what are you doin'? - oh nothing, i dropped my uh. - you're not supposed to do that. - the frozen tundra. the frozen tundra. - i got the gear, okay? i think rodney should've done this story by himself. - when i started this job, i was brown and black headed. and then came jann. - it's hard to imagine a world without, oh i'm gonna be that wascally wabbit. the wondrous and wacky wed, wisconsin, ah. i wonder if the wascally wabbit wears a wisconsin wedge. (jann chuckles) >> good morning and welcome to "new jersey viewpoint." i'm ken rosato. today we bring you an inspiring new book that will give parents and educators some food for thought, especially on the value

we'll also have with us an expert with some safety tips on travel -- that's whether you travel abroad or stay domestic. but first, we bring you some new information on alcohol addiction. it was a recent study by jama psychiatry that shows that although a third of americans suffer from some type of alcohol abuse, only about 20% actually seek treatment. joining us in the studio from summit behavioral health are dr. william stanley, the medical director, jim kane, their c.e.o., and maria ulmer, who's the executive director of clinical services. thanks so much for being with us. doctor, let's start with you. why is that so many people don't seek treatment when they drink on a regular basis or maybe drink too heavily on a regular basis? >> i think when we start looking at alcohol in the context of society today, it is socially acceptable to some degree. however, at the same time, people aren't aware of their tolerance levels and sometimes becomes more of an issue where

encumbered, they know that they're becoming impaired, but they don't want to recognize or accept that. >> so at what point -- there's the big question. at what point is it encumbering on a person? does it sneak up or do they just wake up one day and say, "all right, today's the day"? or is it just little incremental steps, shades of gray, and do they not realize and that's the problem? >> i mean, i think you put it very well. to a large point, it is incremental shades of gray. however, a lot of people just don't want to accept that it is a problem, and they will go ahead and, whatever their tolerance level, continue to drink until one point they get -- or till they get to the point where they realize that they're not functional. they're not able to do their normal activities of daily living, they're not able to go to work, they're not able to take care of home, they're not able to take care of their expenses, and then they realize it's a problem, but usually that's further along the line, not early. >> okay. but there are things people can

is, it shouldn't be considered a stigma, right? i mean, if you break your arm, you go to the doctor, you get treated for a broken arm. i mean, even today if you're losing your hair, you can get treatment for that. so why is it that people are so afraid to go to their health professional and say, "you know what? i think i'm starting to lose control with drinking"? why is there that stigma attached and why are they so afraid to talk to their health professional about that? >> for many years now, again, alcoholism and drug addiction's been classified as a disease. it is classified that way by professionals, but for people, there's a stigma of the alcoholic, there's a stigma of someone who can't control their drinking. as opposed to viewing this as a behavioral health or a mental disease, it's viewed as someone who is weak. also, people sometimes are hesitant to confront their friends. they may drink -- maybe not to excess, but quite often there is a fear to confront your

the response will be. >> so the issue is, you are admitting a certain weakness in yourself in a sense? that's what people perceive -- that if they admit that they are -- or, first of all, the whole first step is to admit one is an alcoholic, right? so now right there, now you've stigmatized yourself. now you are declaring yourself something that you would never want to admit, and once you've done that, you are that for life. >> right. >> i have now declared myself something dirty, if you will. and i'm sorry for anybody -- so now i've done that, and now i can never un-dirty myself, so to say. so no one wants to do that, right? >> right. >> so if we would just eliminate that whole issue, you have a problem. again, you broke your arm, go get a cast, and when you start looking at it from that perspective, you can fix the problem. >> and, again, addiction is no different than some of the other chronic diseases. hypertension, dealing with diabetes -- we view those very much as diseases, and there's no stigma attached to that unless someone isn't monitoring and managing their disease much

