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:(:••'./ .-■'■
CALIFORNIA STATE UNITVEkSITY, FRESNO
MONDAY
February 4, 1980
ian
CSUF student
Struggling with the pain, reality of alcoholism
by Matt Alger
He grins slightly as he recalls his past
experiences with a commonly abused
drug arid even occasionally chuckles
when he remembers incidents like the
time he was arrested for drunken
driving.
Perhaps, a dose of humor makes it
easier to swallow the pain.
It's been about eight months since the
CSUF business- student has even taken
a drink. He can laugh at himself now,
but he can never forget the past. A past
filled with the pain and reality of being
an alcoholic.
'Maybe I was making a complete ass
out of myself," he said about the times
that he blacked out and couldn 't remem¬
ber what he had done or said the night
before.
After, a while, he became ashamed of
himself and depressed. He hated him¬
self for the things that, he had said and
done, which aggravated his drinking
problem.
Finally, after failure in college and
family conflicts, he realized,, like many
other people, he was an alcoholic/ But
unlike many others he admitted and ac¬
cepted the fact, eventually seeking help
from the Alcoholism Council of Fresno
County. -
Startling as it may be, one out of every
10 people in the United States is an alco¬
holic, according to a national study. Few
of those addicts ever overcome their
problem, <■
Like so many others, this student's
bout with drinking began in-high school.
'I was always able to get booze or at
least I was interested in getting it any-'
way,'be said.
He was nearly kicked out of a private
school tlvice for drinking but didn't take
the hint.
He went on to community' college
vrfnere his scholfttic record suffered as a
/result of his addiction. He worked nights
and then went out drinking with fellow
workers. There was little time for serious
studying.
Then, when he was 19, he was cited
for drunken driving and sent to * 12-hour
Driving While intoxicated' School. 'I
• think that's where it all started,' he said
about the first indication .that he was a
problem drinker. . »
While at the school, he took a test to
determine if he was an alcoholic A score
above eight was a'danger sign. "I got
about a 32,' he said. '
"A lot of those things really started to
hit home,' he said about the questions
on the test. "I had those questions in the
continued on page 7
•Ther«'»nei«Kh thing asatjawtald cure ferilcihilliw,' a*etel>y,.mlC-»»ey
Fog of rationalization
can hide alcoholism
by Matt Alger
If alcohol is creating a problem
in yourjife, then alcohol is a prob¬
lem.
That is the basis on which the
Alcoholism Council of Fresno
County determines if a person is
an alcoholic.
A person needs to worry about
drinking if it interferes in his life,
according to Sheri Jorgensen,
Alcoholism Council of Fresno
County YoufffProgram consultant.
Rationalization often prevents a
person from realizing that alcohol¬
ism is really affecting his life,
according to Jorgensen. She said
that occasionally a man will com¬
plain that he drinks because he
and his wife have an undesirable
relationship when in fact it is his
drinking that is the cause, not the
effect of the relationship. 'I mink
one of the main things we have to
do is make them realize that drink¬
ing is causing a lot of these prob¬
lems,'she added.
Alcoholism is considered one
of the main health problems in
the nation -today. It is estimated
that there are now 17 million
alcoholics in this nation. 'Last I
heard it was, 10 million,' said
Jorgensen.
And Fresno is certainly'not
immune to the problem. According
to one study cited by the council,
~> 27 percent or approximately 12,000
' youths in the community are in
trouble with alcohol. The number
of teens arrested for drunken driv¬
ing-has tripled since 1960 and 60
percent of those killed in drunken'
driving accidents are teenagers.
"Drinking can become a serious
problem. Most young people have
usea'alcohol at one time or an¬
other. "Most wilf be surprised to
know that one out of ten who
drinks becomes artalcbhollc. There
is no minimum age!' a news re¬
lease from the Council said.
One of the main contributing
factors %o alcoholism is peer pres¬
sure. 'Not many 16-year-olds will
turn down having a beer with their
friends because they remember
Statistics quoted by their father
from the newspaper," the news
release also said.
"And which college sophomore
that drinks thinks she might be
one of the 3.5 million young prob¬
lem drinkers in the United States,'
the release asked.
One of the major problems,
according to Jorgensen, is making
people realize that they are alco¬
holics. People are usually referred
to the Alcoholism Council of
Fresno County by another person,
such as a relative or a friend.
After receiving counseling from
the Alcoholism Council, the alco¬
holic is either referred to another
organization such as Alcoholics
Anonymous or receives.additional
counseling. 'Sometimes we can
help them here Just by education,'
said jorgensen. sne added that
^ignorance* helps foster alcohol¬
ism because people don't.realize
how it hurts them.
If a person needs detoxification,
he or she is referred to the Avanti
Center for three days: From there,
a person usually goes on to a re¬
habilitation program.
Although there are studies that
indicate that college students
consume no more alcohol than they
did years age, J orgensen believes
that the problem is understated.
