Boozin it up

Everyone has their own ways of dealing with stress, and unfortunately not all of them are good ways. Cops aren't necessarily any better at it than anyone else, and unfortunately alcohol is a fairly common numbing agent when things are not going to plan. Booze May make you feel pretty good for a little while, but eventually the drunken stupor wears off, and you're left right where you started, but usually with a hangover.

Booze can really do a number on the body when it is abused. The liver takes the brunt of it, since it is responsible for cleaning toxins out of the blood. Cirrhosis, or scarring, can block the flow of blood to the liver, preventing it from doing its job. Without a functional liver, toxins remain in the body and can cause even more issues or death.

Alcohol can have other serious effects on the body including increased risk of gouty arthritis, increased risk of several types of cancer, heart disease, hyperglycemia, malnutrition, obesity, and other psychological disturbances such as anxiety or depression.

Assault By Bodily Fluid

This post kind of goes along the lines of the one I wrote about hypodermic needles. Within the last two decades, there has been a growing recognition of the crime of assault by bodily fluid. Essentially it happens when someone tries to attack another person with their own bodily fluids, either by spitting, biting, or blood contact.

I was thinking about this as I haven't been feeling well the last couple days, and have spent the last two days sneezing almost continuously. Every day, everywhere we go we are assaulted by other people's bodily fluids, and it's really kind of disgusting. People sneeze, yawn, spit, and even breathe on just about everything. Door knobs, counter tops, computers, remote controls, steering wheels, shopping carts, money. It's absolutely amazing that we don't get sicker than we do. I for one normally only get really sick once per year. Right now I only have a cold, but back in February I was hit with the flu which laid me out for about 3 days.

I think working in the Police Station is what got me sick. Last weekend I had to sit in the holding area of the Amherst Police Station for 9 hours with 4 drunks. Saturday I started feeling sick. Some sick prisoner was probably in there and got me sick.

Too Fat to Serve?

Cops, obviously, need to be in excellent shape. I stumbled across this forum discussing the case of an officer in Nebraska who was fired after 25 years on the job for being out of shape. How out of shape? In 2005 he was was listed as 5'9" and 300 pounds.... My height...twice my weight. Granted people do tend to gain some weight as they get older, that's just ridiculous, and truthfully a little frightening.

http://officerresource.com/forums/f5/fired-overweight-cop-gets-job-back-34646/

Stressing Out

Everyone feels stressed at some time or another. We get stressed about school, families, relationships, and our jobs. Every job has its fair amount of stress involved, and if we're not careful, that stress can cause some pretty serious physical health problems.

People who are stressed tend not to find the most healthy ways of relieving said stress. We turn to food, alcohol, and sometimes even violence. These things lead to other health problems such as obesity or losing an unhealthy amount of weight, sleep problems, liver disease and a variety of other problems directly linked to "soothing" techniques. However, doctors in recent years have discovered that stress has a direct link to health problems such as

Diabetes
Hair Loss
Heart Disease
Hypertension
Ulcers
Some Cancers

Do yourselves a favor if you begin to feel your stress levels are becoming unmanageable. Talk to someone or find healthier ways to relieve it such as working out. Exercise has been proven to release endorphins into the body, producing a natural high and relieving stress levels.

http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/stresshealth.htm

Confining H1N1

With the rash of Swine Flu (no cop jokes please) there has been a huge demand for the brand new vaccine. As everyone is aware, there has been difficulty producing the vaccine and only people who fit into "high risk" categories have been able to get the vaccine. Children, pregnant women, and elderly people have been able to get the vaccine in some cases, but only after waiting in long lines, and even then distributors have run out of the medication. Despite this, one high risk group has been able to obtain the vaccine with little trouble...

Inmates

http://www.sphere.com/2009/10/28/fury-erupts-over-h1n1-shots-for-prisoners/

The article discusses how some mothers have been denied shots for their children, while High Risk inmates have been given the shot free of charge (at least free to them. The shots are paid for by the tax payers of their prospective states).

In some regards, I can understand why they get it. Prisoners are kept in close confines, and diseases often spread rapidly among the population. Prisons are one of the few places in the country where Tuberculosis is still prevalent in the country. Preventing prisoners from getting the swine flu will help prevent the spread of the disease and will ultimately save tax payers money.

On the other hand, should a convicted felon receive a vaccine free of charge before my 80 year old grandmother? No fricken way. Some politician dropped the ball on this one.