By Maxine Shaoiro, KERA 90.1 Business Commentator
Dallas, TX – April may be full of springtime showers, but it is also a month when we're asked to focus on worthwhile matters. Here's a few. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Midday.
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. When one-quarter of all emergency room admissions and more than half of all homicides and incidents of domestic violence are alcohol-related, it's understandable why it merits more awareness. The fiscal ramifications are enormous. According to statistics compiled by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, alcohol and drug abuse costs the American economy an estimated $276 billion per year in lost productivity, health care expenditures, crime, motor vehicle crashes and other conditions. But it's the underage drinker who really demands our attention. College kids count for nearly $5 billion of alcohol sales annually. Do you know what your kids are drinking?
The four Children's Advocacy Centers in the Metroplex would like you to know that April is also Child Abuse Awareness Month. The estimated cost of child abuse in the U.S. is $258 million each day. The saddest statistic of them all: in 2002 there were 47,000 confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect in Texas alone. These Children's Advocacy Centers need the community's support on all levels.
And if you genuinely care about your own kids, take a stab at participating in TV-Turnoff week. That's right, over 70 organizations have banded together in a plea for us to go do something else besides watch TV. You want to talk about addictions? Tell your children, your spouse, your fish, your dog, yourself, for the rest of the week, "No TV." Even if you don't do it for all the virtuous reasons, it's guaranteed you would save money. In her book titled, "Overspent America," Juliet Schor makes a direct correlation with time spent in front of the set and money spent.
Good luck. For KERA Marketplace Midday, I'm Maxine Shapiro.
Marketplace Midday Reports air on KERA 90.1 Monday - Friday at 1:04 p.m.
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