xt76m902287n https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt76m902287n/data/mets.xml The Kentucky Kernel Kentucky -- Lexington The Kentucky Kernel 1997-10-24 Earlier Titles: Idea of University of Kentucky, The State College Cadet newspapers  English   Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. The Kentucky Kernel  The Kentucky Kernel, October 24, 1997 text The Kentucky Kernel, October 24, 1997 1997 1997-10-24 2020 true xt76m902287n section xt76m902287n   
 

 

ESIABLISHED 189-1

 

 

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, LEXINGTON. KENTUCKY

tonight, Ions in tlie ”ml

305‘. Cloudy tomorrow,

m To THE DAWGS

it: October 24, I 997

 
  
  
   
 
  
 
   

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(XL-1, LIX i'olnmmm'face ofl on ""1" 2 I " ’ " .2
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Students feel pressure to drink

By Ginny Tatum
Stir/f” 't'iter

Some do it because it‘s an addiction,
others do it in strictly social settings.
A combination of factors can cause

drinking. said (Earl Leukefeld, director of

the Center on Drug and Alcohol
Research. They include biological fac—
tors, personal taste. access to alcohol. psy—
chology, social factors .tnd environment.

People have different reasons for
drinking. Drinking to feel better.
because it tastes good. to get away
from stress and to have a grim time are

\lmost all teens and young adults
feel pressure to drink in today's society,
said Rob liierguson, a psychologist .it the
his (Iounseling and Testing (:L‘HIL‘I'.

“Some people are under more pres:
sure than others," l‘ierguson said.
“Some people are tnore likely to sutv
cumb to that pressure than others.

u'l‘eensagers. especially younger
teen-tigers . . don't want to stand out
as different from their peers. l‘hat is
very threatening."

Young people are nervous about
dating. sex .iiid the future, among other
things, he said. 'l‘hey feel alcohol will
alleviate their anxious feelings.

said,

\notliei lattiit’ in lllltlt‘l'lt‘t' drinking
is family related i

"It you grow up seeing .idiilis siil\t'
their pi‘oliltiiis \Hlll .iltoliol, or if you
just see a lot of toiisuiiiptioii of .ilcolioi,"
l'iergusoii siiil. "you're going to think
“L )h, this is one way tosol\e lit‘tililt'lllsw

\Iitilllt‘l’ \iay fatitilies tau h.i\e .iii
influentc on drinking is il the family
has a history ol .ilcoholisiit. lereusoii
said then is a genetic relationship
between tamilics .tud aleolioltsiii

.\l.iiiy students drink to have .i good
time \\llllL‘ .ilso using it as .i stl‘tss

reliever.

.‘ M. A I 'A v n r‘ ‘
i h I: ' l' I?
i . i _
\ N'
i 7.
mm Cold and rleiu'
today, big}; near 5)’. (.‘oo/
§

all valid reasons people have for drink—

ing,he said. \utumu Staiilc\.

:ttt lh»_\t*.tt>iilil
litiiltig‘y lt‘csltttt.ltl.
started drinking
when she was

  
  
  
    
 
  
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 

l'imotional problems such as
depression and severe anxiety can
cause sortie people to drink
because alcohol is seen as .i
short—term problemvsolver.

“In the long term. it can
create riiore problems,"
Ferguson

But what is the cause of underage
drinking?

Leukefeld said peer pressure is a
major factor in initiating underage
drinking or other drug use.

“Lots of people come to college and
want to do things they couldn't do at
home," Leukefeld said.

 

iiiitrr BARTON Amidst,” \i-i- PEER on 3

l FEELING "'E "EAT livperti‘ agree that the college environment if one of‘tlie monvflrrtorx t/Jtlt

am contribute to future prob/mm with alcohol.

”email-Page“)!

Drinking now can mean trouble later

By Brian Dunn
. l.\’.\‘l.\‘i‘illlf .Vt’fl'a‘ I':t[lflll'

 

 

 

w.

ilence. and the
National Institute
on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism.
'l‘hereafter. people

i
i
i
I
l
I
l
4

milk. juice. coffee and books
combined. according to the]i;i(i'—
nul oil'fmerinui College Health.
The journal reports 61.2
percent of students attending

an alcoholic, she says.
But that's not the only factor.
College environment. family
genetics and anxiety tan also
lead to the disease known as

Ruth Staten hears the
tragedy unfold every day.

