“One In 11 Social Drinkers In U.S. Becomes Alcoholic”

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31079, 7 June 1966, Page 9

“One In 11 Social Drinkers In U.S. Becomes Alcoholic”

Today one in 11 social drinkers in the United States became an alcoholic, compared with one in 22, 18 years ago, Mr H. Hill, associate secretary of the International Commission On the Prevention of Alcoholism, said

in Christchurch. The United States was losing the cream of its intellectual, business, and technical talent through alcoholism, because such people were susseptible to the greatest pressures to drink, Mr Hill said. Mr Hill is visiting New Zealand after lecturing at seminars on alcoholism at Queensland University, and Port Moresby. Growing Problem

There was a growing worldwide interest in alcoholism because the problem had grown so big that people were forced to do something about it. Mr Hill predicted a great increase in alcoholism in Australia over the next five to eight years, although at present it was a country which had a high consumption of alcohol coupled with a low rate of alcoholism.

The problem of alcoholism had been changed greatly over the last 100 to 150 years through the factors of mass production, mass distribution, and mass promotion. The role of alcohol had basically been changed from that of a beverage to a means of having fun. Thus the drinking patterns of today were much less natural than they used to be and much more created through commerce. A Disease

Alcoholism was a disease of which anyone was suceptible, Mr Hill said. No-one could point a finger at

another person and label them “a potential alcoholic” because anyone who drank enough alcohol for long enough would - become an alcoholic. That did not mean that averyone became an alcoholic, because the amount and time factors differed from person to person, and often a person’s life span ended before he could become an alcoholic. There were many people who were “just drunks” and never alcoholics. Between 60 and 70 per cent of alcoholics were ordinary people without problems which would turn them to drink. Alcohol was an addictionproducing substance, working in the same manner as other substances such as morphine, but differing in that the addiction-producing dosage was not known. Alcoholism had a long Incubation period and included, three stages habit, habituation including the acquiring of a psychological dependence, and addiction, which included a tissue tolerance of alcohol and was marked by symptoms of withdrawal. The time taken to become an alcoholic was not known with certianty, but appeared to be from three to 10 years for women, and seven to 15 years for men. Co-ordinating Function

The function of the Commission was to coordinate resources in the fields of people associated with the problem ■— medical, educational, clerical, government and those in social work, Mr Hill said. Its function was educational, not that of propaganda. It sought to throw the spot-light of science on the problem, and leave conclusions to the individual. The commission sought to

broaden the prospect of public education, so that people would become more aware of the risks they would be taking when drinking. The positive results of such a policy of public education were to be seen in France, country to be lowering its which was the only European death-rate from alcoholism. Since 1954 an intense publicity campaign had been carried on, and the death-rate from alcoholism had dropped by 25 per cent, Mr Hill said.

Residents Federation Officers

(N.Z. Press Association) TIMARU, June 6.

The following officers were elected at the New Zealand Federtaion of Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association conference:—

President, Mr O. H. Wilton (Hamilton); vice-presidents, senior, Mr Rosanowski (Timaru), junior, Mr J. C. H. Kitching (Auckland); secretary, Mr Kitching; treasurer, Mrs P. Baker (Auckland); auditor, Mr J. S. Wilkins. Executive: Messrs B. O. Bell (Dunedin) Wilkins, Smith, J. J. Knox (Auckland), W. Dean (Waiheke), N. Alford (Napier), D. Guyton (Christchurch), J. Fittes (Waihi), J. Longstaff (Dunedin).