Alcohol Treatment Programs in Sarnia, Ontario

Sarnia is a city on the border with the United States just south of Lake Huron. Alcohol problems faced by the area are primarily regarding teenage abuse. High abuse within the youth population coupled with sparse local resources and services have meant higher than average levels of alcohol abuse city-wide, though this trend is most pronounced in younger age groups.

The city of Sarnia faces problems with teenage alcohol abuse stemming from lack of funding and a poor geographic location in terms of outside network resources. Despite reductions in drunk driving offences resulting from a focused effort on stricter enforcement, the overall alcohol abuse problem in Sarnia is trending toward negative directions as funding for programs and help groups is cut.

General Situation

Sarnia is located on the border between Canada and the United States, but because it is located in the province of Ontario, local regulations apply for establishments wishing to sell or supply alcoholic beverages. Such establishments must apply for a liquor license. A province-run entity called the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) also sells retail alcoholic beverages to the general public. Stricter enforcement rules across the province have shown some results in Sarnia in terms of drunk driving offence rates.

Sarnia requires urgent attention to its services for youth age groups. Especial attention should be placed on the current explosion of alcohol abuse cases in school-age children. Statistics point to a reverse trend between increased punishments and usage rates, suggestions a stricter approach has not been effective overall. Education and prevention are proven result generators in the region and should be considered in the future.

Teenage Alcohol Problems

The problems with teenage age group alcohol abuse in the Sarnia region are multi faceted and require urgent attention by relevant authorities. Recent years have shown increased alcohol poisoning cases in high school age students, likely a result of excessive drinking culture in the population. Of note is the inverse relationship between increased punishment and reduced effectiveness on alcohol abuse numbers.

Sarnia faces a crisis in its school age groups stemming from lack of funding for relevant education services and programs. The issues are set to extend to older age groups as high school students age and move into general society. Immediate action should be taken to curb these trends.

Driving While Impaired

Sarnia law enforcement has reported decreased incidences of drunk driving after an implementation of stricter punishments for various alcohol related infringements. While this is overall a positive result, successes in this area are overshadowed by growing problems within the youth demographic. Underlying causes of alcoholism are currently not examined by law enforcement, with emphasis continuously placed on reacting to problems rather than solving underlying issues.

Treating Alcoholic Addictions

While Sarnia has seen a mixed bag of successes and failures, the overall treatment level in the area is below average. Resources fall far short of demand, and patients in need of urgent alcohol treatment are often required to travel long distances to obtain help in an alcohol treatment center somewhere else in Ontario..

^{References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarnia,_Ontario
http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2470555}