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Show 4 f S J by SFC Darrell L. Johnson 4 - streets looking for trouble, its called homicide when he kills someone. If that same drunken man kills someone with his car instead of a gun, newspaper accounts read: "Accident Kills , Three. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) spokesman maintains that "accident is too king a word. It implies the drunk driver is not responsible for his actions. To avoid detracting from the severity of the situation, a more accurate term would be "crash. This change in terminology would give the public a more accurate look at the issues behind drunk driving. The NHTSA spokesman . points out that the issues have even been confused by old safety "if slogans like, you drink, ed dont drive. Most of the population drinks and 80 percent of social drinkers admit to driving after having had a couple of drinks. Because of guilt feelings about breaking this "rule, the public has not demanded stronger enforcement and judicial measures which they think might be aimed at their, own casual soca,,y accePted crime? " A itd7d dtq When a drunken man with a gun goes prowling the by Sp5 Steven. Silvers He told his wife that he was an alcoholic and she didnt believe him. She didnt want heritage week Asian Pacific observed drinking habits. Most states have set 0.10 percent blood alcohol level as the legal definition of driving while intoxicated. To reach this level, an average-size- d man would have to gulp down five drinks in one hour. If he stayed another hour and had about 10 drinks total before driving home, he would reach Hie following article is a reprint commemorating Asian Pacific Week, written by 23-year-o- ld soldier from Fort Monroe, Va., sat in the lounge area of alcohol reteh covery department at Bethes-d- a Naval Hospital:; Between drags of his cigarette, he quietly explained that he had been going through blackouts. He remembers one night drinking at the NCO Club, then coming-t- o hours later handcuffed in a police station. They told him he had busted his way into some ladys living room. He ended up here, a fulltime patient at the center. And he soon realized his problem was not his own. His family life was a mess. After ce By Presidential Proclama- tion, file week of May tage Week. In keeping with the Amerir can spirit for all Americans, we at Dugway and people throughout the United States and the Armed Forces are year's average blood alcohol level to come closer to the. 0,10 percent range. Its easy to recognize from these statistics that a drunk driver is not a social drinker who has accidentally had "one too many. Lets quit calling them "drinking drivers and spell out clearly that the problem is caused by drunk drivers. Legislation and law enforcement efforts can improve' the situation only so much, unless the pulbic is ful- ly behind the measure and quits thinking of drunk driv- ing as a fact of life. If we must' consider a crash caused by a drunk driver an "accident, then we should at least con- sider it a highly preventable celebrating, in recognition of our Asian Pacific Americans, the many contributions they - have made that have enriched our American culture. America, the land of opportunity, was built on a strong foundation of contributions by people of many origins. The Asian Pacific Islanders came to America as immigrants, believing in freedom and the right to compete on equal terms for economical, Keep in mind that most those who are antisocial in their drinking behavior still ar drinking in public places. means that at least one other person is aware of how much the drunk driver had consumed before he ever got behind the wheel. The bar- - one political, educational and social advancement. In the burgeoning West, the Asians were a substantial tender, friend or family member must take the re- - sponsibility for preventing a drunkard from driving. Once a drunken person is on the road with thousands of other drivers, police detection . force in its growth and develin railroading, in opment in mining, lumbering, in fishing; in farming and in the cities. To them the challenge of America was a call to their best. They were to survive. might come too late. all those months of craziness, depression, silence, anger, the emotions rubbed off had and behavior self-deni- al on his wife. Household, members, he explained, could be called because of told her that I was having a prlblem and she said she didnt believe it. She didnt want to accept it, he said. "It 42-da- y five-da- y own. "Alcoholism is a family disease, explained Army Capt. William D. Geeslin, who oversees the center's family program. "Even though they dont drink, the family member is an integral part of alcoholism. Theres usually a real shutdown in communications. We try to give them the basic tools on getting a relationship back together again. The center's family program is an integrated part of the residential program, which handles drug and s alcohol-depende- service-member- nt or dependents classified as most severe cases. whose ranks regPatients ularly range from lowest g officers listed to high-rankin- an intensive morning through - evening schedule that includes. counseling, group therapy, com- attend - munication classes, alchOlics anonymous meetings and physical training. While the patient dries out, the center offers the spouse and some older children free t transportation to. come attend the family program. Most show up. "I tell family members they're here for themselves, Geeslin said in a pleasant Alabama drawl. "At home they might have had a skid row concept of alcoholism, but here they learn that it's a disease, and that theyve been "co-alcoholi- their attachment to the . drinker. "They become emotionally sick as well, he said. "The disease feeds on itself. "The drinkers behavior commonly includes threats, , physical abuse, accusations, Geeslin said. "The family turn feels fear, shame, guilt in' and resentment. Their be- havior becomes a lot like the alocholic, and on occasions may lead to physical abuse. "It's usually not evident to the family what is wrong. Theyre aware there's a lot of craziness going on, but its not clear what it's about, ... -- . their-positiv- and active participa- tion in our national life demonstrates the soundness of Americas policy of continued openness to people from Asia and the Pacific. 