Home De-Talks: Wrong Way Drunk Driver?

There is continued coverage and interest in the unfortunate case of the wrong way driver on the Taconic State Parkway. Diane Schuler was allegedly very drunk and under the influence of marijuana. She and her passengers died as well as a number of passengers in a car she slammed into. (original story in the NY Post http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6181079379903428570&postID=5132378373186205196 )

What is interesting is the insistence of her husband that she was not drunk, has never seen her drunk, and that she was not an alcoholic. For the sake of this post, I will presume the autopsy report that found her Blood Alcohol Level twice the limit, and found traces of Marijuana in her system to be correct. Why is it that her husband is so intent on clearing his wife's name in relation to being an alcoholic. He appears to be unilaterally focused on making sure others know that she wasn't an alcoholic. He does not appear to be focused on providing condolences to those that lost loved ones.

There may be a number of reasons why her husband is insistent that his wife did not have a drinking problem.... possibly legal reasons, however I think the stigma of alcoholism is at work here. To paraphrase "Call my wife anything you want, just don't call her an alcoholic". For some reason, many equate the term alcoholic perjoratively, as a weakness or terrible affliction, or an amoral representation of the person and those connected to the person. A scholarly link ascribing stigma to alcoholism: http://www.springerlink.com/content/y8t4672877u57657/

I believe alcoholism is none of these. I believe alcoholism is a disease that is treatable and manageable. When alcoholism is apparent and their is a stigma that prevents conventional treatment, my service, Executive Home Detox, http://www.homedetox.biz/ is an alternative for clients and families who prefer privacy.