Opinion: Sobering centers offer a safe place to recover from intoxication. Every community should have one
Sobering centers offer a safe place to recover from intoxication. Every community should have one.
Every day, thousands of individuals across the United States call 911 due to concern about someone who is intoxicated in public. Their concern is warranted: The potential harms from public intoxication are significant. They are at risk of being the target of assault, violence, or theft or may suffer injury or death from an underlying health condition. In addition to risk of death in custody, there may also be a heightened danger for some racial or ethnic groups when law enforcement becomes involved.
In most communities, police or ambulances have just two options: They can bring the intoxicated person either to jail or the emergency department. Most people with drug or alcohol intoxication require neither a criminal response nor the level of critical care offered in an ED. Yet, the number of people brought to the emergency department and to jail increases annually.
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