Alcoholism commonly plagues students;
local programs offer counsel, treatment
By Kim Kalapus
Of Iha Kmorald
Drinking. ..loss- of
control. . .self-destructive,
behavior.. .guilt feelings —.
and then more drinking to quiet
the guilt. This is the insidious
daily cycle of those who suffer
from alcoholism.
It's an expensive, painful and
deadly disease; one from which
the career-bound college
population is not exempt.
Accurate figures on the scope
of the problem are hard to ob
tain because of its personal
nature and the variety of treat
ment options available, says
Jackie Shannon-Ney of Drinking
Decisions. Inc. But Shannon
Ney says the disease exists at
the University arid is .com
parable to problems at other
campuses throughout the
country.
, With drives such as National
Collegiate Alcohol Awareness
Week, which was sponsored in
part by Miller Beer a few weeks
ago. alcohol-related problems of
college students 'have been
brought to public attention.
School pressures, separation
from family and life in.an en
vironment that promotes
alcohol use can weaken a per
son who may already be prone
to alcohol abuse, Shannon-Ney
says.
Although many students
drink heavily in college and
don’t go on to become adult
alcoholics, some are driven to
the disease by personal factors
such as family history of
alcoholism, she says.
Sometimes friends encourage
alcoholics to go on denying
their problem, says Tod
Schneider, director of outpa
tient services for the Lane Coun
ty Council on Alcoholism.
For example, they might do
assignments or make excuses
for a friend who is often too
drunk to go to class, Schneider
says. But he says that helping
the alcoholic cover up the prob
lem only allows it to worsen. He
emphasizes the importance of
seeking professional help and
support rather than struggling
alone. . •
While the University has no
official program to aid
alcoholics, many agencies offer
a variety of services in Eugene.
Hroann Hailv FlTIPraiH
Resources are available for the
student who has accepted that
he or she has a problem.
Acceptance is the first step
and usually the most difficult,
Schneider says, adding that the
majority of alcoholics who
come to the LCCOA for treat
ment are referred to the agency
by a friend or family member '
After a preliminary meeting
with the reference person, the
LCCOA counselor meets with
the alcoholic and one or two
people who are close to him or
her. Once the alcoholic’s denial
of dependency ends, the severi
ty of his or her problem is
evaluated. The counselor then
refers the person to either the
council’s own inpatient or out
patient program or to another
community program.
LCCOA offers its own
residential treatment programs
as well as outpatient counseling
and group support sessions.
Fees for these services are based
on ability to pay. The council,
474 Willamette St., also pro
vides a 24-hour crisis line
(484-1712), community educa
tion and a consultation
program.
One non-profit treatment
center on LCCOA’s referral list
is Serenity Lane, near campus at
the intersection of 16th Avenue
and Patterson Street. John
Green, counselor and patient
coordinator for Serenity Lane,
estimates that University
students comprise about 7 to 10
percent of the center’s patients.
The center offers a 30-day in
patient program, including a
two- to 10-day withdrawal
period under a doctor’s care and
counseling and an 11-month
“aftercare” program.
The outpatient program con
sists of an evaluation followed
by 25 therapy sessions over a
five-week period. This ap
proach allows the patient to
continue functioning in the
community while still receiving
intense therapy, Green says.
“Our main focus is on group
therapy and helping people
gain tools to stay sober one day
at a time,” he says.
Serenity Lane’s fees range
from $1,700 for outpatient care
to $6,000 for inpatient services.
Major medical insurance com
panies will cover up to 80 per
cent of the fees, Green says.
Serenity Lane’s 24-hour phone
number is 687-1110.
Another nearby residential
center with similar services is
Buckley House,' Inc., 707 E.
17th (343-6512).
And treatment also can be
found at Drinking Decisions,
Inc., which offers three levels of
therapy: basic education,
counseling for people on the
verge of a drinking problem and
a six-month plan of intense help
for alcoholics. The programs
provide information and sup
port for problem and non
problem drinkers of all ages.
Shannon-Ney estimates that
University students make up
about 10 percent of the pro
gram’s participants. Drinking
DecisionSi 1188 Olive St.
(484-9274), offers advice to peo
ple who feel they have lost con
trol over their use of alcohol.
Alcoholics Anonymous,
the group-support-oriented,
worldwide organization, has no
scheduled meeting on campus
because earlier meetings drew
sparse attendance. However,
AA does meet at more than 50
other locations in the Eugene
area each week. A list of
meeting places may be obtained
by writing to the Emerald
Valley Intergroup Central Of
fice, 795 Willamette St.. 97401.
AA is a society dedicated to
helping alcoholics achieve
sobriety and has no member
ship fees. In addition to support
groups for alcoholics, AA spon
sors Al-Anon (741-2841), a sup
port group for friends and fami
ly of alcoholics.
A complete listing of agencies
and individuals working in the
field of substance abuse may be
obtained from the Chemical
People Task Force, 2055 Patter
son St. (342-4451.)
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