(Seguin) — The Guadalupe County Commissioners Court wants to help with the local fight against alcohol abuse. The court recently approved a proclamation recognizing April as Alcohol Awareness Month in Guadalupe County.
Vickie Adams, coalition director for the San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Awareness (SACADA), and Amy Alston, project director for SACADA who also serves as the coalition coordinator for Guadalupe County, were among those on hand for the recognition.
Adams says alcohol abuse doesn’t just hurt those who choose to drink too much. She says the cost of this misuse and abuse is something that places a burden on everyone in the community.
“Alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorders costs the U.S. approximately $249 billion in lost productivity, healthcare expenses, law enforcement and other criminal justice costs. In Texas, excessive alcohol use cost us $19 billon. That’s $695 per Texans annually. The San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug and Awareness and the Guadalupe County Coalition continue to collaborate with the community to educate for the prevention of alcohol use among our youth and support expanded recovery services for our adults and youth so that all of our young people and adults can live happier, healthier lives,” said Adams.
County Court-at-Law No. 2 Judge Kirsten Legore says she sees the negative impact of alcohol and drug abuse in her courtroom all the time. She says that’s why it’s so important for us to recognize the challenges that it creates, and for the community to support organizations like SACADA.
“I work with the drug court as well as with juvenile court – the ongoing issue of people with coping skills, lack of coping skills and then the need and use of alcohol and other drugs. It’s an ongoing issue that can only be resolved by one confronting the circumstances surrounding it and then getting counseling and help to actually work on those issues so I appreciate what SACADA is doing here in Guadalupe County and of course, I encourage anybody who may want to be a part of the coalition to kind of help deal with and confront some of those issues and figure out resolutions to some of them. I appreciate anybody and anybody who wants to do that. They can contact Amy. They are always looking for people who want to be a part of this group,” said Legore.
Judge Legore says alcohol and drug abuse is a real problem in the community, and it’s not just impacting adults. She says they are working hard to help teens who also need help recovering from their alcohol and drug dependencies.
“In juvenile court, we really have an epidemic with vaping and THC vapes. Every school district and every school campus, secondary school campuses especially throughout the county, deal with that issue so this is not something that is going away, and it really comes down to people’s need for that because the lack of coping skills, so we are trying to really infuse more counseling. So, I’d appreciate all the help that can be provided,” said Legore.
The proclamation presented by the commissioner’s court highlighted the challenges that alcohol abuse can create, and it also focused on the coordinated efforts in the county to try to change those behaviors.