   

She hears about the students alcoholism, four—year might feel increasing pres~
who drink heavily and often Staten said, a colleges or sure to drink.
because they think all other stu— psychiatric universities Perhaps the high school then
‘ dents drink heavily and often. nurse who said they college environment might ‘
She hears about the students teaches in the drank at force students into thinking
3 who constantly miss class and College of least one they must drink because every-
i forget friends. Nursing. alcoholic one else drinks, Staten said.
She hears about the students Theories drink a Perhaps underage drinkers
3 who drink to get drunk, who abound as to week. tiiight drink to fight anxiety.
g black out, wake, drink and black why alcoholism “College Perhaps young drinkers might
‘ otit again. exists, but for students are forin a drinking problem
;, She hears because she coun- any person to drinking in because they have a line of alco-
i sels students with alcohol prob- becotne an ways that holics in their family.
leins at L'K Student Health. alcoholic, he or may put “()ne risk factor for a person
I “\\'e know that underage she must first them at becoming an alcoholic is the
drinkers are drinking more fre- take a drink. tremendous person's parent." she said.
. quently (than people over 21) And binge drinking doesn‘t risk,” Staten said. “People underage drink
l y and in greater amounts,” she help matters. Alcoholics usually start more (than those of age), so
' says. American college students drinking at an early age, they’re putting themselves

according to Alcoholics Anony- at greater risk (of becom—
iiious, the National Council on

Alcoholism and Drug Depen—

spend 55.5 billion dollars on
alcohol each year, more than
they spend on soft drinks, tea,

And drinking more often
and more heavily puts the per-
son at greater risk of becoming

See ALCOHOLISM on 3

The enacts 0' alcohol Heavy and chronic drinking can

1 The liver is the organ most susceptible
' harm virtually every organ in the

to damage from alcohol, Habitual

 

 

 

