DTH Omnibus Page 7
Thursday November 16, 1989
Page 6 DTH Omnibus
Thursday November 16, 1989
n n
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iUNC
ALCOHOL
u
00$ ito. wMn
by THOMAS HEALY
Editor's Note: The names in the
following article have been changed to
protect the privacy of those involved.
Icoholism, one of the most
devastating and debilitating
diseases in our society, is one
of the hardest diseases to uncover
and diagnose. It veils itself in the
guise of parties and good times. It
infiltrates its victim with feelings of
confidence and security, and it leaves
its prey powerless over alcohol.
The atmosphere of a university
town contributes greatly to
alcoholism's disguise. The nightlife
of Franklin Street and the all-campus
fraternity parties are geared to
wards alcohol, and the line between
social drinking and alcoholism is fuzzy.
Unfortunately, there is no scientific
formula to diagnose alcoholism. Nei
ther is there a cure for it. However,
it can be arrested, and with the help
of programs such as Alcoholics
Anonymous (AA), sufferers of the
disease can achieve permanent so
briety. Mary, a graduate student at the
University, is a recovering alcoholic
involved in an AA program in Chapel
Hill. Her experiences in AA have
kept her sober for three years. Prior
to that, her life was held captive by
the power of alcohol.
Mary's drinking began at college.
She attended a school with a reputa
tion for "partying," and to her, col
lege came to represent the consump-
O - a. -
tion of alcohol. Once Mary began
Drinking
by SARAH BARRETT
Where is the line between
heavy drinking and alco
hol addiction? Although
most college students drink for to
lower their inhibitions, they often
ignore the more serious, and more
permanent, effects of alcohol on their
bodies.
"Certainly most people who drink
in college don't become alcoholics
later in life," said Beverly-Wiggins,
the associate director for research
development at the Institute for Re
search in Social Science. But statis
tics show that about one out of 10
people will become physically and
mentally addicted to alcohol during
their lifetimes.
Bill Riddick, assistant health edu
cator for Student Health Services,
estimates that 80 percent of the people
on the UNC campus drink. Riddick
said 10 percent of this group are prob
warn tw
When
drinking, she could not stop without
someone telling her to. She would
become loud and obnoxious under
the influence, and her drinking be
gan to get her into bad situations.
flno nrAert ir rmtTirillar Sticks
in Mary's mind. She had gotten so spokespersons. Furthermore, their are
intoxicated one night that she passed no rules at AA, simply suggestions,
out in a men's dorm room. She was According to Mary, "You do not
then carried out of the dorm naked have to call it alcoholism. If drink
except for the sheet that was wrapped ing gets you doing things you donjt
around her. Occasions like this were want to do, or going places you don't
frequent, and destructive to her life,
They were indications that her prob
lem had gotten out or hand.
Mary's drinking had a negative
would become so stressed out over a
paper that she would use alcohol to
r r . .
calm her nerves. She also turned into
the type of student who would cele
brate the end of final exams before
the exams actually began.
Alcohol made Mary feel wonder
ful and beautiful. It allowed her to
be free, silly and weird. "It never
occurred to me that there was any
L V-VA l-W iiiv H t v
fun at college without alcohol," she
says now.
Her alcoholism progressed and she
began drinking on the job. She lied
to people in order to get alcohol and
she stole prescription drugs from her
roommates whenever alcohol was not
available. "I knew I had a problem
when I started drinking in the morn-
ings to get rid of hangovers," says
Marv.
That was three years ago, and ever
can be hazardous to
lem drinkers and 15-20 percent are
in the first stages of alcoholism.
"Many people have low self-esteem
and don't have the assurance to meet
someone," he said. "The greatest qual
ity of alcohol is its ability to lower
inhibitions. It's easy to join a group
of drinkers the door is always
open."
HOW ALCOHOL
AFFECTS THE BODY
What happens in the body while
you drink? The liver can only dis
pose of 20 mg of alcohol an hour,
while the average drink contains 30
mg. Thus, it takes about 1 and 12
hours to process just one drink. While
eating can lower peak blood alcohol
levels by as much as 50 percent, it
does not affect the total absorption.
Behavior is seldom affected when
the blood alcohol concentration is
under 50-60 mg (about two drinks).
