Alcoholism has a devastating impact on the addict, his family, and the people (including strangers) whom he comes across. It affects the mind and the body. With heavy drinking, alertness and skills become impaired, the thinking process gets warped, and actions and reactions turn deranged. Prolonged abuse affects the body functions and the victim withers away, often alone and bereft of any dignity.

The problem is highly prevalent in the United States. According to one estimate, 10% of adult drinkers are alcoholic. Almost 40% of all traffic deaths are caused by drink-related accidents. Here it is pertinent to note that an occasional drinker could be as much a menace on the highway as an alcoholic. The state of New Jersey tries to protect its citizens with strict Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) laws, and preemptive as well as corrective programs.

The New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission conducts several courses on safe driving. The permissible Blood Alcohol Concentration/Content (BAC) while driving is under 0.80%. If a person is convicted of DWI he has to attend courses at an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center (IDRC), which has been in existence since 1984. Treatment includes alcohol and highway safety education programs. Sometimes the concerned driver is referred to other providers. Each county has an IRDC facility.

Apart from IDRC and Alcoholics Anonymous, New Jersey also has clinics and hospitals to combat alcoholism. Treatment consists of either one or a combination of outpatient, inpatient, biophysical, detoxification, group therapy, religious therapy, and long-term rehabilitation. The required time frame varies according to the severity of the cases. The rate of success depends a great deal on the will of the patient and the cooperation he extends to the program.

There are self-help tools also available in the form of CDs and books.