alcohol or drug dependency. >> all right, maria, let's talk about some of the warning signs. what should people start looking out for? i mean, it's okay to have -- you go to a party once in a while and you have a cocktail with people. you could have a cocktail with somebody, with your friends, and it would be okay. but what are the signs people should look out for? >> as dr. stanley was indicating, when there's an impairment in functioning, when we attempt to stop using the substance, but it's difficult to stop. when we begin to use more and more over time, our tolerance builds up, and we need more in order to get that -- that high sensation or the arousal effect from alcohol or other substances. so we begin to use more over time. so when you see some of those tendencies begin to pick up and they add up, family members can start to see around you, there might be a problem. >> so we're talking about the difference between a drink and then you go into abuse and then we go into dependence. so give us the definitions there. >> well, what we see now at the dsm-5 is that abuse is

symptoms to demonstrate that there's a mild, moderate, or severe indication of alcohol problem. so as we get to dependence, it doesn't indicate that there's an addiction, it means that the body is physiologically requiring that substance. so as you had mentioned, if you have a drink a day or if there's two or three, we require that over a period of time to be sustained. if we don't, we might experience withdrawal symptoms. >> okay. let's talk now about what if a person just has -- all right, look. i get up. i'm fine. i don't need a drink when i get up. i don't need a drink when i'm at work. but between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., that person is oblivious to anything around them. they'll drink a whole bottle of vodka or something. what is that person at that point if it's on a daily basis? >> again, you're addicted. you have a problem with alcohol that needs to be addressed rapidly, and it will become a chronic and long-term disease if you don't address it. >> and there are a lot --

alcohol is as toxic -- we talk about cigarettes being toxic to our lungs. alcohol is toxic to your liver, to your kidneys, to your brain. it kills millions of brain cells. you know, we think about it glossed over -- "well"... alcohol is very bad for your body in many, many ways. it could cause cancer in many -- i mean, i don't need -- you're the doctor. you tell us. how bad is it on how many levels? >> well, long-term use, chronic use definitely you have what we call wernicke's encephalopathy, where it's the vitamin depletion. it's a depletion of folic acid and thiamin, which can lead to confusion, forgetfulness, and ultimately to a form of dementia. liver disease. again, the liver can take many insults, but it will get to the point where the amount of alcohol that's being consumed will be too much for the liver to rebound, and you can start having liver abnormalities as a result of, ultimately possibly some degree of liver cirrhosis. yeah, it's real. >> esophagus? >> it's real. esophageal cancer -- high risk.

are totally preventable, so why abuse ourselves like that, right? so this is really something. so, now, what about the study? what are we doing here to help folks and what could people do to participate? >> well, from my standpoint, one of the areas -- again, the study was very good, and the call to action is truly looking at community-based programming tied in with some of the treatment providers. you know, are we providing education? are we providing early intervention? i think it's fascinating when you look at some of the center for disease control's information that over 180,000 emergency-room visits were youth less than 21 years of age who are brought in due to acute either bingeing or alcohol abuse. so that's huge. and, again, it starts at a very young age. the idea is to do as much intervention and education with that population before it becomes long-term and chronic. >> and there are medical options. there are pills that could be prescribed that will help. we were talking about this before. talk to your medical provider,

embarrassed to talk to your personal physician, find one that might be anonymous to you, but there are treatment plans, there are clinics. don't let alcoholism take your life and take you away from your family and your friends. there are treatment plans out there. thank you so much for being here today -- a really important topic. >> thank you. >> we're gonna be right back with the co-authors of "playing up: coaches' playbook."

