Amended in Assembly April 3, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 83

Introduced by Assembly Member Buchanan

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(Coauthor: Assembly Member Levine)

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January 14, 2014

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 83—Relative to Alcohol Awareness Month.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 83, as amended, Buchanan. Alcohol Awareness Month.

This measure would proclaim the month of April 2014 as Alcohol Awareness Month in California.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, Alcohol is the most commonly used addictive
substance in the United States; and

WHEREAS, One in every 12 adults in the United States (17.6
million people) suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence; and

WHEREAS, Nationwide, 100,000 persons die each year from
alcohol-related causes, including, but not limited to, drinking and
driving crashes, other accidents, falls, fires, alcohol-related
homicides, and suicides; and

WHEREAS, Alcohol-related problems cost the United States
$224 billion ($746 per person) in lost productivity, absenteeism,
health care costs, crime, and family-related problems; and

WHEREAS, In 2012, 28 percent of all traffic deaths in
California were a result of drinking and driving; and

WHEREAS, In 2010, underage drinking in California cost the
state and its citizens $6.8 billion, including medical care and lost
time at work; and

WHEREAS, Young people who begin drinking before 15 years
of age are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence
than those who begin drinking at 21 years of age; begin delete now, therefore,
be it end delete begin insert and end insert

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WHEREAS, Alcohol Justice and Writers in Treatment are
coproducing the REEL Recovery Film Festival--San Francisco
Bay Area Edition, April 24 to 27, 2014, inclusive, to more publicly
and effectively bring alcoholism and addiction out of the closet,
reduce the stigma, and raise public awareness that it is not a moral
failing but a devastating disease that, like other potentially fatal
diseases, requires specialized treatment, and to encourage public
policy advocacy for the prevention of alcohol and other
drug-related harm; and

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WHEREAS, Screening for Mental Health, Inc., will hold
National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD) on April 10, 2014, as an
outreach, education, and screening program that will raise
awareness about alcohol misuse and refers individuals with alcohol
problems for further treatment, and since the inception of NASD
in 1999, thousands of colleges, universities, community-based
organizations, and military installations provide the program to
the public each year; and

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WHEREAS, The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug
Dependence, Inc. begin insert is end insert Alcohol Awareness Month, held every April,
increases public awareness and understanding aimed at reducing
the stigma associated with alcoholism that too often prevents
individuals and families from seeking help; begin delete and end delete begin insert now, therefore,
be it end insert

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature joins the National Council
on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. and hereby recognizes
April 2014 as Alcohol Awareness Month in California, and calls
upon all citizens, parents, governmental agencies, public and
private institutions, businesses, hospitals, schools, and colleges in
California to support efforts that will reduce stigma, increase
community awareness, and increase support for individuals and
families coping with alcoholism; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.