,l on the body body Also drinking can lead to an drinking can lead to hepatitis and
, increased risk of cancer in the upper cirrh05is.
Alcoholism IS a primary, chronic disease With genetic, digestive tract (mouth and esophagus)
psychosocral and enVironmental factors influencmg its
development and manifestations. The disease is often
0'09'955'V9 and fatal. II ‘5 characterized by continuous The immune system is weak- The liver. the breasts and the colon
or PellOdlCI , , ened increasmg the likelihood of con- are all subject to increased likelihood
V'mpaifed COMVOI 0V9! ("VIKING tracting infectious diseases such as of cancer. In addition to cancer.
V056 0' BICOI‘OI despite adverse pneumonia and tuberculosrs chronic drinking can lead to ulcers
consequences and other digestive tract maladies.
Vdistortions in thinking. most notably denial
CHRIS HOSENTHAL Arnie] Mill
0' I t I - Council proposes tllitiflll increase
By Mat Horton financial aid. universities W is .i little steep. grants \\ e get. it‘s about the stu—
(.‘ampm Editor The proposal is one of three said Melanie (Iruz. president of dents." » ‘
and Brian Dunn on the table for the council, who the Student Government .‘\.\S()CI‘.!- ()nc hope for those on fmati~
e s "n s i-ixxt'i‘timt.\'rii'.i‘liilimr will vote Nov. 3. The another tion. cial aid is the Student l'inaiictal
9 calls for a 3 percent cap on “I understand the reasoning," v\id and .-\dvancemeiit l‘rust
The news hit (ZliffSepulveda. tuition for in-state students, the (lruz said, “I understand the l’und. Set up as a result of the
' request for $750 to send l-I pco— Hard other a 3 percent cap across the value of a dollar. btit I don't think l’ostseeondary l4 ilucation
Group recelves ple to attend the Million Woman ,, i ,, . board. the entire state is doing well lmproveiiient :\et I‘l‘l'fi (.‘ov.
. March in Philadelphia on Satur- ‘ ()h‘. Plicait‘ 'nOIf sahd 'thefClC- Sepulveda. who like some stu- enough to exceed the tiational Paiil Patton created the fund to
I $750f‘07. Wlp d3)" {sengarylet “hiya? yes "”3133“, dents de ends on financial aid to average." allot 31 If) million to be used for
' j . . Rice broke the 18-18 vote and kilalin l :10 with) rtemt—of-stat: go to co legc, said the $1,000 of Although. he vehemently student aid. ..
i to Philadelphia said thegroup showed persever- tuitiofi ,. ’ and he gets won't mean as much opposes tuition hikes, hospitality . I his could offset the tuition 4
l ance in its fundraismg, continu- ' . . . . _ next year iftuition goes up. management junior (.liff Mullins increase for L Is and the L ntVt‘t‘Sh 3
j ing to raise funds while waiting Bl" If 3 “mm“ increase '5 “I don't see any reason they sees the. benefit to students, in tvof Louisville, but how much of ;
”w _____ i 8,, Gary WU", , to meet the Senate. approved, Sepulveda and other need to raise it," he said. “Univcr- terms of new buildings and com- that money students get is still in .3
. . 5"""”'S’”fl”"‘”"r Circle of Imani had raised UK, students may have more ”‘3" sitics around the country already puters. . question: . . _ ,, “y
.i I $690 within three weeks of the re “Warm“ to WWW about "6’“ have millions of dollars in their Should the increase gain lhe (.ouncil is fast approachf “
l Fighting Off comparisons [0 final vote, fal . coiffures." a proval, though, students could ing its Nov. l5 deadline to decidg ’
2" UK Promise Keepers, the CiTCIC Rice also pointed to a report The Council on Postsec- Tuition increases, like infla- a so get new headaches. on how much is allocated to stu— 3
l t . i “f lmani received money from the Student Satisfaction ondary Education will vote in the tion, come with the territory, stu— “It's still money. Most college dents. said John (Iary, SGA presis I
Wednesday “IBM for its "I ‘0 Committee that said blacks feel next few weeks on a 6-12 percent dent government officials sa t, students have to in gle a job“ dent at L' ofl.. » t
Philadelphia in a Student (IOV‘ excluded on cam us. She said the tuition increase for 1998-2000, pumping more money into bol- while going to schoolz, said (Zruz, “My question is, what have (thé (l , ,
ernmcntAssociation meeting. Workshop the ‘ircle of lmani an increase that would raise storing academic programs and who stressed that the students are members). done?"said (Iary, whd i
In a tie-brakin vote. SGA will co-s user with Portia tuition by about $140 next year, indicate a strong economy. UK‘s greatest asset. said it s highly probable the 6.‘ [2
Vice President Alizfia Rice voted Weathera . 3 Cleveland radio and negatively affect the 82 per- But an increase —— more than “It’s not about how many percent increase will pass. “It w:
to support the Circle of Imani’s S" CIRCLE 0,, 2 cent of UK students who get the 5 percent national average for patents we get, it's not how many 3‘" TUITION 0,12
t I L \ 1 ‘ Q .

 

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UK VIP system improving
daily, registrar’s ofiice says

By Ellen Lord
Staff Writer

From primitive to cutting
e e.
dgl‘he new VIP registration sys—
tem has replaced hours of waitin
in line under the old method
with a telephone call from your
room.

Before VIP registration,
Shirley Rose, director of Under-
graduate Studies in the College of
Communications and Information
Studies, said advisers “had to be
computer operators. Other
departments (had to) hire tempo-
rary operators” to help with com-
puter scheduling and had little
time to help students with class
selection.

“Under the new system, stu-
dents have more control over
when they want to register,” said
Mary Sue Hoskins, director of
Central Advising.

“It's much faster; students don’t
have to stand in line, and you
have three days to get your sched-
ule in," Rose said.

Now advisers actually have
time to advise.

“As an adviser the advanta
that I like is that advising is tru
mandatory,” Hoskins said:
although she admits levels of
adviser involvement with the stu-
dent range “from hardly at all
to some very complex interac-
tions.”

The VIP 5 stem hasn’t been
com letely fa tless.

“The first year was pretty much
a disaster,” Rose said. “The system
had never been tested on a campus

  
   
    
   
    
   
   
   
   
    
 
   
   
     
 

    
 

Stacie

r‘ff?.'-':-.-'

5

this size before; it couldn’t handle
the volume.”

But UK added computer
power to make scheduling more
efficient.

“It’s otten better every year. I
think a! would appreciate how
the system is set up now,” Rose
said.

“When I first got here, you had
to wait around a lot. I actually have
missed classes to register," said
Tony Hopkins, a library and infor-
mation sciences aduate student.

“I prefer t e VIP system
because it’s easy and over the

hone and you can do it from your
ouse,” undeclared senior Bill
Lacox said.

