Inebriated in Seattle

the ultimate triumph of liberalism…

Yes people will be people and addicts will be addicts and they will continue to exact their cost on society no matter what. However if this program can save society money in the long run by cutting down on ambulance rides, ER visits, police intervention, costs associated with jailing and prosecuting people for public drunkeness, etc., then it is a good thing. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box people.

Yeah, it’s almost as bad as all the corporate welfare that one could list, and the tobacco subsidies as well as all the defacto welfare that millionaires get through tax loopholes, and giving millionaire Congress/Senate members Free medical care.
Wow!

The whole alcohol treatment system is broken. Private rehabs are a profit mill for owners. The cult of Alcoholics Anonymous won’t publish their sucess statistics–which have dropped from 70 in 100 in 1950 to 1.2 in 100 in 2000. The AMA and alcohol industry continue to push their disease-model agenda [which provides incredible profit for both doctors and producers] and the losers continue to be those suseptible to alcohol addiction–whether it is via genetics, environment, or both.
Absolutely nothing is spent on researching the genesis of learned drinking behavior in childhood–via parental drinking patterns, advertising, or bombardment of pro-drinking imagery in TV, movies, and music. American culture just expects kids to know how to drink when they turn 21.
Alcohol problems cost the US BILLIONS every year in hidden costs, yet US culture continues to be ambivilent about just WHAT our national priorities are.
I given this facility credit for at least trying something different to address the incredible problem of alcoholism in their community.

This demonstrates a complete diregard for humanity! Shame on Seattle and all those considering foisting such abuse upon their fellow man. If these people are so sick, commit them somewhere far from the sight of society, not in the heart of it.

Once again Washington state has proved to be a strong hold for liberals and wacko goverment spending.

The “wet house” approach is the best program I have read about in a long time! It would be much cheaper in the long run, and should be promoted Throughout the United States. It would more than pay for itself over a short period
of time, and relieve great suffering, and maybe succeed.
Good going ” Seattle”.

Don’t cast the first stone unless your own backyard is clean, okay. You self rightous do-gooders that don’t really want to see the nasty in the world, certainly help nobody. Get a life. Step out of your little ticky-tacky houses and lend a helping hand, if you can.
Remember, Jesus washed feet!!!

So Tim, I have a few questions. Is it fine with you to continue a program like this as long as it is nowhere near civilized society? Isn’t that similar to what we are doing now, hide those people away in jails so we don’t have to deal with them. Or are you implying that we build facilites in the middle of nowhere, and create an infrastructure for the community to effectively run itself? Wouldn’t that then be the same thing as forcing this on a community.
As Sean posted earlier, don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Obviously what we are doing now is not working and it is infeasable to create an entire infrastructure to house these individuals. So maybe instead of screaming outrage, try finding a solution that is both humane considering all aspects of the illness/disease/addiction and socially responsible.

It is well known that, in most cases, mental health issues are the ‘driver’ for alcohol or drug addictions.
Free booze and a crash site, while it might help curtail the runaway costs of the criminal justice and medical systems, does not address the real issue – mental health issues.
ANY program for alcoholics or drug addicts NEEDS to incorporate a comprenensive treatment plan, including mental health treatment.
Faith-based groups, and AA, are not treatment – too many prayers go unanswered, and that unfortunately leads to relapse.
This would be a better idea to get the chronic drunks out of the system, IF, intensive mental health help was part of the picture!!
These people deserve the chance to get the help they really need: competent psychotherapy coupled with a comprehensive, clinical, addiction treatment program.

there is a lot of people that
discuss the useage of the theory
of drinking until exhaustion of
facility..and it is a working
solution because of societys
willingness to accept the
borderlines we deal with all the
time. THE BINGE-DRINKERS.
When I was homeless last year..due
to loss of job and applications
of 30 (+) or more and doing
a lot of odd jobs ..I took to the
road and found alot of homeless
that would work well in a roof
over the head situation..also
should let the prisoners out of
the prison mix because the mix
is what inspires people one way
or the other to sustain their
feelings of worth..this is what
I heard however about Seattle–
That the homeless were riding
the buses around and around
the area..more in Seattle than
in other states. So the Wethouse
does help in this area..
Not so much in places they are
not accepted on the streets at all.

