OCT0BER1971 the PLAIN TRUTH a magazine of understanding PRESIDENT NIXON- ” call for some degree of sacrifice … to protect the American dollar.””

The Neqlected Trafedy of HOLISM Alcoholism is o worldwide problem of enormous dimensions. lf wrecks lamilies, ruins heolth ond kills. Fhere ore definile reqsons why people become olcoholic. Bul also, there ore specific sleps an individuol con take to rid himself ol this curse.

by Williom F. Donkenbring

EoPLE ARE ALARMED at the growing incidence of drug abuse and narcotics addiction. But meanwhile another silent killer receives little publicity as it stalks the lives of MILLIoNS, leaving heartbreak and incalculable sufiering in its wake. I7hile lurid drug stories capture the headlines, alcoholism devastates the lives of far more millions.

FACTS About Alcoholism Take a look at a few shocking facts published by the National Council on Alcoholism. o Drunk drivers are responsible for about half the automobile fatalities in the United States each yeat they cause over 25,000 deaths annually on the highways. Excessive intake of =: .”-,–1r= alcohol is also responsible for most of the = =,:.i =: Anbqcsodor Colbgr Ptoto

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26 T}E PLAIN TRUTH October 1971

deaths due to cirrhosis of the liver. known.” He continues: “Many people science at Penn State University, ind! o One in every 13 employees is an would like to blame alcohol for alcohol- cate that some inherited physiological alcoholic. Losses in industry because of ism, but if this were true, everyone who constitutions are more susceptible to adalcoholism have been computed at $6 drinks would become alcoholic. Alcohol diction if exposed to drugs such as mor’ billion (some say $7 billion) per year. cannot be considered the cause of alco- phine and alcohol. However, he pointed The total cost, including the human loss holism any more than gasoline can be out, this does not prove alcoholism is to individuals, breakup of families, considered the cause of automobile acci- hereditary. He emphasized that whatsuffering and heartbreak, is incalculable. dents” (Block, Alcoholitm: ItJ Facetr ever it is that is transmitted is not neceso EveV problem drinker adversely and Pltaset, p. 40). sarily bad the addiction-prone aniaffects an average of four other persons mals he tested were also smarter than Says this world renowned authority in his family, and more than 16 friends on alcoholism, many theories have been the others and leamed mazes more and birsiness associates in the commu- advanced theories about hormone readily. nity. Thereforc, at. leatt 130 million glands, the dietary regimen, and heredity Psychological Factors Americau are directly or indirectly but none have been proved satisaffected by alcoholism in addition to -factorily. Dr. Nichols agrees that alcoholic adthe alcoholics! – diction is primarily based on Psy- Recent research done by Dr. Halmuth o Shockingly, the familiar, oft- H. Schaefer, professor of dinical psy- chological factors. Drinking brings depicted “skid row” alcoholic represents chiatry, and his associates at Loma pleasure, euphoria, reduces the biologiless than 5/o of. the total number of cal drives of the individual. Some alcoholics the other 95/o are still become through habit and desire functioning in society, and are found in gradually conditioned to using alcohol homes, factories, offices, and communities the neighbor next door or down SKID RllW to satisfy these basic human drives. Alcoholism, he says, is the result of people