Unfettered Letters

Gambling problems

A recent Star article (9/12, “Schools could get lesson plans that teach math, risks of gambling”) did an excellent job of highlighting a proposed new classroom program to teach the mathematics and risks of gambling, and in summarizing the accomplishments of the National Center for Responsible Gaming.

The article also mentioned a new employee training program (EMERGE) developed by Harvard Medical School. There are some key points made in the article that require clarification.

The EMERGE training program provides employees with a comprehensive introduction to how gambling can become an addiction, their company’s responsible gaming program and how to respond to requests for information. Such training does not mean employees should try to identify problem gamblers.

In fact, the training discourages employees from approaching customers who appear to have a gambling problem, as research has shown even highly trained health professionals have difficulty identifying problem gamblers.

The training does, however, play an important role critical for employees’ own health. A Harvard Medical School study showed that casino employees have a slightly higher rate of problems with gambling, drinking and smoking than the general population. Although most will never develop a gambling disorder, better understanding addiction may help those employees.

Christine Reilly
Executive director, Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders Division on Addictions
Cambridge Health Alliance, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School
Medford, Mass.

Smoking bans are wrong

Herb Perry (12/27, Letters) came up with a great idea to boycott cities that ban smoking in any public facility. I am forwarding his letter to friends and family and making copies to hand out to co-workers.

And to Hayley Hooper (also 12/27, Letters): Yes, smoking is harmful and addictive. But never once have I not fed my family because I spent all my money on cigarettes. I have never committed a crime to buy cigarettes, nor have I driven recklessly due to smoking too many cigarettes.

Most smokers are thoughtful and considerate of nonsmokers and understand the need to segregate smoking to designated areas. Never once have I questioned my nonsmoking relatives about their desire to keep their homes smoke-free.

As a smoker, I pay quite a bit of tax every time I buy a pack of cigarettes. I would love to see what these cities think the tax burden of individuals would become if cigarettes were no longer sold in their smoke-free cities.

Judi Herron
Kansas City, Kan.

Help with alcohol

“Looking for a magic cure,” an article from the Detroit Free Press, appeared in last week’s FYI section (12/14). It was about avoiding hangovers.

Hangovers occur only when someone is drinking immoderately. The article had some very good rules for drinking alcohol in a safe manner, as well as information on avoiding unpleasant after-effects if someone drinks too much.

I think that readers who seek this kind of advice should also be told that they can find help if their drinking is out of control.

In the Kansas City area, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence is the first call to make for help, day or night. Callers can maintain anonymity and speak with certified counselors about any alcoholism or addiction concerns.

We offer this service to the community at no charge. The reward we get is hearing people say, “You saved my life.”

Jean Roth Jacobs
President and chief executive officer
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of Greater Kansas City
www.recoverycentral.org
Kansas City

Costly alcohol abuse

Diane Stafford wrote a good column on the effects of alcohol abuse by employees (9/7, Business, “A costly, tragic problem”).

While not a teetotaler, I know the gravity of the situation we now face, particularly the binge drinking and guzzling contests prevalent in the young.

As a father of eight, a retired middle manager of a major industrial facility, and past chairman of Clay County’s Health Department, I can attest to the fact that her article understates the seriousness of the problem (don’t forget social disruptions, automobile accidents and domestic disputes).

Many people are hopped up on the tobacco issue, and it is important, but it pales in comparison to the alcohol consumption patterns evident in our society.

Why does the city have such an apparent desire to continually increase the number of bars and other liquor-serving facilities? Only one answer makes sense: Alcohol sales provide tax revenue, and producers have such a strong and well-funded lobby, no one will touch the issue.

I am glad to see someone with the courage to “open Pandora’s Box” on this issue. Keep up the good work, Diane.

Jay R. Stock
Kansas City

Smoking is destructive

Cigarette smokers are addicts. They're not paying three bucks a pack to inhale a product that will harm them because it sounds like a good idea.

