Reply #51: Those against the smokers

[Ghost in the Machine]

are long on diversionary tactics and short on reading comprehension skills. This is the second time you've tried to divert the issue away from what I said. I'm not just talking about whatever the official statistics call "alcohol related deaths", as you pointed out above. I believe the issue was overall health care costs, not alcohol related deaths.

In fact, if you read the second paragraph of my OP, you'll notice that this is *my* opinion, and I very clearly stated "Included in these "alcohol related accidents" is everything from a drunk driver crashing to the drunk guy who wins his Darwin Award through his own drunken stupidity."

What this means is that I'm basing *my* statement using a much wider range of alcohol related injuries and deaths, which include but are not limited to:

The drunk guy who gets mad and beats someone up in a bar badly enough for the person to require a trip to the emergency room to sew up a busted lip or fix a broken nose, jaw, arm, leg, etc..or

The drunk who beats his spouse or child, causing injuries that require medical attention

The drunk at the family gathering that takes a crowbar, gun, knife or anything else and injures someone else at the party.

The drunk guy who decides he's gonna be cool and teach his son how to "ride a wheelie" on bicycle and winds up flipping backwards and smashing his head on the pavement, causing an injury that requires a trip to the ER and a few stitches. (I know a guy who did this)

What about the drunk that falls asleep with a lit cigarette and burns himself badly, requiring lots of hospitalization and surgeries for skin grafts, reconstruction, etc. Does the CDC count these as "alcohol related" injuries?

What about the drunken mother who puts her baby in a tub of scalding water to bathe it? Couldn't the baby's injuries be classified as "alcohol related"?

You see, there are a lot more "alcohol related" accidents/injuries that occur than what the CDC or anyone else classify as alcohol related. Yes, I'm using a lot broader brush while painting *my* "alcohol related" health care costs, but it IS a valid use of that brush.

I hope that helped clear a few things up for you. Have you ever heard of someone smoking a cigarette and thinking they could jump from the roof of a hotel down into the pool? Alcohol induced 'bravery' adds way more to health care costs than my sitting here enjoying a smoke does. It's just *that* plain and simple to see, and you really don't have to look that hard to see it... unless you're just trying to avoid seeing it...

Peace!