the street, if not in your own home I using this means to gain the “rewards” The term “skid row” ProbablY c Eaer! tbird arest (or over 2 mil- originated in Seattle, \Tashington the “payofr.s” -drinking excessively. which come from lion arrests annually) in the United at the turn of the cenfury. Yessler States involves public drunkenness. Drs. Halmuth Schaefer and Mark So- Street, which sloped down to Puget o More than 91/o of short-term pri- bell of Loma Linda essentially agree, Sound, was greased; and logs were soners are serving time in jail because of calling alcoholism a psychological ailskidded down into the water. ment, a learned response to stress. Alco’ drunkenness or alcoholism. Along this “skid row” were many holics have simply learned to find o One in three suicides involves an taverns, bars, honky tonks, and alcoholic. “relief” through reaching for a drink! hotels frequented by men who o The blight of alcoholism tanks with Dr. Blythe Sprott, associate professor came to Seattle during the logheart disease, mental illness and cancer shipping season. Yessler Street was of health studies at Cal State declared as a national health problem. that many physicians emphasize faulty the “original” skid row, though A recent issue of Medical lYorld metabolism as a primary culprit in alcomost major cities now have their Netus called alcoholism “America’s holism, especially a liver dysfunction. own, including New York’s in- Most Destructive Drug Problem.” Alco- But says Dr. Sprott, “Metabolism is famous Bowery, and similar areas holism has been tied in with numerous certainly involved in alcoholism, it is in Copenhagen, Helsinki, Amsterother diseases. For instance, a study of upset by drinking too much but dam and Paris. Flophouses, cheaP metabolic upset does not explain alco- 341 tuberculosis patients revealed that restauraflts, pawn.shops, religious neady half of them were alcoholics. Of holism.” He also believes alcoholism is missions characterize the typical a group of patients with cancer of the rooted in social and psychological “skid row.” Pancreas, 75/o were alcoholics, comcondilions. pared to l4/o of a matched control Said one man who had ovetcome al’ grouP. Linda Universiry School of Medicine in- cohol addiction: “The alcoholic is an dicates that “alcoholism stems primarily immature man or woman who takes the CAUSES of Alcoholim from a conditioned resPonse to anxiety, easy way out, alcohol, when he can’t But why such a great tragedy? I$7hat and therefore is Nor a physiological cope with reality.” His comment strikes leads a Person to alcoholism and how condition as many believe.” Dr. Schae- close to the heart of the problem of can it be avoided? fer observed that contrary to the opin- alcoholism ! Declared Dr. Marvin A. Block, for- ions commonly held, alcoholics are not The basic root cause of alcoholism mer chairman of the cornmittee on alco- “weak-willed” individuals; rather, they was pinpointed by Elizabeth \Phitney holism of the American Medical are rcff-willed people who are stubborn in her book Liuing lYitb Alcoholism. Association, “Many causes of alcohol- enough to do what they want. She wrote: “A half century ago it was ism have been enumerated, but these are \[hat part does heredity play in alco- easy to find medical authority in agreeactually only suspicions of causes. The holism? Experiments by Dr. John Nich- ment that alcoholism was hereditary. actual cause of the disorder is not ols, professor of psychology and social Scientific investigation has proved this