“Dialing up from home and
scheduling is much easier,” Hop-
kins said.

Biolo senior Penny Orr pre-
ferred registration to her for-
mer ‘school’s system at Austin
Peay State University in Ten-
nessee.

“It’s a lot more organized; I
think it’s a lot less confusing.
Every time I go to register I’ve
gotten every c as I wanted,” she
said.

Hopkins said, despite the
scheduling im rovements, he has
“noticed a rea lack of getting the
students involved with an adviser

especially being in Arts and
Sciences.”

“I think a drawback is (that) you
don’t et a printed copy right
away,” ose said. “Another draw-
back is having to wait because all
lines are busy.”

Journalism

Cheddi

junior

Acham, like many athletes, has

ntAppreciation

WEEKEND

TONIGHT! Double—Header Action
UK Women VS. Arkansas at 5:30 p.m.
UK Men vs. Marshall at 8 pm.
FREE for UK students!

Raffle for NIKE prizes exclusively for UK
students ~ at all games this weekend!

SUNDAY!

UK Men vs. Akron at 2 pm.

FREE T-shirts For the lst lOO UK students w/UK ID!
It’s Senior Day! Honor you UK Soccer Seniors!

UKAA would like to thank our corporate partners:
Kroger, Papa John’s, McDonalds, Ohio Casualty,

Since its beginning in 1993, the
Voice Information Processing
network has undergone numer-

ous changes.

VFall 1993: VIP began. Stu-
dents complained ol busy sig-
nals, getting cut off during mid-
registration and long delays.

VSprlng 1994: UK systems pro-
grammars installed a 'soltware
patch" to eliminate delays. also
set 20-minute limit on calls.

VSpring 1995: Registrar moni-
tors number ol callers to VIP dur-
ing certain windows and changes
window openings to accommo-
date more students. Plans under-
way to make student registration
available over the lntemet.

“to have a certain grade level
(and) sometimes dropping a class
can help,” he said. But the system
“is on open during certain
times a the day, and it might be
busy.”

An answer to some complaints
might be to listen.

“(Students) need to listen to
the message when the register
all the way through. (T Key) often
hang up too soon and something
awful happens, (like they)
thought they were registered for
math and they aren’t,” Hoskins
said.

Overall, students and staff have
welcomed the change.

As a former undergraduate and
current graduate student, Hopkins
said, “I’ve seen the development of
the system, and it’s really changed
and improved.”

NIKE and Powerode.

 

University making easy registration a priority

Students find
process getting
mac/i easier

By Vanessa Damon
Contributing Writer

With priority re 'stration near-
ing, students ave vorable reac-
tions to UK 5 VIP registration
system. Few students said they
have problems registering over
the phone.

Freshmen through graduate.
students believe the system works
well and serves its purpose of reg-
istering students quickly and easi-
ly. . .

Before the VIP system began in
the fall of 1993, students waited in
long lines at the registrar’s office
to add and dro classes. Most said
avoiding such ines is the biggest
advanta e to VIP. - ,

Matt ew Adams, a biology
senior, transferred from More-
head State University last spring
and said using VIP is more conve-
nient than other registration
methods. He said Morehead’s sys-
tem took much longer and was
much more of a hassle.

Nikki Strange, a music sopho-
more, takes courses at UK and
Lexington Communi College.
She said she would pre er to re ' -
ter over the phone for all of It];
courses if she could.

“I’d rather (use VIP) than stand
in line for three hours,” she said.

Even though VIP is quicker
than standing in add-drop lines,
some students still have to wait to
get through.

“If you try to call right when
your registration window opens,
the lines are busy a lot of the
time,” said Jennifer Kane, a hospi-

tali management senior. “When
ypu re a senior who just needs a
. w classes, that can get annoy-
in .”
Students who attended UK
before the VIP system worked
properly said the system is much
etter an before. Shelby Hick-
lin, a physical therapy graduate
student, remembers having to dial
numerous times before getting an
o n line when she first entered
in 1993.

When VIP first started, stu-
dents often complained of getting
constant busy signals and tting
put off when they final y got
through to the syStem. Students
also experienced extremely long
delays between registration
options.

Since then, UK terns pro-

ammers and officia s at the reg— '

istrar’s office have worked out
most of the kinks in the tem.

Programmers fixed a aw in the
software to eliminate delays.
They also put a 20-minute time
limit on calls made to VIP to
allow more students to access the
system.

