Is alcoholism a crime?

I have never seen a Lindsay Lohan movie and do not intend to, and I abhor the media's obsession with her and her escapades (as I did with Brittney Whatshername)

BUT.....


The alcohol-sensing ankle monitor she's wearing made me think about her "crimes".

She obviously has had some DUI issues
She's suspected of theft of a watch & some other things
She blew off court dates.

Granted, those things were probably done with the "assistance" of some alcohol, but she's past 21 (isn't she?)

I am not a fan of booze, but I have known alcoholics and have even had some in my family.

Luckily, they did not drive when they were drinking, but they sure did some stupid things, and I suspect that the booze did take my uncle's life, but was the alcoholism also "criminal"?

I am all in favor of the courts coming down hard on Lohan for the missed appearances, the DUI and even prosecuting her for theft, if they have the evidence, but to FORCE an adult into alcohol-classes, and to prohibit them from drinking, seems to be the ultimate in nanny-ism.

Of course, if she showed up in court drunk, that's another thing. Though her alcoholism will destroy her career & possibly her life, is it the right of the court to force her to give it up?..

Anyone who has gone through withdrawal from alcohol always says the same thing.. They had to hit bottom, and had to WANT to stop drinking.

It almost seems as if she would be better off just sent to jail for a time (no alcohol there because she'd be in custody).

The whole ankle monitor thing and the recurrent trips to court to answer for probation violations seems infantile and almost taunting her into rebelling.

If she has truly committed a crime worthy of court intervention, and there is a sentence attached to the crime, just send her to jail, and let her deal with the alcoholism on her own.

If she commits another crime...well rinse & repeat.

Suspend her driver's license, put alcohol monitoring gadgets in the car, if necessary.

Alcohol may be evil, but it IS legal, and anyone who has ever known a drunk, knows that forced abstinence does not work..

And in my humble opinion, those "alcohol ed" classes are all about revenue generation and control. There must be some big money behind that industry.

My daughters boyfriend got a DUI last year. Yes, that was wrong. Yes, he should get punished for the drunk driving. However, driving while drunk does not an alcoholic make. And those classes weren't cheap, from what I understand.

You are correct; this is the ultimate in nanny-ism (a practice I despise), and no addict quits his behavior without hitting his/her own personal rock bottom.

:toast: (I couldn't help myself!)

Another cynical ploy to garner revenue for private industry.

The only other recreational drug that's legal is nicotine, all the rest are illegal.

That's the way alcohol should be treated, either that or make the rest of them just as legal as alcohol.

Anything else is hypocrisy.

she might throw a few back :evilgrin:


people in jail have to "give up" lots of pet vices while incarcerated:)

I guess even devoted wood-carvers might have to give up their hobby.

... then trying to force her to address her alcohol issues seems like a valid "punishment", indeed, far preferable to putting someone into jail. Putting someone into a brutalizing system (just about any US prison) and then releasing them after an number of months or years back into the general population seems like a formula for generating more crime and more serious crime. If alcohol causes her problems, then forcing her to address those problems amy actually resolve the issue.

in a booze-related offense, but I agree with you 100% that a person has to hit bottom and decide for themselves to change. I watched my brother nearly kill himself when he was in his early 20's. It was horrible. I coerced him into going into a residential treatment program at a private hospital and thought the problem would be solved. After 3 months of treatment he was sober about 2 days. There was a motorcycle accident and an incident where he burned off his eyebrows trying to light a gas stove. One day, out of the blue, he called and asked me to give him a ride to a local facility that treats alcoholism. By that time I had had it and told him if he wanted to go there, he'd have to figure a way to get there on his own. He did. It was the most amazing turnaround I've ever seen. He had a rough road, to be sure, but that was about 30 years ago and he's been dry ever since. He put himself through college and went on to get an MSW and has had a decent life. No matter how much the judge thinks she's helping Lindsay Lohan, it's unlikely it will "take" unless Lindsay makes the decision that now is the time.

I think the police and the court system are overstepping their bounds sometimes while 'enforcing the law.'

An example: A good friend of mine was smoking pot on his front porch and the police came and arrested him. He thinks his neighbor called the police. Anyway, when he went to court, the judge fined him and took away his license to drive for six months. Now how did they make the leap from charging him with marijuana possession to taking away his license? It's like getting a speeding ticket and then being sentenced to washing the courthouse steps for a month.

disregard for court orders than trying to help her.

However, with the monitor she can't drink and if she can't drink then it may be possible that drying out may help her to straighten out.

I generally agree that a person has to hit bottom in order to turn around, but remember "bottom" for a lot of people means dead. And at the rate she is going I think that is where she'll be if she is just left on her own to turn her life around.

I am actually surprised she isn't dead already.

..

but I doubt the "anklet" will keep her on the straight & narrow. She seems determined to ruin her career & life, and until she decides it's time to change, she won't:(

If the judge is reacting to her non-compliance, she could have a conservator appointed, and make it their responsibility to get her to court.. she could confiscate her passport, and she could also find her a bunk in a lock up facility until she has the court issues settled. her drinking should not be at issue for the court...(unless she shows up in court, loaded)

The anklets should be for proximity issues, and to ensure that the person stays where they are supposed to be...not as a lure for them to create more legal infractions (as she's likely to do).

If she were under-age, I would be in favor of it because the drinking of the alcohol is illegal in itself

I've seen some of her stuff.

It has been such a wonderful thing to see how Robert Downey Jr. turned it around. I hope she can too before it's too late for her.

He's a great late-night guest too.. and quick.. You'd think his brain would be a bit fried from what he put it through :)

and there are consequences for it.

and maybe she should do some time for the DUI and pay the fines, but if she chooses to drink and NOT drive, that;s her business..

of incarceration, and served her time, it certainly would be. But, as she has taken another option, it is not.

with whom they've engaged in criminal activity, I think it's reasonable to tell her to stay away from the bad influence that facilitates her crimes. In other words, when her alcoholism brings her into frequent contact with our justice system, it becomes our business.