Object Description
| Title | 1980_02 The Daily Collegian February 1980 |
| Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
| Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
| Publication Date | 1980 |
| Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
| Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
| Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
| Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
| Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
| Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
| Language | eng |
Description
| Title | February 4, 1980, Page 1 |
| Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
| Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
| Publication Date | 1980 |
| Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
| Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
| Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
| Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
| Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
| Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
| Language | eng |
| Full-Text-Search | :(:••'./ .-■'■ CALIFORNIA STATE UNITVEkSITY, FRESNO MONDAY February 4, 1980 ian CSUF student Struggling with the pain, reality of alcoholism by Matt Alger He grins slightly as he recalls his past experiences with a commonly abused drug arid even occasionally chuckles when he remembers incidents like the time he was arrested for drunken driving. Perhaps, a dose of humor makes it easier to swallow the pain. It's been about eight months since the CSUF business- student has even taken a drink. He can laugh at himself now, but he can never forget the past. A past filled with the pain and reality of being an alcoholic. 'Maybe I was making a complete ass out of myself," he said about the times that he blacked out and couldn 't remem¬ ber what he had done or said the night before. After, a while, he became ashamed of himself and depressed. He hated him¬ self for the things that, he had said and done, which aggravated his drinking problem. Finally, after failure in college and family conflicts, he realized,, like many other people, he was an alcoholic/ But unlike many others he admitted and ac¬ cepted the fact, eventually seeking help from the Alcoholism Council of Fresno County. - Startling as it may be, one out of every 10 people in the United States is an alco¬ holic, according to a national study. Few of those addicts ever overcome their problem, <■ Like so many others, this student's bout with drinking began in-high school. 'I was always able to get booze or at least I was interested in getting it any-' way,'be said. He was nearly kicked out of a private school tlvice for drinking but didn't take the hint. He went on to community' college vrfnere his scholfttic record suffered as a /result of his addiction. He worked nights and then went out drinking with fellow workers. There was little time for serious studying. Then, when he was 19, he was cited for drunken driving and sent to * 12-hour Driving While intoxicated' School. 'I • think that's where it all started,' he said about the first indication .that he was a problem drinker. . » While at the school, he took a test to determine if he was an alcoholic A score above eight was a'danger sign. "I got about a 32,' he said. ' "A lot of those things really started to hit home,' he said about the questions on the test. "I had those questions in the continued on page 7 •Ther«'»nei«Kh thing asatjawtald cure ferilcihilliw,' a*etel>y,.mlC-»»ey Fog of rationalization can hide alcoholism by Matt Alger If alcohol is creating a problem in yourjife, then alcohol is a prob¬ lem. That is the basis on which the Alcoholism Council of Fresno County determines if a person is an alcoholic. A person needs to worry about drinking if it interferes in his life, according to Sheri Jorgensen, Alcoholism Council of Fresno County YoufffProgram consultant. Rationalization often prevents a person from realizing that alcohol¬ ism is really affecting his life, according to Jorgensen. She said that occasionally a man will com¬ plain that he drinks because he and his wife have an undesirable relationship when in fact it is his drinking that is the cause, not the effect of the relationship. 'I mink one of the main things we have to do is make them realize that drink¬ ing is causing a lot of these prob¬ lems,'she added. Alcoholism is considered one of the main health problems in the nation -today. It is estimated that there are now 17 million alcoholics in this nation. 'Last I heard it was, 10 million,' said Jorgensen. And Fresno is certainly'not immune to the problem. According to one study cited by the council, ~> 27 percent or approximately 12,000 ' youths in the community are in trouble with alcohol. The number of teens arrested for drunken driv¬ ing-has tripled since 1960 and 60 percent of those killed in drunken' driving accidents are teenagers. "Drinking can become a serious problem. Most young people have usea'alcohol at one time or an¬ other. "Most wilf be surprised to know that one out of ten who drinks becomes artalcbhollc. There is no minimum age!' a news re¬ lease from the Council said. One of the main contributing factors %o alcoholism is peer pres¬ sure. 'Not many 16-year-olds will turn down having a beer with their friends because they remember Statistics quoted by their father from the newspaper," the news release also said. "And which college sophomore that drinks thinks she might be one of the 3.5 million young prob¬ lem drinkers in the United States,' the release asked. One of the major problems, according to Jorgensen, is making people realize that they are alco¬ holics. People are usually referred to the Alcoholism Council of Fresno County by another person, such as a relative or a friend. After receiving counseling from the Alcoholism Council, the alco¬ holic is either referred to another organization such as Alcoholics Anonymous or receives.additional counseling. 'Sometimes we can help them here Just by education,' said jorgensen. sne added that ^ignorance* helps foster alcohol¬ ism because people don't.realize how it hurts them. If a person needs detoxification, he or she is referred to the Avanti Center for three days: From there, a person usually goes on to a re¬ habilitation program. Although there are studies that indicate that college students consume no more alcohol than they did years age, J orgensen believes that the problem is understated. |
