\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 1975, Joseph Wambaugh named it, when a group of cops go out after their shift for Even cops see other cops as more likely to be alcoholics, more likely to suicide, and little divorce producing machines because of the stress aspects of the job.\u00a0 \u00a0Some of us have tried for years to say that cops are not that bad in comparison, but the myths prevail.\u00a0 This is an article about alcoholics, so let\u2019s go there.\u00a0 The number of men in America diagnosed with alcohol use disorder is around 8 \u00bd percent of all men.\u00a0 About 9 percent of them go to rehabilitation.\u00a0 That seems to run pretty steady with some cultural differences around the world. \u00a0About 7 percent of all men from the ages of 18 to 90 say they have binge drank to an extreme the last month, or about 24 percent for the year.\u00a0 That is weighted heavily on young single drinkers.\u00a0 I put people in rehab programs a lot for some of the larger departments in New York, but I can\u2019t really say that with the number of people we cover and the number expected from the department, the rate is a much higher than those percentages of normals.\u00a0 The fact that cops have insurance and the job beckons them to go to rehab for alcohol problems, they are in the same range percentage- wise.\u00a0 Sometimes they even go when it wouldn\u2019t normally be the first line of treatment.\u00a0 Yet, I would still say the cops in our departments are still around the 8-9 percent of the population.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now cops do tend to go out after work on a binge a few times a year.\u00a0 They do tend to meet in a bar to watch a football game and throw a few back.\u00a0 Maybe say a third of them a year, again within the normal percentage.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0If the comparison group is other mostly male environments (or all female for that matter), it\u2019s not extreme.\u00a0 Most cops I know go home and are with their families, and I work in a mental health center where if they are going out they will be more likely to be in our offices.\u00a0 The single guys and divorced guys do run through major drinking stages, but that would be the same at computer consulting industries, \u00a0accounting firms or even municipal employees.\u00a0 The key is there is a group of similar people together, there is someone to roughly organize (even if it let\u2019s meet here) and the word can get out quickly through the office.\u00a0 These are all characteristic to the cop environment.\u00a0 There is never a shortage of people who want to have fun, or blow off some steam.\u00a0 Happy hours are a testament to that, in fact almost a rite of passage.<\/span><\/p>\n So, what\u2019s the big fuss when cops go out and drink!?\u00a0 Why are they seen as alcoholics?\u00a0 As with most things in life, the perception is the reality.\u00a0 The perception is cops are available 24-7, the reality they do have time off from work sometimes.\u00a0 The perception:\u00a0 cops have a higher moral standard and should live up to that standard throughout their life.\u00a0 Reality: they actually probably do have a higher moral standard but people have ridiculous expectations.\u00a0 The perception: cops should not act like jerks when they are drunk.\u00a0 The reality:\u00a0 I once did a flying side kick karate chop at the entrance gate to the campus of the University of Notre Dame and fell on my ass almost knocking myself out when I was drunk in college, and I turned out all right.\u00a0 Most people act like jerks at times when they have had too much drink.\u00a0 Perception:\u00a0 all cops act like the guys in Joseph Wambaugh\u2019s movie CHOIRBOYS.\u00a0 Reality: Wambaugh\u2019s book had a lot of sensitive caring scenes in the book that the movie didn\u2019t show and Wambaugh did even want his name on the movie.\u00a0 Attempts at entertainment sometimes set reality aside.<\/span><\/p>\n Choirboy and Choir Practice give a name to something that is not that unusual.\u00a0 In policing it has a name, so we think it is more often and endemic to the image of police officers.\u00a0 Naming something makes it more alive.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s not.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Site Administrator:\u00a0 Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D. ABPP<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Please share this article from down below.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Please join the email list on the top of the sidebar and you can get these sent to your email.\u00a0 Also follow me on Twitter (https:\/\/twitter.com\/ThinBlueMind<\/a>) for other articles and ideas, and YouTube at\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCfjNw0510ipr3bX587IvAHg<\/a> .<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Police Psychology:\u00a0 Choir Practice by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D.\u00a0 ABPP \u00a0 In 1975, Joseph Wambaugh named it, when a group of cops go out after their shift for nights of drinking, camaraderie and debauchery.\u00a0 They would get drunk, be obnoxious to regular citizens and have sex with a variety of barmaids, hookers and na\u00efve young […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17168881],"tags":[17169010,17168797,17168957],"class_list":["post-6450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-change","tag-choir-practice","tag-police-psychology","tag-psychology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7079,"url":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=7079","url_meta":{"origin":6450,"position":0},"title":"Police Psychology: Dehydration","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"May 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology:\u00a0 Dehydration by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D\u00a0 ABPP My head was beating, one of those really bad headaches that only come every once in long while.