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i mean, look at him. what. a. sweetheart. attaboy. wait, todd, what are you doing? how totally selfish and un-toddlike of you. come on, todd, come on, man. >> and welcome back to "new jersey viewpoint." i'm ken rosato. vaughn mckoy was once on a path that could have led to drugs, crime, and even death. he came from an impoverished environment that claimed the lives of two of his brothers. well, he's now a success story and co-author of a book entitled "playing up: coaches' playbook." please join me in welcoming vaughn mckoy, who is a corporate lawyer and an company. marnie mckoy is an education administrator and co-author,

a middle school teacher. thank you for being here with us today on "viewpoint." good to have you here. >> thank you for having us. >> well, tell us, first off, what led you to co-write that book? >> well, it was really about the power and potential through mentorship, and i had an incredible experience at rutgers university where i met a guy named arthur goldberg. he's a main character in the book called mr. g, and mr. g met me in the weight room and kind of took me under his wing. i expressed to one of our coaches that i wanted to be a lawyer, and he introduced me to mr. g, who was a corporate lawyer, as well as an entrepreneur, and so that started out as a mentor/mentee relationship and then transformed to that of a father and son, and so through that relationship, he taught me a lot of different things, and when he died in 2000, i wanted to capture that and i wanted to tell the story and share it with other young people and other people who could be mentors to show the power of potential through mentorship. >> and how that just makes the legacy go on and on and on. 'cause you know how many lives you touch. they're gonna go on and want to touch so many other lives after you. >> absolutely. i think we all touch at least

and so the people who are benefiting from mr. g's legacy don't even know it through me, and that's what motivates me every day. >> that's amazing. marnie, talk about what it was like co-writing the "playbook." >> well, the "playbook" -- the idea behind the "playbook" was that here's this awesome book that would inspire kids and mentors of all ages, but teachers are very busy people doing a lot of things, especially in this era of accountability and evaluations, and so we wanted to make the text so that if they taught it, they weren't compromising their curriculum, and so it's aligned to the common core standards, so they're still learning grammar, english skills, history lessons while still reading the book and learning about vaughn's life. >> and going through the process of writing that "playbook," i mean, what did you think was most important in trying to reach people -- i mean, especially young people today? there are so many challenges that young people have, and so

do you think was the most difficult challenge for you? >> we wanted to talk about character education through literacy. so it's really a backdoor through the lessons of vaughn's life, but to also talk about writing and understanding literature. >> and, katrina, i mean, you live it day to day now. you're a teacher, and you see day to day -- and i know -- i mean, in my family, i have an aunt. my mom was in the school system in westchester county for 37 years -- just retired. and i know i hear the stories of how -- now that she's retired for about a year -- how much she misses it, but how it's rewarding, but it could also be very challenging. talk about what it's like for you. >> well, it absolutely is very challenging. i was very, very fortunate, though, to get "playing up" in my hands. initially i had spoken with marnie, and she told me that her

began reading it, i said, "i have to get this in my classroom," and she said, "well, by the way," and then she mentioned that they were preparing curriculum for it and that she would let me use it with the class. it was amazing. my students gravitated towards the book, towards the story, and then when i told them that mr. mckoy would actually come and visit them, that was it. the curriculum was very comprehensive. it offered them the opportunity to learn writing skills, practice those writing skills, seek good models of the writing skills, as well, inside "playing up," and it was just an amazing experience. it was amazing. >> give me some specific examples of some of those writing skills that they -- i mean, what are some of the examples that would be in the "playbook"? >> well, i mean, you know, as marnie said, it is aligned to the common core, so there's

short answer, essay prompts. it's interdisciplinary, so there are research skills that you can build, and at the end of each chapter, there's a writing technique. so "how to write a beginning hook," "how to write an ending hook" -- you know, using the examples from the book and some of the techniques that i used to kind of tell my story. and so it really kind of gives teachers and students a tool that they can use to kind of teach character education through literacy, but also provide culturally relevant material. i think a lot of our kids don't read, particularly in the inner city, because they can't identify with the characters in the book, and i think what makes "playing up" so unique and different is that i tried to be as real as i possibly could without minimizing or embarrassing anybody or any character in the book. but i try to be real because i think people particularly want realism. you know, they want authenticity. and so a lot of these kids who read the book, they can find themselves somewhere along the line in that story. >> so you're respecting