7. - families can learn to address the disease together. "What's missing out of an alcoholic home is a lot of love and good feelings. When families leave here they say they're communicating better than ever. The Naval hospital's center is one of only two such military facilities in . tri-servi- ce operation. Although some local post centers can offer Geeslin families., help, strongly suggestedfindthat the others needing help a civilian nearest organization devoted entirely to family members of alcoholics and a close kin to Alcoho"Al-Ano- n, lics Anonymous. Many of the spouses who . complete the center's own therapy go on to become ache tive members in Al-Ano- v n, said.. Soon John would "graduate from the center, receiving a single marble to symbolize the first step in getting his own sanity back. He , looked forward to going home to his wife and kids, where they all would keep working toward keeping it results. amazing how many people think they can control their spouses' drinking problems, he said. "But if theyre going to drink, theyre going kind of behavior it's almost a reverse process, the alcoholic slides backwards. Often times the spouse trying to handle the situation becomes what Geeslin called an "enabler, someone who actually helps the alcoholic to keep drinking. "A wife might successful integration into American society and With therapy, he said, third to drink. The family cant stop it by begging or pouring out all the liquor. With that justified. We have succeeded in removing the barriers to full participation in American life, and we welcomethe newest Asian immigrants to our shores refugees from Indochina displaced by political, and social upheavals. Their spouse with the disease. se . Twenty-six-year-oldDeni- "Its . they might . week of treatment, found her husband suffering as much as she. "He had taken a .lot of responsibility that wasn't his, she said. "He thought it was his fault I was drinking. He tried to get me to quit, he threatened to leave me, but it didn't work. Geeslin explained that many wives and husbands try and end up the same thing with the usual disastrous of hope, opportunity and freedom. At last their confidence in the United States has been come from alcoholic families, Geeslin has found that almost " half of the family members he ' deals with also come from alcoholic homes perhaps ex- : to-geth- er. "Ive still got a lot of . con- flict, a lot of resentment inside, John said as he followd the group to another lecture. "I used to let things build up inside of me. My wife would ask what was wrong, but I wouldnt tell her. Now IVe at least cracked the shell. I dont want to push too hard, but I want to keep going forward. (SpS Silvers is associate editor with the Army News Service in Washington, D.C.) : 19.88 28.00 ' reg. . -- ' . Anytime, anywhere striped dresses detailed with peplums, special tucks, wrap belts. In fine washable polyester for sizes 8 10-1- 33 North Main ' cion and fear. Yet, Asians of diverse orifrom China, Japan, gins Korea, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia continued to look to America as aland Failure to submit name changes poses mon problem to the Army married couple reassignment program, according to military personnel center officials. Name changes should be submitted through the local military personnel office as soon as possible, officials say, to ensure the couple receives consideration for concurrent assignment to the same tour area. Couples seeking more information about the Army married couple reassignment program should call their local military personnel office, or phone MILPERCEN officials at autovon 221-900690- ; housing and employment. And during World War II, our Japanese American citizens were treated with suspi- the ways plaining someactof toward a : Geeslin explained. "I get people here who have thought they were crazy. They accepted all the accusations and blame from the drinker. They were hostages to the illness. Children, also, may react to the family disturbance by doing poorly in school or getting into trouble with the law, among other things, he noted. a Navy wife in her discriminated against them. They, were also subjected to discrimination in education, changes poses problems the most com- port him sick because he has a hangover, or cover for him in some other way. But it's just giving him more excuses to drink. Hes getting a system built up, he said. While it's commonly known that many alcoholics : cs, : Failure to submit name call tier husbands office to re- emotionally involved. "I called her from here and understanding of Johns problem and how it results from affects her belief centers that whole the families need treatment for For every alcoholism. resident-patien- t going the recovery, through every wife, husband, friend or relative is urged to come here for an intensive recovery, program of their 7-1- 3, 1983 has been declared as Asian Pacific American Heri- NHTSA officials expect this Her adapt and even flourish. Unfortunately, we have not always fully appreciated the talents and the contributions which Asian Americans have brought to the United States. Until recently, our immigra-- . tioii and naturalization laws V: Athens L. Branes who departed Dugway in 1980. the percent that was the national average bipod alcohol level for all DWI arrests last year. With increased DWI law enforcement measures across the country, takes time. At least now we can talk more openly, weve learned not to be scared, and shes beginning to understand some things. American , Everyone suffers: Military program helps families cope with alcoholics tri-servi- - The Sampler, May 10, 1984 Drunk to. John, a husky '- . viyii imm well-intention- t 882-243- 4 1 1 . e |