2A 17c PIJ\IN TRUTH October 1971

incomecf’ G. a). She adds that nsvr- alcoholism in women” (Tbe Safe lYay itself. Many people, today, have no RoNMENTAL FAcroRs are the key. “In to DrinA, p. 20). great personal goals to strive for; they recent studies it has been determined He also listed lack of interests and are not driving themselves to attain that the ways in which parents use alco- hobbies, a dull, unrewarding job, com- some great coar; they are not motioared hol have a profound effect on the drink- petitive pressurg chronic emotional or iupired by some challenging ing behavior of their children” (p. :). stress, interpersonal conflicts, and a host puRposE in life. Rather, to them life The basic solution to the problem of of similar factors. has become meaningless, boring, tedious, alcoholism, then, lies in the reakn of Most heavy drinking occurs during tiresome, jaded, eroded, devoid of changing the way of thinking toward middle age, when many people come to interest, vitality, and uraNwc ! life and toward alcohol itself ! realize their lives haven’t measured up The Solution to Alcoholism The factors in society, the home, and in a person’s personality which lead him to otter-indalgence ate the causrs of alcoholism ! Understanding this basic truth, then, we can see that there are two approaches needed to stamp out alcoholism. PnrvrNrarrvE steps must be taken by society and by the individual. – \7hat can society do? The rrHoLE AppRoAcH toward alcohol in our modern, affiuent ‘W’estern wodd is wrong and contributes to the growing problem. ::=+; In other words, equating the use of =.::, alcohol with an atmosphere of surrepti- ::=:.= tious pleasure and delight is nothing i,::’:.:E more than a Madison Avenue sell job. a.:::3 It is time the “mystique,” the “symbol :::.:=-= :,=:= of virility,” the image of alcohol, were .= changed from its false glamour to one which is realistic that of a :=51 – for social pleasant, relaxing beverage == occasions and to be taken with meals a beverage all right to drink -in rvroornarroN ! Parents should be educated to have a balanced view of alcohol themselves, so they can set their children the nrcnr EXAMnLE of proper use. Parental misrse is a real factor in causing young people to imitate them and become alcoholics. On the other hand, if parents are teetotalers, and condemn the use of alcohol, Empty Lives as they thought they would when then they run the danger of causing they look back over life and see the their children to REBEL, and become Declared Dr. I7illiam Terhune: great gap between what they aspired frnatical drinkers with a totally dis- “Certain conditions and circumstances toward and what they achieved. Life torted view of alcohol. appear to make people more vulnerable seems a treadmill, full of endless, repeti- Clearly BALANCE and moderation to alcohol. Poor motioation is a strong tive routine. They turn to alcohol to should be primary goals of an EDUcAcontributor. It is a sad fact that many anaesthetize their feelings and the hurt TIoNAL pRocRAM for both children and human beings have no compellin& con- in their lives. adults. structive puRposE in school, in work or Many eldedy people, feeling un- Rupert STilkinson, a sociologist who in any other part of life.” needed and unwanted, lonely and cast has studied the problem of alcoholism He continued: “Some life situations ofi, turn to heavy drinking for solace. A extensively, believes there is a distinct encourage prolonged frustration and a Iittle excess alcohol hits them especially relationship between America’s high rate sense of defeat, accompanied, in turn, hard and hastens senility. of drinking and the way in which alcoby self-pity and anger. Marilal malad- Thus, part of the cause of alcoholism holic drink is distributed, promoted, ir$tnent is the greatest single cause of is, in a sense, our modern way of life and generally treated by society. He