and at the same time, showing that this is what i -- i lived your life, and you can go here or you can go there, and there is a path you can choose. so you're showing them the realities. >> and it's another path. because a lot of our kids see the athletes, they see the entertainers, they see people on tv, and they think that's the only thing that they can be, and that's just not true, because most of them will never become that, but they can become a ken rosato, they can become a vaughn mckoy, they can become a marnie mckoy, a katrina wade, a physician, a doctor, an accountant, a nurse or something like that, and so we have to show them that there's another option because most of them will never become some of the people that they see on tv. >> i think a lot of times, too, when we speak -- those of us in television, we speak at a lot of conventions and whatnot for young up-and-coming people in the tv industry. people who want to get into the tv industry, people in school, they think that the only job at a tv station is the person sitting in front of the camera. meanwhile, the people running the show right now in our control room -- the director,

my boss, et cetera. there are many, many, many jobs behind, who are the people in charge of me, who run the -- you know, who are in charge of the station, and there are many opportunities behind the camera, et cetera. so they only think of the person who's on tv. >> and here's how that point crystallized for me. i give a talk sometimes that's called "there's more than one way to the super bowl," and i was at the super bowl a few years ago when the new york giants played the new england patriots at lucas oil stadium in indianapolis, and i was there as a representative of my company with some state officials preparing for the super bowl that just took place here a few years ago, and victor cruz was playing in the super bowl. so victor cruz and i are both from paterson, new jersey. number 21. >> that's right. but i can breakdance better. >> there you go. >> all right. and so i was watching the game, and while victor was there playing, i was there as a representative for my company representing the state of new jersey and preparing for the next one. and so i tell kids there's more than one way to the super bowl. so while victor's there playing,

something in a corporate capacity, you know, preparing for the next one. >> there you go. >> and so we have to show our kids there's another way to the super bowl. >> all right. vaughn, marnie, katrina, unfortunately we're out of time for this segment, but it is just a great concept. the "playbook" is out there. check it out. and if you want to see the "playbook," you can go to our website and see a link to it. terrific that it's in the schools right now. thank you all for being here. >> thank you for having us. >> thank you. >> for information on all the organizations featured on "viewpoint," and if you've missed part of the show and want to see it at your leisure, do visit us at abc7ny/viewpoint. we're coming right back with some very important tips on how to stay safe when you

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>> welcome back to "new jersey viewpoint." i'm ken rosato. when planning a trip, we, of course, think only the fun stuff, and yet there are some

considering whether we're traveling abroad or domestically. there are many practical and legal aspects of traveling that relate to our safety and our legal rights. with us today, drew britcher, a certified civil trial attorney from the law firm of britcher, leone & roth. nice to have you here with us today. >> morning. >> what should we be considering when we book our trip? >> well, start off with the phrase "you should plan for the worst, and then enjoy the best." so you want to make sure that everything is planned out, and that includes when you're traveling overseas, considering what will happen if something goes wrong, particularly physically. where will you get your medical care, how will it be paid for? i mean, if you're a medicare recipient, medicare, with few exceptions, does not pay for medical care rendered in a foreign country. so these are the beginnings of what you have to think about. >> yeah. i actually can give you the anecdote. a friend of mine, a tv reporter from south florida, parents

the brother and sister-in-law. cliff -- along a cliff, car accident, had to be air-lifted to south florida, and it cost tens of thousands of dollars. >> that actually raises a good example of things we don't think about. a lot of the travel agents do sell trip insurance, and people tend to only think about it in terms of it covering what happens if their trip is canceled, but certain trip insurance policies actually provide for medical care, and particularly, i can tell you, i've had a client who had an unfortunate circumstance like you're discussing where an air ambulance was required in order for them to get their mother home, and the trip insurance paid that $28,000 bill. >> and that's exactly what they did. they had, i think -- i forget what the up front was, but they got reimbursed, and it would have been totally unaffordable had they not had that, and they were kind of coerced and forced into buying it, but they were so thankful after, so... >> and i think that's one aspect of it. you have to also consider who are you gonna book through?

