he goof up an intended drug transaction; he left the rest of his dope and paraphernalia in his work locker where the police dogs promptly found it. Duh!
Before you laugh too hard at this moron, try a little introspection yourself.
Click “Read more” to see what I came up with… - Drunk in the UK: The Case against Opposable Thumbs-
Man has been brewing and distilling alcoholic beverages for thousands of years, but Mother Nature has been doing it for much longer through the natural fermentation of fruit. Fat Boy, a very ugly pony in Cornwall, happened into just such a natural phenomenon when he ate a stash of fermented apples and then became trapped after he stumbled drunk into a neighborhood pool. No harm no foul for the four legged boozer who was able to exit the pool via some hay bale steps after sobering up.
The same thing can’t be said for Wayne Forrester of London who proved just how much damage a drunk can do when he has opposable thumbs.
Click “Read more” to continue… - Still Crying?- Hat Tip and thanks to TDA reader Norm for the heads up on this one!
One of the best known PSA’s of my time is the “Crying Indian” in which the stoic Native American lets loose a solitary tear in response to the littered environment. We may have got a handle on the littering, but if he's read the latest government study showing that more than one in ten Native American deaths is alcohol related you can bet he is still crying.
WASHINGTON - Almost 12 percent of the deaths among Native Americans and Alaska Natives are alcohol-related — more than three times the percentage in the general population, a new federal report says. ~
Click “Read more” to continue… - I Know Who Killed Carol Gotbaum-
The four police officers responsible for arresting and incarcerated Carol Gotbaum, who died in custody, at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport were cleared of all charges and wrongdoing this week by a civil court. Thank goodness these public servants were cleared, now maybe they can get down to doing the serious work to bring her real killer to justice.
Mrs. Gotbaum was arrested for disorderly conduct after missing a flight that had been scheduled to transport her to a treatment center for alcoholism. She died while struggling to escape from her shackles and chains by asphyxiation. Her family had sued Phoenix for $8 million accusing the police of using “excessive and unreasonable force." While maybe not as high profile, there is a large segment of the population that places the blame on the victim’s family who sent the emotionally and physically unstable Gotbaum off on a stressful trip alone. Neither of these groups can be blamed for her death… but it seems very few are really interested in bringing her actual killer to justice.
Click “Read more” to continue… - Oh, by the way, did I mention she was DRUNK-
Sixteen year-old Kayla Preuss of Highland, California died from head injuries after losing control of her vehicle and crashing on I-10. Phone records suggest that moments before the fatal accident she was sending a text message that may have been a contributing factor in her death. Fox News ran the following headline:
Girl in Fatal Wreck Sent Text Message Moments Before Crash
Her mother also went on the record warning others of the dangers of DWT, driving while texting.
Preuss' mother Kelly said she hopes the accident will make other people think before texting and driving. ~ Fox
Oh, by the way, did I mention she was also DRUNK! Click "Read more" to continue... - Famous Alcoholics: Gerry Rafferty - Calling someone a 70’s great might sound like a backhanded compliment, but since Gerry Rafferty sold over 10 million records and his songs are still played with reverence today I think he’ll forgive me… that is if he’s not dead yet. Chronic alcoholic Rafferty snuck out of the hospital this week where he was being treated for liver failure after a particularly harsh drunken binge at a London Hotel. Police have yet to find him since the hospital reported him missing. Usually when I make a post on famous alcoholics it’ll contain a bio, interesting facts, and sometimes even a TDA salute, but not today. Nope today I’ll just offer a quick prayer, listen to a little of his classic music, and hope that alcoholism hasn’t claimed another life. Come home Gerry Rafferty, come home and dry.
- Drinking Yourself to Death for Dummies-
Long time TDA reader and unofficial site researcher Anna Z sent this story in an e-mail with “I don’t even know what this procedure is, but…” as the subject line. Obviously “repeated severe bleeding from ruptured veins in the esophagus or upper stomach” is a severe condition, but what does it have to do with alcoholism? Well I am glad you asked and it just so turns out that a good family friend was able to give me the skinny on esophageal bleeding and portal hypertension. His knowledge on the subject comes from personal experience, but he was lucky enough to survive and find recovery.
So welcome to the first edition of Drinking Yourself to Death for Dummies, the layman’s guide to gruesome departures via alcoholism.
Click “Read more” to continue… - You Killed Grandma-
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — A woman with a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit for driving allegedly backed over her mother and left the scene even though loved ones yelled, "You killed grandma," police said. ~ Fox News
When I first saw this headline I thought maybe it is just a joke or a lighthearted parody like the holiday’s “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”. Of course as you can see below, when the story is real the song loses its charm.
Grandma got run over by her own dear
Backing out of the driveway trying to leave
You can say there's no such thing as Satan,
But as for me an' Grandpa, we believe.
She'd been drinking too much beer
And we begged her not to go.
But she was intent on transportation,
How she staggered out the door we’ll never know.
When we found grandma in the driveway,
At the scene lying flat on her back
She had motor oil on her forehead,
And across her torso an incriminating tire track.
Click “Read more” to continue…