“We never had to add any
more phone lines. We just updat-
ed the software to let more stu-
dents re 'ster at the same time,”
said UK enior Systems Program-
mer Leonard Lauria.

Assistant Registrar Michelle
Nordin said the registrar’s office
continues to improve the system
by monitoring the number of stu-
dents who access VIP during cer-
tain times and changin registra-
tion windows according y.

Even with the improvements to
the system, some students said
VIP makes them feel unimportant
at UK. They said talking to a
computer over the phone makes
them feel like numbers, not stu-
dents.

“I think it’s a bit impersonal,”

said Melissa Johnson, a psycholo-

gy freshman. Johnson prefers a

registration system that would

give more one-on-one help when

students cannot add the classes
want over VIP.

ost students agree that a

degree of im rsonality is expect—

ed at a schoo as large as UK The

works the best it can, given

e number of students registering

_ for classes at the same time.

Jennifer Spickler, an 'elemen-
tary education sophomore, said
she expected to use a registration

tem similar to VIP when she

ose to attend a large university.

Other students said rearrang-
ing their schedules around closed
courses is difficult over the phone.

“The system’s great if you get
the all the classes you want, but
that doesn’t always happen,” said
Joshua McCollister, a journalism
junior.

Shawn O’Connor, an electrical
engineering senior, said the sys—
tem can get complicated when
courses are closed. He said it
would be easier to re 'ster over
the Internet than over e phone.

Lauria said plans are underway
to make student registration avail-
able over the Internet. Students
can already access course listings
over the web.

Most students said the VIP sys-
tem functions well as it is, however.

Psycholo graduate student
Jason Rina! 0 said VIP is some-
what impersonal, but it works
well. He used systems similar to
VIP at other universities before he
attended UK.

“It can be a pain sometimes,
but it works. It’s effective,” Rinal-
do said.

Priority registration over VIP
begins Nov. 3 and runs through
Nov. 21. The registrar’s office
encourages students to make
appointments with their advisers.

 

 
     

Circle
Senate OKs

finding

for group ’s Million

woman March trip

From PAGE 1

host on Oct. 28 focusing on self-
esteem, is a great way for students
to share ideas. '

Latonya Ford, a Circle of Imani
member, said without the funding
many members would not be able
to go.

“This is our last alternative,”
Ford said.

This was different from UK
Promise Keepers, whose SGA
funding was vetoed by Melanie
Cruz. Members had said they
planned on goin whether or not

they had the fun ing.

 

  
     

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But funding was not the only
issue to be compared by senators.
The discrimination issue was
raised, but Circle of Imani fended
it off.

Although UK Promise Keep—
ers did not discriminate against
members in its group, only males
could attend .the national
event in Washington, DC.
Circle of Imani, however,
posted flyers and invited
other people to join its

grou .

The national event also
invites people of both sexes
and of all ages and races to

I feel a deja on
here. I need to
see more points

“If they’re going to lie to the
Kernel, they’re oin to lie to the
students,” Feige sai . “If any sen-
ator has a conscience they will not
vote for this bill.”

Social Work Senator George
Myers supported the bill referring
back to the UK Promise Keepers.

“I do not feel

Promise Keep-

ers is discrimi-

natory, and I

don’t feel this

bill is discrimi-

natory,” Myers
said.

At the last full

attend, Ford said. bmugbtfm}; Senate meeting,

Senator at Large Luke to S“. the Circle of Imani
Riddle was one of the sena- d' 7) presented a bill
tors who said it would be ’ creme. requesting $840
hypocritical to support Circle ' from the SGA.
of Imani but not Promise Luke flllldlo On Oct. 8, with
Keepers. renamazlargeon two weeks until

“I feel déja vu here,” said 117! 111W: the march,
Riddle, who voted for UK hm"? *9 leeof Feigel made a
Promise Keepers. “I need to Im'mm‘ motion to table
see more points brought forth “(“9“ the bill. He
to see the difference. made the

Senator at Large Phil

Fei el was initially impressed
WIEE Circle of Imani’s prepara-
tion and fundraising events, but
his mind was changed when Cir-
cle of Imani President C stal
Spruill wrote a letter to the en-
tucky Kernel editorial page on
Oct. 10 accusing Feigel of devis-
ing a scheme, “which he admitted
he had been planning for a week,
to kill (the) pro osal b tabling it
using Robert’s lgules o Orders.”