about is, you know, the best deal sometimes isn't the best deal. if you book through somebody who's in-state and book with major organizations that have businesses in-state, if something does go wrong -- and you always hope it doesn't, at least, reasonably speaking, there may be some ability to have recourse in the state itself against that entity that you wouldn't have if you had booked it online with a foreign agency. >> what is a simple checklist that people should have, if you will? >> well, start off with who are you going through. i think it's important to use a local travel agent. the second thing is, consider carefully if you're gonna say no to that travel insurance what you may be giving up. the next thing is to consider wherever you're going, if you need medical care, where's it gonna be rendered? what's the nearest hospital, what's the medical circumstance? if you're on an exclusive resort, do they have medical personnel on site if you need it?

of can you get a prescription that you may need filled there or not? because you may need to bring something with you, and even non-prescription. that's the one i try to say to people. trying to replicate the same formula, something you're used to taking, may not be possible somewhere else. so making yourself a list of all the different things you need if something doesn't go right and packing a small amount of that medication, over-the-counter medication, is a very valuable aspect of what to do, as well. >> yeah, 'cause if you have to have it shipped to you there, you might be home before it could possibly get there. what about waivers you may have to be asked to sign? >> well, the waivers are particularly relevant when you're traveling domestically. when you go someplace -- imagine for a moment your kids want to do the jet skiing, and you book the jet skiing, and you give your credit card, and you paid for the jet ski, and now when you get there, all of a sudden somebody says, "you have to sign this waiver in order to do this." now, what you want to do is you

you want to actually advocate for yourself and say, "if i pay you more, can i skip the waiver?" they're routinely going to say no, and they're also gonna tell you that they're still gonna charge your credit card. whether that waiver will actually be enforced is based on legal principles called a contract of adhesion, and they look at four different aspects. they look at what is the particular circumstance that you're in, what's the economic pressure upon you, whether or not there's some particular public policy involved, and so you want to make sure that you're actually offered that, and i'll actually tell you that when i get asked to sign one of those after i go through that, i put the three letters contract of adhesion, c.o.a., after my signature to reflect that i've actually attempted to negotiate the contract. >> so, therefore, there's a little wiggle room potentially down the line -- a little wiggle room, a little gray. >> certainly in some states, they've said that you cannot actually use that exculpatory clause or waiver if, in fact,

>> because that means if the person -- i'm assuming that means that they are still liable, and, you know... so, right? i mean, it means that they could say that they waive all the rights or all of their liability, but not necessarily so, actually. >> it's a different thing if you've planned it out in advance, and they've asked you to sign it in advance versus asking you to suddenly sign it at the last minute. >> what are some of the things you should always, always have with you? now, aside from those necessary prescriptions that you may not be able to get along the road, what are some things you should have with you? >> well, i'll give you one more thing that -- you know, we all these days tend to carry smartphones. take a few minutes on your secure smartphone and put a medical history for yourself in there so that if something happens, somebody has a way -- that knows how to get into your phone -- to provide that to the doctors so that there is an ability for people to be properly advised of what you should and shouldn't perhaps even get as medication. that's, i think, really one of the things in today's age that can so easily be done and is extraordinarily valuable. >> or even a whole medical

i store my medical history in my smartphone -- like operations, everything else -- the whole surgical history in case you end up in one of those walk-in clinics, and you can't remember the date and what surgical procedure, it's right there with my contacts, and i can just show it to them. and one last question. nowadays, i notice that when you go to book a flight online, they now have multiple prices if you want a cancelable one or not cancelable. is it worth it spending a little extra money for the option to cancel? >> well, yes and no. because i will tell you that, generally speaking, with most of the major airlines, even the ones that say they're not cancelable, for a $200 fee, they will carry the fare over to another date. >> oh, there you go. so it might be worth it in those cases. thank you so much for being with us. great advice. always good to listen to a lawyer. i'm ken rosato. we thank you again for joining us. we are flat out of time, although i have a million more questions. thank you again for watching and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

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