rehab center lets patients drink

[Amby 490]

A rehab clinic in the central Dutch city of Amersfoort allows its residents to drink up to five liters of beer each day, Agence France-Presse reported.

The "innovative" clinic, called Centrum Maliebaan, houses 19 alcoholic residents, most of whom are homeless. They are given just enough booze to make them "buzzed" throughout the day, which the clinic feels will help them eventually stop drinking. The only rule: The patients have to wait an hour in between each drink.

By allowing the residents to keep a small amount of alcohol in their bloodstream, "their heads are clearer and we can work with them; we can get them to see a doctor, a psychiatrist, to eat, shower and to keep their behavior under control," said Pieter Puijk, the center’s leader.

The center gives its patients three meals a day, as well as vitamins and medication to suppress　 withdrawal symptoms.

"Our main goal is to stop binge drinking, it is better for the individual and for his environment, the clinic’s psychiatrist," Eugene Schouten said. "These will never be model citizens or hardworking taxpayers. But in this way, they have more pleasure in life, they are less of a public nuisance, and they are healthier."

The clinic is mostly sponsored by the city of Amersfoort.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,598362,00.html

[thongd4me 69]

Hey, that approach could be applied to exhibitionists

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

sounds like a good retirement home.

[mawilson 2,133]

I like it!

[The_Dude 1,142]

A rehab clinic in the central Dutch city of Amersfoort allows its residents to drink up to five liters of beer each day, Agence France-Presse reported.

The "innovative" clinic, called Centrum Maliebaan, houses 19 alcoholic residents, most of whom are homeless. They are given just enough booze to make them "buzzed" throughout the day, which the clinic feels will help them eventually stop drinking. The only rule: The patients have to wait an hour in between each drink.

By allowing the residents to keep a small amount of alcohol in their bloodstream, "their heads are clearer and we can work with them; we can get them to see a doctor, a psychiatrist, to eat, shower and to keep their behavior under control," said Pieter Puijk, the center’s leader.

The center gives its patients three meals a day, as well as vitamins and medication to suppress　 withdrawal symptoms.

"Our main goal is to stop binge drinking, it is better for the individual and for his environment, the clinic’s psychiatrist," Eugene Schouten said. "These will never be model citizens or hardworking taxpayers. But in this way, they have more pleasure in life, they are less of a public nuisance, and they are healthier."

The clinic is mostly sponsored by the city of Amersfoort.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,598362,00.html

I think this is actually a practical approach to this problem. These are hardcore bums essentially. No amount of rehab or job training is going to turn them into fine upstanding citizens. So why not at least try to diminish the extremely harmful behavior with a practical solution.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Better than cold turkey I guess

[alienlovechild 75]

A rehab clinic in the central Dutch city of Amersfoort allows its residents to drink up to five liters of beer each day, Agence France-Presse reported.

The "innovative" clinic, called Centrum Maliebaan, houses 19 alcoholic residents, most of whom are homeless. They are given just enough booze to make them "buzzed" throughout the day, which the clinic feels will help them eventually stop drinking. The only rule: The patients have to wait an hour in between each drink.

By allowing the residents to keep a small amount of alcohol in their bloodstream, "their heads are clearer and we can work with them; we can get them to see a, a psychiatrist, to eat, shower and to keep their behavior under control," said Pieter Puijk, the center’s leader.

Drink while you talk to the shrink. Otis used to just sleep it off in Mayberry's jail. How times have changed.

[Nagishkaw 510]

[Amby 490]

5 liters seems like a lot to me

[Nagishkaw 510]

They said that is enough to keep them buzzed throughout the day.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

5 liters seems like a lot to me

Yeah. It's a day at the Oktoberfest

[The_Dude 1,142]

5 liters seems like a lot to me

For a full blown alcoholic who needs a 0.1 blood alcohol level just to function, 5 liters is nothing.

They said that is enough to keep them buzzed throughout the day.

Enough to get them to a point where they can function, but not so far that they get drunk. They are trying to get them into therapy afterall....

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

For a full blown alcoholic who needs a 0.1 blood alcohol level just to function, 5 liters is nothing.

Enough to get them to a point where they can function, but not so far that they get drunk. They are trying to get them into therapy afterall....

Experienced much?

[The_Dude 1,142]

Experienced much?

Well Marc, you would be the resident expert on alcoholism.

But in all seriousness, I have seen homeless alcoholics who can turn up a bottle of jack, just to be functioning. It's quite sad.

[HannahP 119]

Well Marc, you would be the resident expert on alcoholism.

But in all seriousness, I have seen homeless alcoholics who can turn up a bottle of jack, just to be functioning. It's quite sad.

You're right. As a medical professional, I've seen alkies who need a .2-.3 just to not be getting "the shakes." People who are totally coherent with a .5.

What the original article is arguing is that some alcoholics only need a small-ish, steady stream of alcohol to keep off the physical side-effects. This keeps them from ending up face-down in a ditch, the eventual 911 call and ER + ICU stay which often ends up in the 10s-100s of thousands.

This is also why I always give the bums in front of the liquor store a few dollars. That 40 of Steele Reserve is keeping them out of my ER.