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Show Alcoholism Illness Needs to be Brought in Open for Treatment Recently, a young housewife house-wife visited the Alcohol Rehab. Re-hab. Center in Price after reading an aricle on the disease of alcoholism in the Price, Sun Advocate. She and her husband were distraught because her mother moth-er was a pitiful secret drunk constantly protected by the housewife's father who believed be-lieved he was hiding what he considered a disgrace. The young' woman pleaded to know what could be done. Woman Aghast Asked if she had told her parents that, she knew the truth, that it - was out in the open and no-1 no-1 thing should stand in the way of seeking aid, . the woman was aghast. "I can't do that. I can never embrass my parents par-ents by such a confrontation.' This is the kind of multitudinous multi-tudinous situations that tear at the hearts of workers in the alcoholism program. The young woman was helping keep a fact in a closet. Actually, Act-ually, she was choosing to abet death, or institutionalization institutionali-zation rather than embarrassment. embarrass-ment. This article,' among others, seeks to let the public know T-inf nlz-inVinli cm ic a Hi CO a CP a killer illness, and that help is possible if the problem comes into the open. Telltale Tell-tale signs can be recognized and heeded. One of a problem drinker's behavior patterns can trick himself or others into doubting doubt-ing that he has become a victim vic-tim of acute alcoholism. He may maintain periods of sob- riety when he seems to be almost his normal self. At such times, he reasons with some clarity and .concludes ': that, because his bouts have been intense and frequent, he had best give up drinking. But only for awhile. He will not "go on the wagon" wa-gon" for good, but only until he can prove that at least he has learned how to control his drinking. He may abstain for a few days, a few weeks or a few months. Take it Or Leave It During Dur-ing these dry spells he is sure he demonstrates to oth- ' ers, and himself above 'all that he can take it or leave it alone. He is confident he doesn't have to drink. Now ' he must prove that, too- by a little "safe" imbibing. When he sobers up after that "big proof" he remorsefully remorse-fully reasons he needs a little more drying out. Then he can succeed. So there is a next time and a next. The sufferer from acute alcoholism al-coholism is a great ratino-alizer ratino-alizer in worlds of ' fantasy, not practically.' For the um-teenth um-teenth time, he finds his answer. ans-wer. The trouble is neither him nor alcohol, he decides. It mush be his manner of drinking. Greatly excited, he sets out to determine what for him is the perfect drink and what the proper drinking times. WORKS WEII - The alcoholic alco-holic carefully plans what to drink, when to do it, where it'll be, with whom he'll drink. He puts his plan into work with exceeding caution and patience. For a time, it often seems to be working beautifully. When the state of devastation happens to his careful plans and he is recovering, he again knows the answer. He grew careless, that's what. He used bad direction. In a way this has happened. He hastens to try again, not admitting to himself that there always will be those indescre-tions indescre-tions with plans, that carelessness, careless-ness, those bad judgments, the false security. Failure turns him into a real loner. He recalls that he had been so confident with his new scheme for drinking. He has told others with such great selfassurance about solving sol-ving a secret for a personal drinking problem .Because he has bombed eut again, he feels he cannot face family, friends or employers. This troubled alcoholic now sits and broods. He feels he has disgraced himself again. He imagines what his friends ' are saying: "I told you so." "Just as I thought." Mulls It Over And the picture in his mind of them talking behind his back builds resentments already almost too great to carry around. He reasons that he should have known they were that kind of people. They never, nev-er, he broods, ever give a fellow any credit for his ef- 1 forts . I He mulls it all over, u J understanding people; f- ' won't even try to uiiderst : ' Always, reproving, nag advising. He is sick and th of trying to please them, ij : not worth the effort. He jv show them up all of tfc.f . as the ingrates they are. He decides that the n(I chance he gets, he will out on everybody '. farai' friends, his job. Too often, : does it. Last Stop All this is n fiction. If a person who troubled by his own drink1 or the uncontrolled partat of someone dear to him, : that is required is to ms. the drinker's behavior t. any few of these symptor related in these articles. The person in trouble ji could be on the borderline chronic alcoholism. Th -stage could be the last st :"" before death. The readers c: get information by teleptv ing 253-8741. |