Over 17 million Americans, or one in every 12 adults, suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence, and several million more engage in risky drinking patterns that could lead to alcohol problems.

More than 7 million children live in a household where at least one parent is dependent or has abused alcohol.This is just one of the addictions. We all know about the hazards of nicotine, plus there are opiates, cocaine and marijuana that are addictive.According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 20 million Americans aged 12 or older 8 percent of that population used an illegal drug in the past 30 days.The nonmedical use or abuse of prescription drugs like painkillers, sedatives and stimulants is also a growing problem, with an estimated 48 million people ages 12 and older about 20 percent of the U.S. population using prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons.Alcoholism and drug dependence can affect all aspects of a person's life.Drugs change the chemistry of the brain, and can lead to impulsive behaviors.A woman in western Pennsylvania recently showed how the effects of both alcoholism and drugs can affect a person's ability to think clearly, exercise good judgment and control behavior.After being cited by Uniontown police for public drunkenness, 23-year-old Savannah Turachak was patted down for weapons but not otherwise searched after being brought to the station on Nov. 19.But after being released, police say Turachak returned moments later to report being harassed by someone. During the process, surveillance video shows a baggie of crack cocaine accidentally dropped from her shirt onto the police station floor. Police found it a short time later and charged her.Gambling addiction is characterized by a compulsive desire to gamble that is marked with an inability to control behavior.Many who are addicted will do things that they never would have done otherwise.That was the case in Luzerne County when Avoca police recently arrested 46-year-old Michael McDonough after a tipster identified him as the suspect in a robbery at a PNC branch bank.The suspect, a butcher, told police he robbed the bank after blowing his paycheck at a casino.The police said McDonough got paid that morning, cashed his check at work, then lost it all at the Mohegan Sun casino at Pocono Downs.McDonough told police he drove around for hours thinking of ways to get more money before robbing the bank and using that money to gamble at Mount Airy Casino.Many people have a desire to stop their addictions to gambling, alcoholism, nicotine or drugs, but are unable to control their actions without help.That's why the information on accessing local substance abuse services and addiction awareness events such as last summer's National Night Out held in Jim Thorpe, Tamaqua and Lehighton are so vital in our communities.By JIM ZBICKtneditor@tnonline.com