shows conclusively that cultural drink- \)7hy do psychiatrists and doctors often a new environment which is more coning patterns influence the incidence recommend A.A. to the alcoholic? ducive to sobriety and sanity. of drinking problems. Says he, “Alco- There is a leason. Alcoholics Further, you must CoNTINUALLY hol should not symbolize either sexual Anonymous recognizes that to conquer strive to exercise self-discipline and selfvirility or the attractions of a forbidden alcoholisrn, the alcoholic must make a control. Use good judgment and NrvEn fruit. For drinkers this means accept- cLEAN BREAK with his former way of runr with temptation ! Be on your ance of drinking as part of ordinary life he must find new ideals, new guard constantly, and don’t give in to eoeryday lif, . . . rather than an exagger- goals, a new purpose in life! the urge to “compromise,” to have “just ated elixir . . .” (Tbe Preaention of Alcoholics Anonymous is able to help a few drinks.” Drinking Problems: Alcobol Control many alcoholics who have reached “bot- Dr. R. Kemp, author of Drinhing and Cultural Influences, pp. 6-7). tom” because the members themselves and Alcoholisn , explaified to a mem- If the plague of alcoholism is to be have gone through tle same ordeal, the ber of The PL,uN TnurH staff, “The defeated, then sociely itself needs to be same suffering. They know what it is real thing you have got to do is to try REoRIENTED in its approach. Only then like. They have experienced it them- and persuade alcoholics that they must can alcoholism be preuented before it selves. They know how hard it is to be able to lead a life completely free of starts. conquer alcoholism. Therefore, they alcohol.” He added, “Once you have But what about individuals who are take the time and effort to provide the become an alcoholic, this will remain already alcoholics? \tr7hat hope is there alcoholic seeking help with encour- for the rest of your life. This is an for them? If you have a problem with agement, friendly assistance and com- extraordinary fact, but it means of alcohol, what can you do? S7hat if you panionship a helping hand over the course that they can’t at any time eaer have an alcoholic relative? difficult times. dare lake another drinA,” Alcoholics Anonymous is not the This, indeed, does sound severe, but The Road Back only group that has successfully treated the record speaks for itself for most The concensus of modern opinion of alcoholism. Other groups have also met – drink is alcoholics to take just one psychiatrists, medical doctors, and lay- with some success. However, all *uly deadly. men alike is that the best overall record successful treatrnent procedures have A single drink sets oft a chain reaction in rehabilitating alcoholics is held by certain things in common. In all of that leads to another and another until Alcoholics Anonymous. Dr. Gitlow told them, the alcoholic must be brought to the alcoholic is either smashed, or the me personally, “I think that the biggest admit his problem, and must believe that liquor runs out. Therefore, most alcosuccess that we see today has been he can conquer it. He must be moti- holics must determine to NEvER ToucH through the auspices of Alcoholics vated. He must be given friendly, com- the stuff aod mean it. Anonymous.” Alcoholics Anonymous passionate, considerate help. He must If you-have a severe drinking probhas anywhere from 300,000 to half a not be treated as a lowly scoundrel or lem, then you may need to contact a local million members. Members claim that despicable bum, but as a fellow human society which helps alcoholics a “halfabout 50 percent of those who seek help being who needs help desperately. way house,” or a local chapter of Alcohofind the road back to sobriety and sanity. Moral goidance, or therapy, must be lics Anonymous, or a doctor who is Declared Dr. Max M. Glatt, a British included in the program. skilled and experienced in dealing with expert on alcoholism, in an interview alcoholism (most have very liule knowlwith a PrarN TnurH representative in If YOU Are an Alcoholic edge of this problem, but there are some England, “l ant a great believer in Al- If you are an alcoholic, you need per- who are experienced). rJ7hat course of coholics Anonymous. First, they have sonal help to conquer the problem. action you take is completely up to you, shown to the world at large that alco- SThat you must. do to overcome the of course. But sometimes friendly, rightholics are not a bunch of spineless problem will depend laryely on how thinking associations and special help weaklings, but that they are people who serious your own problem is. If you are are necessary to give you the impetus can find their way back, and they have at a beginning stage of alcoholism, then and stimulus to surmount your problem. done that without professional help, recovery is not so difficult, although it Don’t forego any help which you might they have done that in the face of skep- will require strong effort on your part, be in need of but always remember, ticism from professional organizations self-discipline, and determination. You – responsible for your you are ultimately and from the world at large. They will have to set your jaw to stay a:way condition, and you must be the one therefore have shown that the old no- from alcohol completely don’t touch who fight it and conquers it. tion of gloom and doom attached for so it because for You it is a serious You and You ALoNE can overcome long to alcoholics is quite wrong. They problem. your own particular problem. Nobody have shown that these often despised You must be decisive. Admit your else can do it for you. There is no magic people are able to make a comeback \peakness, and tunN ARoUND; change pill, or potion, which will “cure” you. from the rock bottom stage without your whole life pattern, if need be, so The cure of alcoholism involves your much outside help.” you can oYercome the problem. You own personal will, desire, effort, and te- IThy is A.A. successful when many may have to change your friendships, nacious, long-lasting, constantly vigilant other types of treatrnent have failed? possibly even change jobs and move to determination. E

