How are alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs like oil?

I am from Louisiana, in case you wondered why I have a Southern accent or use "y'all" in most of my emails. I cry every time I turn on the TV or read the newspaper or listen to the radio these days. I did this five years ago when Katrina and other hurricanes devastated my home state. It's sad to see what happens when people forget that we can prevent many problems by making good plans, ignore warning signs, and tend to think that bad things only happen to other people. How much the situation in the Gulf of Mexico today is like addiction! With individuals, we tend to ignore the signs, think that we have to wait to intervene, and believe that it will never happen to us or our family.

I began thinking about this as I read the most recent "Chairman's Corner" by Joseph Califano, chairman of the National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. http://chairmanscorner.casacolumbia.org/?m=201006. In the article, Mr. Califano compares the response to our nation's addiction to oil with the response to our nation's addiction to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Mr. Califano states:

"In pressing for his energy bill, President Obama has noted that we Americans are five percent of the world's population, but we consume 25 percent of the world's oil. What about this one, Mr. President: We Americans are five percent of the world's population and we consume 66 percent of the world's illegal drugs."

Mr. Califano calls on the President to make a more definitive stance. Like Mr. Califano, I believe that as a nation we have paid too little attention to our addiction to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. But I also believe that it isn't sufficient to ask the President to change his focus. We all have ignored the signs of what addiction is doing to our communities, from broken families to increased incarceration due to drug-related offenses. We have said, "It's not my problem. They (whoever they are) need to intervene." We think it must be worse in places other than our own community. What kind of catastrophe has to happen to get us to pay attention? It is not just the job of the powerful to take a stand, make a plan, or face reality. It is a job that each of us should take on in our own family and our own community.

Read Mr. Califano's article and the comments posted to the Chairman's Corner and y'all let me know what you think. What can you do to make an impact in your family and your community?