We’ve made our bed, and now we’ve gotta lie in it.

Wow! I congratulate Seattle for atleast trying something different. Everyone else is in “denial” of the real cost on taxpayers for prosecuting and jailing someone for “drinking too much.”

WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY!!! Why even bother? Give them one last drink of grape coolaid and lets spen that $1 Mil on educating the kids in Seattle. Let’s get real folks! What are we trying to accomplish by keeping the lost causes of this world around? By there own admission, they say they aren’t trying to make them better. What a sad state of affairs that we waste our money on people like this…

A”wet house”? Are you kidding me?

Im an American living in Germany, here the Gov believes in treatment, junkies and alcoholics have a desease and they treat them as such, why cant America use this approach a little more, most people with an addiction are treated as criminals. What costs more, locking them up or trying to help them overcome their problems…

1. Show me a “faith based organisation” that works, I do not mean replace addicition A with addiction B – a.k.a. jesus.
2. No one said free alcohol for the residents, and they have to pay rent as well.
3. You can’t force spmeone to stop doing whatever it is they are going to do – drink, gamble, whatever, so I think, as a responisble society this is a great idea! Keep people out of the jail system, out of the ER when they needn’t be there, give them a safe place to be, not on the streets. We are too good at trying to practice “out-of-sight-out-of-mind” tactics with people that make us uncomfortable for whatever reason, because they are homeless, alcoholics, have mental issues, or oh my, even have sex with someone of their own gender. They aren’t criminal, as much as some might want them to be classified as such. A wonderful idea and I hope that it works.

It’s not a disease it’s a CHOICE. If this keeps up the next in line for free handouts and taxpayers money, will be the will be those infected with the fat disease. (Or should I use the politically correct term “Large people”). And there are millions of them. The logic will be “If we take care of them, the program would save lives and money in the long run”. The miracle cure and “wet house approach” is simple for the obese disease, “Feed them”.

I’d like to get upset about the alcoholics of the world, but I’m too worried about the long-term effects of massive illegal immigration.
I’d rather see an alcoholic American citizen who pays taxes and maybe even has health insurance go to the emergency room for alcohol poisoning than an illegal alien go there for one of their many kids’ ear infections. Look at the numbers: alcoholics aren’t bankrupting our hospitals, illegal aliens are.
Having said that, I dont’ like rewarding people for behavior that ill-affects society. (That’s right, I made up the word “ill-affects,” and I think it’s a good one!)

They have set a goal of decreasing medical treatment for these people. Saving $ is the goal for the wet house, they seem to want to be judged by the ends. Are we at the point where the ends justify the means? This may save some cash or it may not, but it is not a solution.

I’ve always felt that the best way to cure a addiction is to give them what they crave at a location that give you access to them to really try to treat their addiction.
I believe this would work for drug addiction also.
Only thing that I would do is place the location out in the country away from society and other distractions so they can really decide to cure their addictions.

trillion and billions of dollars spent on the war against drug abuse and drinking. yet in my lifetime of 50 years i’ve seen neither improvement or reduction. maybe it is time to try something else, because bitching about or present have not work! may god love and wisdom be with us.

