I see a lot of denial in this thread..which isn't surprising. Addiction and alcoholism is brutal, it's tragic, and it destroys people and families despite a massive support system.
I can certainly understand the knee jerk reaction of "we need to throw more money and more more more at it". But that feeling flies in the face of the fact that no addict and no alcoholic ever gets sober until they are ready to do it for themselves.
Where does compassion become enabling? Does ignoring the very real facts about addiction and alcoholism (crime, violence, abuse and neglect) enable that very behavior? I believe it does.