\u00a0 This one was different though.\u00a0 I had a little vertigo when I stood up, so much so that I was having trouble standing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mastering Emotions"","block_context":{"text":"Mastering Emotions","link":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=17165629"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":386,"url":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=386","url_meta":{"origin":6450,"position":1},"title":"Police Psychology | The Police Candidate Interpretive Report","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"June 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Police Candidate Interpretive Report \u00a0 I had one of the first cell phones for public consumption.\u00a0 It fit in a bag.\u00a0 The battery lasted minutes not hours, and it was essentially a car phone that could be moved around.\u00a0 But visions of Dick Tracy\u2019s watch and Agent 86\u2019s shoe\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Tests"","block_context":{"text":"Tests","link":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=17168877"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7132,"url":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=7132","url_meta":{"origin":6450,"position":2},"title":"Police Psychology Book Review: Towards the integration of police psychology techniques to combat juvenile delinquency in K-12 classrooms","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"December 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology Book Review:\u00a0 Rose, Gary. (2013) Towards the integration of police psychology techniques to combat juvenile delinquency in K-12 classrooms by Paul Cech \u00a0 Gary Rose revised his doctoral dissertation to create a book that will be of special interest to readers who are peace officers; teachers; police, school,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=17168876"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1036,"url":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=1036","url_meta":{"origin":6450,"position":3},"title":"Police Psychology | The Mental Game in Law Enforcement","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"February 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology | The Mental Game in Law Enforcement \u201c90 percent of the game is half mental\u201d (attributed to Yogi Berra) by Doug Gentz, Ph.D. - Psychological Services After you\u2019ve acquired the knowledge and skills required for any performance, further improvement depends on your ability to manage your nervous system\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mastering Effort"","block_context":{"text":"Mastering Effort","link":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=17168880"},"img":{"alt_text":"performance 1 Police pscyhology","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/policepsychologyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/performance-1-300x16.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1377,"url":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=1377","url_meta":{"origin":6450,"position":4},"title":"Police Psychology | Anticipatory Anxiety Meets String Tricks","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"April 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology | Anticipatory Anxiety Meets String Tricks Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D. ABPP \u00a0 My 9-year old daughter was in a third-grade talent show last Friday.\u00a0 She was doing \u201cstring tricks\u201d she learned on YouTube, you know starting with Cat\u2019s Cradle, go to Cat\u2019s Whiskers, Jacob\u2019s Ladder, the Eiffel Tower,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mastering Resilience"","block_context":{"text":"Mastering Resilience","link":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=17168882"},"img":{"alt_text":"anxiety, Police Psychology","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/policepsychologyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/anxiety-275x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5092,"url":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=5092","url_meta":{"origin":6450,"position":5},"title":"Police Psychology | The Obsessed Mind-Body Connection","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"January 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology | The Obsessed Mind-Body Connection by Gary S. 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nights of drinking, camaraderie and debauchery.\u00a0 They would get drunk, be obnoxious to regular citizens and have sex with a variety of barmaids, hookers and na\u00efve young girls wanting to have a good time.\u00a0 During the day, they would shoot gays in the park and bond together so nobody could get the real story and no cop could get charged. \u00a0Their pranks on each other are so appalling and dangerous that Joseph Wambaugh actually had his name taken off the film.\u00a0 Superiors are all jerks, judges are listed as \u201cblack-robed pussies.\u201d\u00a0 It was called a \u201cfilm about brutes for brutes.\u201d\u00a0 But the book and movie actually started something that is quoted frequently today, and perhaps is part of the way the public views cops.<\/span><\/p>\n