The Patterson School
of Diplomacy and Intemational Commerce

October Speaker Series

International Fries—(work of
Kurdish Nulmltnn

NHCI-IAEL GUNI'ER

Department of Political Science
Runes-cc Tech

7-9 p.m. - Thursday. October 30
Student Conm Theatre

A Ker-nub Capontion Invader
Aria: Tb: Volvolg'nc Experience
JACKSON 3. DAVIS
Area Director Asia and Pacific

4-6 p.m. - Tuesday, October 28
Room 230 Student Center

 

motion because
of the on ’s substantial fundrais-
ing be re e meeting.

When the Circle of Imani orig—
inally presented the bill before the
Appropriations and Revenue
Committee on Oct. 1, it asked for
$1,510. But between then and the
Oct. 8 Senate meeting, Million
Woman March State Coordinator
Kathy Williams raised $600 from
the Lexington community for the

group.

 

Tuition

New council proposes
6-12 percent increase
pm me 1

have money to. Offset it, then (the '

increase) is an advantage."

Tuition can be set threeways: '
through legislation, individual .

college or universi ,

and b .
groups like the counci , Cary said: :
he only other state that mirrors .

Kentucky’s system is Oklahoma,

which has a group that deter- l
mines tuition rates for its univer- '

sities.
While he doesn’t like payin
more to go to school, Cary sai ,

'anincreaseisagoodtlu in-
moderation. You getwhat yoliig pay '

for.”
For Sepulveda it isn’t a ques-
tion of paying, it’s how much.
'Sia percent is more reason-
able. Twelve percent is a little too
| 1 l' l

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Time, strength

keys to fighting
the addiction

By Heather Nelly
Staff H'rirer

For alcoholics, recovery is
more than saying “no" to a drink
or finding alternative modes of
entertainment.

Recovering alcoholics struggle
daily while learning to co c with
life‘s realities minus the help of
alcohol.

Alcoholics in recovery must
relearn coping skills which most
people already know, said Ruth
“Topsy" Staten, an associate pro—
fessor in the College of Nursing
and a substance abuse counselor in
L'niversity Health Services.

“These skills can be taught in a

relatively short eriod of time,
but they have to e practiced and
reinforced for a lifetime,” Staten
said.

Alcoholics can learn to cope
with the help of support groups
such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

“Recovering was really hard
because I didn‘t have any living
skills,” said Kim, a 23 year old
recovering alcoholic and AA
member. “That’s what AA taught
me really.

“When your alarm clock oes
off in the morning and you on’t
want to go to work, you go to
work. Before 1 would have just
called in sick or not shown up. It
started with really little, simple
things," she said.

Kim used the support that AA
gave her to learn how defeat her
alcoholism.

“At first it was just listening to
the people in AA who had been
sober longer than me,” she said.
“They knew how to go a whole

day without taking a drink and
that was something I didn’t know
how to do, and l was willing to
do whatever it took to learn
that."

But alcoholics must want to
change before the recovery pro-
cess can be in. Alcoholics some-
times hit iottom before they
become willing. '

Jane, a 23 year-old recovering
alcoholic and AA member,
became sober after a long child-
hood of alcohol and drugs.

“My bottom in my mind was to
die,” Jane said. “I was as low as
you could get if not wanting to go
ower.

“At 19 my life was over. l had
done a lot of drinking and done
a lot of drugs and lost my fami—
ly. The idea of going to colle e
and all that stuff was out t e
window.

“I just wanted to go to sleep for
a very, very lon time and not
wake up, or to wake up and every-

‘ ‘l was as low as you can get'

thing be beautiful again," Jane
said.

Jane, originally from Lexing-
ton, went through many treat—
ment centers, a relapse, and near
death before she decided to
become sober.

“I went to a lot of AA meetings,
and I started hanging out with a
lot people that were sober," jane
salt. “I did a lot of work on
myself. It's a daily work thing."

“My life is completely differ-
ent. \Vhy it happened for me, I
don't know. “by I'm here today,
I don‘t know." '

“Alcoholism is not the end of
the world,“ said Alan Barger, a
prevention consultant at the Pre-
vention Research Institute.

“There are many people who
do recover and are able to put
their lives back together again.“ he
said, “but they have to be careful
and work at it for the rest of their
lives."

