| It is slowly being recognized that addiction to alcohol | | | | community safety and foster a healthier and safer |
| is a disease and not a choice. Alcohol addiction causes | | | | life for the participants and their families by increasing |
| damage to health. The economic losses due to | | | | treatment, supervision and accountability of the high |
| treatment of diseases are enormous. Furthermore, | | | | risk impaired driver.The process begins with the |
| the social damages relate to alcohol-related abuse | | | | admission of the guilt. The criteria for admission are |
| and driving under the influence.Lobbyists for harsher | | | | the participants should be resident of Orange County, |
| laws for DUI argue that stricter punishments and | | | | have the ability to travel to Newport Beach for court |
| penalties have reduced the number of DUI arrests. | | | | and Santa Ana for treatment and supervision. The |
| But a number of studies show that judicial actions | | | | program is modeled after a similar program for drug |
| combined with alcohol treatment decrease recidivism, | | | | abuse. The success of the program depends on the |
| the tendency to return to alcoholism. These studies | | | | effect it has on the DUI incidents.Alcohol treatment |
| imply that harsher laws only increase the tendency to | | | | involves medical treatment, counseling sessions, |
| drink more. For instance, the first thing an alcohol | | | | monitoring and supervision of the participants. |
| addict would do after release from jail sentence is to | | | | Without medical treatment, the programs of AA instill |
| go to the first bar that he or she comes across.In | | | | a sense of confidence to say no to alcohol. Hence |
| order to reduce recidivism, a pilot program has been | | | | extended participation in AA is a strong measure to |
| started at the Orange County Superior Court Harbor | | | | reduce recidivism. Furthermore, the mandatory formal |
| Justice Center. It is one of two such programs in the | | | | probation does have an effect on DUI behavior. |
| US. The mission is to reduce recidivism, enhance | | | | |