However, alcohol will break down
partyin' goes bad
drinking problems. According to
Mary, AA helps give people the
to
courage to admit their problem and
CT - .
deaf with it. It is not allied with any
sect, denomination, or politics, and
it has no central organization
or
want to go, then that is a problem
For Howard, also a graduate stu-
dent at the University, alcohol had
i r. . i 11 T :1
definirelv become a problem. Like
many teenagers, Howard started
drinking and using drugs in junior
high school. His problem grew in high
school and college until finally he
was arrested for using drugs and sen
tenced to a prison sentence.
When he was released from jail,
-
he had a decision to make; either go
back to drinking and using drugs and
destroy his life, or seek help at a place
like AA For anyone who knows
Howard today, it is not difficult to
figure out which choice he made. He
graduated summa cum laude from
college and is currently working
towards his PhD two things he
says he never could have accom-
plished while drinking.
1 he decision to go to tv was not
sire
inhibitions at this point. Gender is
also a factor. Because of differing
waste-concentration levels, women
tend to have higher blood alcohol
concentrations than men of the same
weight who drink the same amount.
The rate of intoxification depends
on the size, health and mental atti
tude of an individual; how empty his
fi Htm iswmYi
or her stomach is at the time of drink
ing; how fast he or she consumes the
alcohol; how concentrated the drink
is; and on individual idiosyncrasies.
HEAVY DRINKINQ
HAS LONQ-TERM
PHYSICAL EFFECTS
Drinking excessively can cause
some serious problems. According to
Dr. Robert Hicks, research scientist
in the Center for Alcohol Studies at
have a drinking problem and that
AA only consisted of old men. As
he found out, this is a misconcep
tion. Alcoholism is an illness that
strikes people of all types and ages,
and AA is comprised of people from
all different walks of life.
AA serves several purposes for
Howard. He hasn't taken a drink in
over five years. But AA also contrib
utes a positive feeling to his life. He
has foound friends in the program
that are exceptionally strong because
of the common bond the members
feel as recovering alcoholics.
Jim, who is also a recovering alco
holic, says that AA has done more
for him than keep him sober. "We
learn lots of life principles in AA
that we try to apply in our lives."
Understanding and concern also
play a large role in the function of
AA. Although the people at AA do
not impose tales of their drinking
experiences on others, they do share
and listen when asked to. According
to Jim, this is perhaps their most
important function.
For Mary, Howard and Jim, alco
hol became the controlling force in
their lives. No one at AA told them
they were alcoholics, it was some
thing they had to decide for them
selves. Jim describes his decision to go to
AA like this, "I did not go to AA
because I thought I was an alcoholic,
I went because I was hurting and I
wanted to stop drinking." This alone
is ample reason to seek help, for as
all who go to AA find out, the only
requirement for membership is a de
to stop drinking.
J
UNC, "alcohol can cause premature
aging of some bodily functions or
parts, such as the frontal lobes of the
brain."
The frontal lobes regulate feelings
of guilt or emotions such as compas
sion. The effect of alcohol was shown
in one study, where scientists com
pared 30-year-old alcoholics, 30-year-old
nonalcoholics, and 60-year-old
nonalcoholics, all of the same social
class. They found that the alcoholics
looked like the 30-year-old nonalco
holics, but their frontal lobe func
tions resembled those of the 60-year-old
nonalcoholics.
Dr. Hicks said that excessive drink
ing also affects sexual performance.
For males, alcohol makes it difficult
to get an erection or ejaculation. Since
alcohol increases the production of
female hormones, chronic drinking
can lead to testicular atrophy and
feminization. In females, drinking can
damage sensitivity and diminish the
ability to have an orgasm.
I vz-i-rsk r-'V 7 f v . i r35
ALCOHOLISM: HOW
TO RECOQNIZE IT
But how can one tell if the body is
physically addicted to alcohol? The
point of addiction varies from per
son to person, but there are several
tell-tale signs. Symptoms of alcohol
ism include emotional andor physi
cal dependence on alcohol, sneak
ing drinks, hiding bottles, drinking
alone, drinking in the morning to
control shakes, and physical with
drawal symptoms if drinking stops.