October 1971 fba PL/IIN IIUTII 29

Watch Out for the Drunlt Driuer firconor is the largest single Whqt’s the Solution? Whot You Cqn Do l1. factor leading to highway 7ccidents and fatalities. But why can a minority of irre- You can also do something person- According to surveys, drinking and sponsible drunken drivers cause so ully. First, be more alert to the much carnage on U. S. highways dangers of. driving. Remember that driving are responsible for the annually? One reason is, due to one out of every 50 cars coming at slaughter of over 25,000 lives and inefficient laws against drunken driv- you is being steered by a person on 800,000 crashes in the United States ing. They consist of a patchwork of alcohol or narcotics. Be especially every year. alert at night, on weekends and Until recently it was assumed that particulady on holidays when more the average citizen, tippling a few people drink heavily. Look out for drinks and then driving, was the the other guy. culprit. But studies indicate that According to Dr. Ifilliam Hadthe worst offenders are out-and-out don, former director of the National alcoholics and habitual problem Highway Safety Bureau, only about drinkers. nine percent of traffic fatalities in the A study at the University of Mich- morning rush hour involve alcohol. igan Medical School indicated that Twelve hours later at night, the rate alcoholics account for 80 percent of of alcohol involvement rises to 90 all drunken driver arrests. percent. It’s this small group of habitual Secondly, you can be a committee problem drinkers and alcoholics who of one to insure that YoU, yourself, drive that are responsible for so are not a problem to society as a many highway accidents and fatali- drunken driver. Don’t mix drinking ties. One medical examiner estimated and driving. The mixture is all too that 44 percent of the drivers killed often fatal and final. are innocent victims of drunken Studies at Indiana University show drivers. that drivers with blood-alcohol levels A one-year study conducted in of .15 percent have 2) times more Grand Rapids, Michigan, analyzitg drance of causing automobile crashes the drivers involved in 8,000 crashes, Ambosodor Corr.gr Phoro than if they have not been drinking. showed that only a few hundred regulations shot full of loopholes. Even with blood-alcohol levels of were heavy drinkers but that those Twenty-six of America’s 50 states de- just .04 percent there is an increased few hundred were involved in a fine drunken driving as driving with probability of causing a crash. large percentage of the crashes. a blood-alcohol concentration of .15 ITarns the National Safety Council: Other studies show that the percent fx too high. Another L7 “Most .people have the misguided ‘amounts of alcohol consumed by – what the Federal Governstates use idea that a few drinks will not those causing crashes are usually far ment rates intoxication as .1.0 per- affect their driving ability. It. is greater than amounts ingested by cent but thafs still too high. sad tJrat so often they are wrong. moderate drinkers. IThen drunken Only -Utah set the level at .08 per- Alcohol affects first a person’s judgdrivers are removed from wre&s, cent. Six states have no legal level to ment and social restraint, and then they often have a blood-alcohol define drunkenness ! it worsens his control over his concentration of .25 percent or Great Britain, on the other hand, muscles.” more. now uses the .08 percent level and highway casualties significantly The National Safety Council fur- A concentration of .25 percent declined during its first year of ther advises that drivers allow at means the individual’s blood con- least one hour per averuge drink to enforcement. tains 25 hundredths of one percent regain the muscular coordination, S7hat, then, should be done to alcohol by weight. Most people lose visual acuity, and good judgment decrease this serious menace to life mental sharpness after reaching a and property ? First, of course, more needed to operate a motor vehicle. level of just .05 percent. At .08 per- stringent laws could be passed, mak- The Council cautions that black cent the vast majority have had too ing it illegal to drive with an alco- coffee, cold showers, physical exermuch to drink for safe driving. hol content in the blood of perhaps cise, and other “home remedies” do It only takes about two highballs, .05 percent or higher. Laws could not speed elimination of alcohol two beers or two glasses of wine on also be strengthened to require from the system. an empty stomach, consumed within breath tests for suspected drunken Keep in mind, that when you give an hour, to raise a 160-pound man’s drivers. Penalties could be stiffer for a drunk a pot of coffee to sober him blood-alcohol level to .05 percent those convicted including the im- up, all you will have is a wide-awake concentration. pounding of abusers’ automobiles. drunk,