Anyone who has witnessed an otherwise intelligent co-worker shaking outside in sub-arctic 30-knot winds trying to light a cigarette should realize the poor soul is hooked. Besides harming themselves, these people may be causing health problems for others because of secondhand smoke.

Discarded butts litter sidewalks and are responsible for thousands of fires annually. Taxpayers finance medical care for health-related problems caused by smoking.

We should apply heavy taxes on this destructive consumer product to offset taxpayer expense.

Phil Swayne
Kansas City

Secondhand smoke

The new report of the surgeon general emphatically states, once and for all, what we in the public health community have believed for a number of years. Secondhand tobacco smoke is truly a public health threat. The public now needs for public policy to agree with the health facts.

There are indeed steps that public officials can take to truly protect the lives of those unwillingly exposed to the clear and quantifiable hazards brought on by environmental tobacco smoke.

We in public health will continue to educate young people to not begin this addictive habit, and we will continue to motivate current smokers to quit.

This report must be the catalyst to further protect those unwillingly exposed to the hazards brought about by secondhand smoke.

Now is the time to require all public places in this region, including bars, restaurants, casinos — in effect, all enclosed places — to ban this hazard. It is a denial of the public trust to act otherwise.

Robert Hudson
President, Missouri Public Health Association
Jefferson City

Limbaugh sentence

I read that Rush Limbaugh had been placed on probation for 18 months provided he continues to receive treatment for his drug addiction (5/2, A-1, “Random drug testing required of Limbaugh: After 18 months, charge against him will be dismissed”).

I am eagerly anticipating reading the letters to the editor you will surely receive from all the law-and-order conservatives out there who are outraged by our morally depraved, bleeding-heart, revolving-door criminal justice system for plea-bargaining this case down to nothing.

Ken Herdrick
Kansas City

More accurate

Regarding “addicted to oil”: When you sleep with the enemy, you are a prostitute, not an addict.

Marilyn E. Frenzel
Kansas City

Oil addiction

President Bush says Americans are addicted to oil. Maybe the Bushes should be the first to get in line for rehab.

Linda A. Purcell
Prairie Village

Focus on real hunger

The feature on hunger and mood in the Jan. 3 FYI section illustrates more than just the poor nutritional quality of much modern food, which spikes blood sugar leading to later cravings (and which may also affect mood). It also points to how distorted our relationship to that food has become.

Perceived hunger can mask the true emotional needs of people’s lives, with food becoming an addictive salve to the stresses of modern life. Rather than confront the real causes of distress in their lives, people may use food to justify dysfunctional behavior.

It is easy to dismiss all this as harmless, albeit somewhat pathetic, narcissism (especially the woman who claims that a temporary lack of food “ruins” experiences for her). Unfortunately, the focus on such people trivializes the nature of hunger and poverty, both in the United States and elsewhere. It seems unlikely that any of those interviewed in the story have ever experienced true hunger: going without eating for days or even weeks, not knowing where their next meal is coming from. Yet this is the reality for millions worldwide.

I’d prefer to read more about that type of hunger and how to relieve it.

Barbara L. Baker
Warrensburg, Mo.

Judge’s punishment

It was with sadness that I read that Judge Deborah Neal is to be incarcerated for 28 months (10/1, A-1).

While I agree with the sentencing court’s view that public employees, especially judges, should be held to a higher standard, I could not help wondering what, if any, justice was served by incarcerating an individual with a bona fide mental disorder (pathological gambling).

I would think that being forced off the bench in disgrace, the loss of the ability to practice law, and the shame of being under supervision would have been enough.

The harsh sentence is symptomatic of our society’s approach to resolving addiction-related illnesses. We have declared a war on drugs. We have been fighting this war for many years and, in true warlike fashion, we incarcerate the enemy. Of course in this particular war, as the cartoon character Pogo once said, “The enemy is us.”

A better sentence for Judge Neal would have been probation, perhaps electronic home detention (house arrest), and intensive mental health counseling to include compulsive gambling treatment.

Charles Megerman
Overland Park