HomeMy WebLinkAboutProclamation 91- National Alcohol and Drug Treatment Month September 1991
PROCLAMATION
"NATIONAL ALCOHOL AND DRUG TREATMENT MONTH"
September 1991
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WHEREAS alcohol and other drug addictions are a major public health concern in this
country, with an estimated 1991 economic price to society of $200 billion--not
including the hidden costs of drug crime, lost productivity, accidents, the
cost of treating persons with AIDS and general health care; and
WHEREAS 1 0 to 23 percent of all estimated workers who use dangerous drugs on the
job are late for work 3 times more often, have 2.5 times as many absences of
8 days or more, and use 3 times the normal level of sick benefits as non-
abusers; and
WHEREAS alcoholism is a disease with a genetic basis; more than 18 million Americans
have a serious drinking problem, and alcoholism alone causes 500 mi lIion lost
workdays per year, which equates to more than 20 bi lIion per year; and
WHEREAS the younger a person starts drinking, the more likely helshe is to develop
dependency problems later in life; and
WHEREAS up to half of all hospitalized patients suffer from alcohol-related illnesses;
and
WHEREAS only 15 percent of alcoholics receive any formal treatment; and
WHEREAS less than 1/3 of 1 percent of employed persons are receiving treatment; and
WHEREAS treatment for alcohol and other drug addictions has offered hope and recov-
ery to those suffering from the disease, reunited families, reinstated val-
uable employees, decreased criminal behavior and improved the health of
Americans of every age and neighborhood; and
WHEREAS nearly 3/4 of patients abstained from alcohol and other drugs the fi rst 6
months after treatment; 63 percent abstained the entire year; and
WHEREAS med ica I costs decrease by 50 percent for patients successfully treated for
chemical dependency; and
WHEREAS the proportion of clients involved in crimes was 1/3 to 1/2 of pretreatment
levels when examined 3 to 5 years after treatment; and
WHEREAS addiction treatment needs to be at the forefront of health issues for those
concerned with resolving this major health problem; and
WHEREAS many public agencies and businesses have developed employee assistance
prog rams to help alcohol and drug abusers pull their lives together and
become productive workers; and
WHEREAS there is a continuing need to educate the public and policymakers about the
effectiveness of treatment for alcohol and other drug addictions.
NOW, THEREFORE, I , Robert L. Hawks, Mayor of the City of Bozeman, do
hereby proclaim the month of September 1991 as
"NATIONAL ALCOHOL AND DRUG TREATMENT MONTH"
in the City of Bozeman and join the National Coalition on Alcohol and Other Drug Issues
and the Gallatin County Prevention Coalition in their theme, "Treatment Works."
SEA L I N WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set
my hand and caused the great seal of the
City of Bozeman, in the State of Montana, to
be affixed at Bozeman, Montana, this 16th
day of September, in the year of our Lord,
One Thousand Nine Hundred and Ninety-
One.
ROBE
Mayor