October 1971 IDe PI,AIN TRUTH

Alcoholism- A Worldwide Malady Fr{HE TENTACLES of alcoholism 1965. Alcoholism in Russia is held Housing shortages, frustrations, lack I spread into virtually every nation as a factor in 61/o of all murders, of recreational activities, the long on earth, wherever alcoholic bever- 7l/o of all bodily harm, 40/6 of all cold winter months, all contribute to ages are abused. Notice these striking absenteeism, zs/e of all traffic acci- drive the people to drink to forget examples: dents (despite the fact that there are their worries and problems. Experts MEXICO lv{sxi6e’s Alcoholics few .,automobiles in Russia, com- see no end to alcoholism in Russia – Anonymous estimates that about one paratively), 90% of all juvenile until life becomes much more enjoyout of eaery fiae Mexicans is an alco- cime, 84/s of all thefts ar,d 54/e of able and other pleasures replace holic I That’s 9 million alcoholics out all rapes. drink. of a total population of about 50 BRITAIN Estimates of alcoholmillion one of the highest per- ics in Britain- range from 350,000 to centages- in the world. Alcoholism over half a million. Renowned as a has been blamed for causing 3O/o of nation of beer drinkers, alcoholism all the deaths in Mexico, an,d 25/o of. has reached alarming proportions. It all divorces. is very likely the third major health FRANCE “The technique of probiem a fM greater problem drinking,” writes French author Ro- than dependence on other drugs. land Barthes, “is a national talent Dependence on it outweighs all that serves to identify the Frenchman other drugs by about 50 times. There and to prove simultaneously his is an established trend to younger -power and abiliry, his control and and younger alcoholics, with already his sociability.” Recent statistics more than 25/o under 3). Alcoholshow the annual consumption of ism costs the British 250 million pure alcohol for the avetage French pounds a year. adult is 29.5 quarts, abofi 70/6 of CANADA Perhaps 300,000 althis being wine. This means the – are conservative coholics (these fig- Lverage consumption of ordinary ures). Excessive drinking is blamed wine is from 295-1L5 quarts annu- for 4O/o of divorce cases and 5O/o of ally! The overall consumption is f.atal traffic accidents, as well as L3/o rwrcr that of the average American, of admissions to general hospitals. and four times that of the average AUSTRAIIA Six percent of all Italian. drinkers in this-country are alcohol- Interestingly, with only 1.7/o of ics a shockingly high figure. Austhe world’s population, France – has the fifth highest proportion tralia absorbs one third the wodd produc- of the world’s alcoholics. tion of wine I Alcoholism ranks as SOUTHAFRTCA-Agrowing the third major cause of death in army of alcoholics, over 370,000 France claiming 22,L30 lives in strong (five times the number suffer- – 1969. ,\bost 4 million Frenchmen irg from cancer), threatens the are alcoholics. Though the govern- health of this nation. The problern ment has tried to legislate against al- is assuming alarming proportions. coholism several times, it has met no WEST GERMANY In beer success. The problem will never be drinking alone, Germans- drink an Ambossodor Collcae Ptoto eradicated so long as drinking re- averuge of about 121 quarts a year mains the “pet vice” of the French, A massive campaign is under way per capita, and slightly more hard costing the nation 7 billion francs to reduce alcoholism and drunk- liquor than the U. S. average. Gerannually. enness, But even before the Russian many’s army of alcoholics numbers RUSSIA For years the Soviet revolution, Russians downed vodka around 600,000, one third of them – alcoholism “a disease Union called in staggering quantities. After 1-917 women. of capitalism.” Now the Kremlin the leaders attempted prohibition, HOTLAND Although alcoholacknowledges that drunkenness and but it failed. Khrushchev raised ism is not a-major problem here, alcoholism arc a major problem in prices, to no avail. The present mas- there is a definite relationship the Soviet Union. sive crackdown on drunkards will between alcoholism and crime. From Though oficial statistics arc probably also fail. 1963-1966, 2)/s of all lawbreakers unavailable, one count put the num- Foreign observers believe Russians committed their crimes while under ber of alcoholics at 1o million in drink mostly out of sheer boredom. the influence of alcohol.

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