 

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Alcoholism

College drinking can
cause future problems
From PAGE 1

ing an alcoholic)."

Mladen Brkic, a 19-year—old
business and management fresh—
man from Bosnia, has witnessed
the effects of alcohol in European
countries such as Italy, Greece
and Bosnia, in the American high
school environment, Henry Clay
High School in Lexington, and in
the college environment, UK.
Most European countries includ—
ing Bosnia don’t have a minimum
drinkin age.

He aiso drinks and has a family
history of alcoholism.

He said he mostly believed envi-
ronmental factors led to alcohol
dependency. People who enjoy
alcohol responsive y in social situa—
tions such as a party probablyl aren’t
going to become alcoholics, e said.
But eople who drink because they
are (iepressed have a higher risk of
becoming alcoholic. ln war-torn
Bosnia, more people drink to
escape, therefore more people
become alcoholics, he added.

Brkic said the pressures of high

school and college might cause peo—
ple to start drinking at an early or
premature age, therefore increasing
their chances ofalcohol dependency.

“You can never say ifsomething
will contribute to alcoholism or
not,” he said. “But (the environ—
ment) makes your chances higher.
And your chances of becomin an
alcoholic increase by drinEing
early."

He said American teens tend to
want to prove themselves. Perhaps
they do so because they are told
they can’t, he added. At college,
he said, American students want
to prove they can drink heavy and
often because they perceive other
students do the same. From there
they might try to prove they can
drive while they’re drunk, he said.

At any rate, American college
students who succumb to this
increase their tolerance level, a
sign that alcoholism is on the
horizon, he said. What starts as
four drinks in a night might grow
to eight or nine.

“You need to learn to control
yourself," be said.

Seth Clark, a 21-year-old
mechanical engineering sopho—
more, said he doesn’t think under-
age drinkers will become alcoholics.

“I think it takes a certain per—
son to become an alcoholic,” he
said. “just because you drink

underage doesn‘t mean you're
goin to become an alcoholic."

C ark said he started drinking
when he was 15 and he has an
uncle who is alcoholic, but he said
he doesn’t think he’ll become one.

“My definition of an alcoholic
is someone who craves alcohol,"
said Clark, who said he doesn’t

‘drink as often as he used to.

People who drink to escape prob-
lems are more at danger, he said.

Whether students are drinking
to escape or to fit in socially, they
need to ask themselves, “When is
too much, too much?” Staten said.

The National Institute on
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
lists the following signs that some-
one has a drinking problem:

VThey are unable to control
their drinking; regardless of what
they decide, they wind u drunk.

VThey use alcoho to escape
problems.

VThey develop a change in
personality.

VThey develop a high toler-
ance and start to drink everyone
else under the table.

VThey black out and some-
times do not remember what hap-
pened while they were drinking.

VThey have problems at work
or in school as a result of drinkin .

VTheir family and friends
show concern about his drinking.

Two kinds of alcohol problems
exist: alcohol abuse and alcohol

dependency, commonly called
alcoholism, Staten said.

Alcohol dependency differs
from abuse in that tolerance

increases drastically over time and
withdrawal symptoms occur. such
as morning shakes, hallucinations
and seizures.

Otherwise, dependency and
abuse are similar, Staten said. Both
interfere with daily life as they hurt
health and social functions.

Also, withdrawal symptoms
increase as alcoholics age. Fatigue,
then sweating, restlessness, irritabil-
ity, the shakes, muscle instability,
hallucinations, seizures and delirium
tremens (D'I‘s) set in when a person
stops drinking after any duration.

“Alcoholics who quit drinkin r
can have seizures and die," he said“.

Staten, however, said alco-
holism isn’t the only or the most
urgent problem of underage
drinking. Problems such as date-
rape, violence, drunken driving
and alcohol poisoning, whic
leads to lung failure, are predomi-
nant dangers to college students.

“I guess we've made it easy (to

bin e drink in colle e) — no big
f

dea ," she says. “But t at’s lent itse

to the problems we’re having today.
“Culturally, we‘ve become

comfortable with being drunk."

Ker/rutky Kerr/cl, I'lltldv, October 34, I997 ‘

 

 

By Ellen Lord
Sill/j ll 'I'm'r

If you or someone you know
has a problem with alcohol, get
help off campus.

Historically, UK has p.iid
varying degrees of attention to
drinking on campus. said