At first glance, the economics of this make sense, but after a closer look, you are simply solving one problem with another problem.
The initial problem appears to be the high cost of keeping homeless drunks in ERs because they have nowhere else to go. I know this is a real problem; a close friend of mine is a doctor in a NYC hospital where 50% of the beds are filled with the same homeless people every night. The proposed solution tries to solve that problem by giving drunks a warm place to get drunk; therefore avoiding the costs of the ER.
So is this the best solution to the problem? What about closing ERs to homeless drunks who just want a warm place to sleep? It’s rather cold and inhumane, but at one point people have to deal with the problems they created for themselves.
This same money could be put to much better use as well. America has a problem with putting the majority of its public money into the most desperate and hopeless elements of society. What about the kid who gets a 1600 on his SATs but lives in a trailor park and cannot go to college because he must make money for his family? America should focus spending more money on the people who actually have a chance at success, instead of on the pathetic who hold the country down. That is why East Asians (Japanese, Koreans) are so successful – they invest in the top of society, not the bottom.
This wet house only demonstrates that it’s ok to be a failure. Compassion for the poor is important, but there must be some economic incentives for people to do better.

OK PEOPLES
heres how it is
Billy the local drunk is known as a frequent flyer at the local ER.
He shows up by ambulance 1-2 times a week,after being found passed out in the local park or beside the road.
Now, all medical protocol in the united states of america requires that Billy treated as a trauma patient each and every time Billy is found and hauled to the ER. This requires proper immobalization during transport. this requires xrays, blood work, possible ct scans everytime billy is in the ER.
very, very expensive people.
This medical protocol has been established as a direct result of LAW SUITS THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY. INDIVIDUALS HAVE RECIEVED MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR JUDGEMENTS FROM A JURY OF HIS/HER PEERS THAT DETERMINED THAT THE MEDICAL STAFF WAS LIBEL FOR DAMAGES AFTER NOT PROPERLY DIAGNOSISING AND TREATING A PATIENT THAT APPEARED ONLY TO BE DRUNK.
Billy might fall 50 times and transported to the ER 50 times
( xray, cbc, ct scans) and found not to be hurt.
But when Billy falls the 51st time and has a head injury that ER staff has failed to find because they put him in a bed to sleep it off.
Well, everyone what happens then,
LAWYERS, LAWSUITS, INCREASE IN OUR HEALTH INSURANCE, INCREASE IN DOCTORS MALPRACTICE INSURANCE
INCREASE IN HOSPITAL RATES.
GET THE PICTURE.
Billys trips to the ER cost US about 3-5 thousand dollars per trip. And only that if Billy does not require an over night stay. multiply that many times over for Billy to stay in the hospital if Injured.
NOW HOW MANY BILLYS ARE IN YOUR TOWN.
MORE THAN YOU COULD IMAGINE.
Now here comes the real funny part.
It is cheaper house Billy in an apartment, hire a 24 hour staff to feed, bath, cloth and entertain Billy, than it is to let Billy roam the streets and fall down go boom.
This problem is in every single city in every single state. on a daily basis we spend (waste) millions of dollar caught in this loop.
Billy get drunk,
Billy fall down,
Billy go to ER
Billy get discharged,
(BILLY GET LAWYER)
Billy get drunk,
Billy fall down.
A WETHOUSE WHY THE HELL NOT
BILLY IS HAPPY
THATS ALL THAT COUNTS

Not cost free! Listen closely to the argument. Cut hospital/jail/public institution cost by housing people and hoping that they address underlying issues leading to alcoholism/anti-social behavior. Every situation like this that I have studied touts that teh indivduals pays up to 30% of their housing cost – with SSI or public dollars, the hospitals use public money for indigent care…the “optional” wrap-around are public money again, whether they are used of not…if we decrease use from one public pot and increasee use from another public pot…what is net gain/loss…oh and did mention people will die while we figure out this answer…community standards may suffer and certainly personal expectations will mirror what society expects.

I’m so sick of hearing about the plight of the small businessman. However valid their complaints, I’m just sick of hearing about it. I could care less about your flower bed. The reality is you don’t want drunks in your back yard. I don’t want them sleeping next to the shopping mall either. Something has to give. Yes, this is a liberal idea, and along with other liberal ideas its complex to understand what with its ACTUAL cost savings and all that complex math. All problems are better solved with jailing, wars, guns and your lord and savior jesus christ. The bible thumping right had their chance with the 12 steps. Fail. Give the left a shot and see if you don’t like your trip to Macy’s a little more.