Research shows that there may be
genetic factors related to differences
in alcohol metabolism and suscepti
bility to some forms of alcoholism.
There is evidence that children's risk
of becoming an alcoholic is increased
fourfold if one parent has the prob
lem. People who are suffering from al
coholism often experience a denial
syndrome. According to Riddick,
"The system of confronting an alco
: '
I L iff X)
holic is holistic. Someone who is
important to the person must con
front him or her and say, 'You have a
problem.' They must pinpoint the
problem behavior and convince the
person that they love them and care
about them.
"Of the people who go through
rehabilitation and AA (Alcoholics
Anonymous), 80 percent will stay
sober. Without AA, 20 percent of
the people who go through rehabili
tation will stay sober. It won't work
if the support is taken away."
Help for alcoholics is available on
campus at the Student Health Serv
ice and Student Counseling Service,
and clinics such as Charter Northridge
Hospital.
Recovering Alcoholics Meet for
Supper (RAMS), the only AA group
that meets on campus, is a support
group of students who have alcohol
problems or just want to learn more
about alcoholism. Meetings are at 5:30
Wednesdays in Chase Hall. . .
Drinking
by ALISA DeMAO
m
ost people connect al
cohol with good times:
friends, parties and fun.
But for some on this campus, drink
ing is no longer a laughing matter.
While losing coordination and the
ability to speak and think clearly
may be funny at a party, for victims
of an assault, whether sexual or
physical, they are a nightmare.
, The effects of being drunk make
you vulnerable. And making your
self vulnerable is opening yourself
up to attack. That's the bottom line.
And the effects of assault stay with
you forever.
ALCOHOL AND ASSAULT:
THE HIDDEN CONNECTION
According to Sergeant Ned
Comar of University police, alco
hol is involved in 80 percent, if
not more, of the assaults on cam
pus. This includes all attacks
not just sexual.
In the category of sexual assaults,
the correlation with alcohol is even
more obvious. According to Kath
erine Ben2aquin, associate dean of
students, almost every rape or sex
ual assault that takes place on the
UNC campus involves alcohol.
Peggy Norton of Women's Health
at Student Health Service states
that in the past eight years, she has
known of only one-rape in which
neither party had been drinking.
These local statistics agree with
national studies. A mid-i980's MS
magazine survey, given to 6100
undergraduates at 32 universities
and colleges across the country,
revealed that 75 percent of the men
and 55 percent of the women in
volved in date or acquaintance rape
were taking drugs or drinking prior
to the assault.
The frequency of these sexual
assaults is much higher than most
people realize assault survivors
are not a trace minority. In a 1983
nationwide study, 27 percent of
women in college said they had
experienced an actual or an at
tempted sexual assault at sometime
since reaching the age of 14- Ac
cording to the Orange County Rape
Crisis Center, Chapel Hill has an
even higher statistic in a 1986
study, 30 percent of the women at
UNC said they had experienced
an actual or an attempted sexual
breeds dangerous encounters
assault while at the University.
Another misconception concern
ing physical and sexual assaults on
campus is where they take place
the Arboretum, the Morehead Build
ing and the Big Woods are not the
worst spots. On campus, the most
dangerous areas are within 300 feet
of Greenlaw, the Forest Theatre and ;
just south of the Bell Tower.
The most frequent site of sexual
assaults, however, is in the home.
Forty-one percent of the cases re
ported to the Rape Crisis Center
during the period 1986-1988 occurred
in the home and Benzaquin says
this figure is consistent with findings
that the majority of assaults on col
lege campuses occur in dorm rooms
or students' apartments.
LEQAL RECOURSES
There is a recurrent rumor that a
person who is raped or sexually as
saulted while drunk has no legal re
course. This is not true. Perpetrators
of assault are equally guilty if the
victim is drunk or sober..
North Carolina law provides for
instances in which the sexual assault
victim is either "mentally incapaci
tated" (knocked unconscious or de
liberately drugged) or "physically
helpless" (drunk). Physically helpless
includes passed-out drunk, being
physically unable to resist intercourse
(or any other sexual act), or inability
to communicate unwillingness to
submit to Such acts.
Under N.C law, a person is guilty
of second-degree rape if that person
has vaginal intercourse with some
one who is mentally incapacitated
or physically helpless when the per
petrator knows or should "reasona
bly" know that the other is in such a
state. The maximum sentence for this
offense is 40 years in prison.
N.C law also punishes "sexual acts"
(oral or anal intercourse, or genital
or anal penetration by any obj ect,
including parts of the body). As in
the case of vaginal intercourse, the
perpetrator of a sexual act can face a
40-year sentence for second-degree
sexual offense if the victim is physi
cally helpless and the perpetrator
knows or should "reasonably" know
that the other is in such a state.
Many women are afraid that if
they have had an intimate relation
ship with the ir attacker at any time,
their consent is automatically implied.
In a note to this section of the law, a :
case is cited giving a precedent for
withdrawal of consent. Even in situ
ations in which there is evidence of
more than one act of intercourse
between the two parties, consent cam
be withdrawn.
Even if the attempt at rape or sex
ual offense is not completed, it is
still punishable by up to 20 years
imprisonment, .
THE HONOR CODE
The honor court can also be used
by rape and sexual assault survivors
to confront their attackers, includ-
1 1(0)1 L I) 4 l
ing cases in which the victims were
intoxicated. Student Congress and
the Faculty Council recently approved
amendments to The Instrument of
Student Judicial Governance concern
ing sexual assault, including those
assaults that involve alcohol. These
amendments became effective as of
July 1, 1989.
It is now an Honor Code viola
tion to "knowingly engageing in
sexual intercourse with or inflictingj
other sexual invasion upon any per
son without that person's consent."
The definition of "without.consent,"
as well as including the use or threat
of force, also applies if the person is
unconscious or doesn't have the capac
ity to consent (is drunk).
Sexual assault survivors can also
protect their privacy. Although open
hearings can be held in the honor
court at the written request of the
defendant, in a case involving a sex
ual offense the hearing may be kept
closed if the victim submits a written
request for a closed hearing.
For confidential assistance and
information about other University ;
and community resources, assault
survivors can call 966-4041 or go to
the Office of the Dean of Students
in the basement of Steele Building.
ASSISTANCE
TO RAPE VICTIMS
For those who suffer a sexual as
sault, treatment is vital. The emer
gency rooms at both North Carolina
Memorial Hospital and Student
Health Service (SHS) are equipped
to assist a rape or sexual assault sur
vivor. Treatment includes a "morning-after"
pill if the woman is not on
birth control, and Oxycycline to
combat chlamydia and gonorrhea.
CONTINUED
Blood work is done a couple of weeks
later to insure that there has been
no disease transmission.
Both facilities can assist in the
collection of physical evidence from
the victim as well. While that does
not commit a person to pursue legal
action, it does provide for the op
tion at a later date. It is important
for a victim neither to bathe nor
change clothes before receiving
medical help, as doing so could de
stroy valuable physical evidence.
If the survivor does not wish to
prosecute in court, filing a "blind
report" with the police and the Rape
Crisis Center is another option. This
protects a victim's anonymity and
helps the police protect other pos
sible victims.
Emotional assistance is also avail
able. Deedee Laurilliard of Student
Psychological Services (SPS) says
that survivors will often come in
months or even years after the as
sault, which may have occurred in
high school or earlier in college
many have only just become aware
of resources available to them.
The confidential nature of ther
apy sessions, is stressed survivors
are not required to report the inci
dent to either the police oi the dean
of students if they come for assis
tance. No information concerning
the sessions can be released with
out the person's written permission.
The information does not become
part of the victim's permanent col
lege record. Reports are not given
to parents, college authorities or
potential employers without the
knowledge and written authoriza
tion of the survivor.
Student Psychological Services is
located inside the SHS building.
Appointments can be made in ad
vance by calling 966-3658. It is
possible to call and arrange to be
seen during a walk-in hour if the
need is urgent. In an emergency
someone can go any time - hours
are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Another facility, one that often
works with the first two is the Or
ange County Rape Crisis Center.
"People who have been sexually
assaulted have lived through trau
matic, even life-threatening expe
riences; they are survivors, not vic
tims" says one Center pamphlet.
Rape and sexual assault survivors
can call Rape Crisis Center Volun
teers 24 hours a day at 967-7273 or
732-2796. The calls are free and
confidential.
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