The Mail-Journal, Volume 20, Number 50, Milford, Kosciusko County, 28 December 1983 — Page 6

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the MAIL-JOURNAL - Wed.. December 28.1983

Community Corner

The other side of tragedy

(Editor's no to: Kon Gotnor is prosontly sorting a six yoar sontonco with tho Indiana Dopartmont of Corroctions for a socond alcohol rolatod offonso. Tho following is his story.) Drunken drivers are killing people, ruining lives and destroying property. Are these blatant criminal acts, or are they tragic accidents which are perpetrated by a person who is mentally, physically and spiritually sick? The knee-jerk response, by many people, would be the first of these two. I think it’s time to examine this subject in a mature and rational way. I am currently serving a six year sentence for my second alcohol related offense, the first of which caused the deaths of two persons. This was in 1974 and I was driving my automobile while under the influence of alcohol. After the accident, I began to feel that I was different from other people. After all, many people drink alcohol and seem to handle it. However, with me this is not true. Alcohol changes and controls me. I realized these things, but refused to consider myself an “alcoholic” because of the stigma which surrounds the term. In time I rationalized away my alcohol problem by deciding that I could be like other people who are able to handle alcohol normally. I convinced myself that I had simply been “unlucky”; I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was sadly mistaken, After 10 years, two incarcerations, a lot of soul searching and treatment obtained before incarceration, I’ve come to realize some things about myself. One thing of which I am certain is that I am alcoholic. Because of having served time, I’ve come to realize that placing a person who is alcoholic, though guilty of crimes against society, in a standard prison will not solve the problem. Incarceration is presently society’s accepted form of dealing with the problem, but it fails because it only attacks one of the symptoms. Standard prisons are designed for simple detention and deprivation. Some, but not all of the offending parties, are removed from society for a period of time and then returned. There is very little in the form of rehabilitation which occurs in today’s prisons, according to my own personal experience. When an untreated alcoholic is released from prison, he is not better than he was before the sentence, and often worse — alcoholism is a progressive illness. W* Coter For All Occasions Largo Or Small Call Unde Creme 219-141-5335 Or Fran Costetter 219-125-9132

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Alcoholism is a disease on the personal level, and a major public health problem for the nation. Some of the symptoms of the disease include drunken driving, loss of employment, loss of family, deterioration of health, committing crimes and often the death of the alcoholic as well as innocent people who unluckily encounter this sick individual. Alcoholism is progressive, chronic, incidious, debilitating and often fatal, but it can be treated. Alcoholism has been recognized by the American Medical Association, since 1955, as a disease. If the problem of drunken driving is to be solved, the American society must also accept this perplexing malady as a treatable illness. Citizen groups like MADD are important because they make the public aware of the problem by dramatizing the emotional issues. They have also been effective in helping to create tougher laws to deal with the offenders. However, most of these efforts, while having some immediate and well publicized results, are still dealing with symptoms. They are not getting at the root of the problem. Furthermore, some of these activities instill hatred and lessen understanding which may deter afflicted persons from identifying themselves as alcoholic and seeking needed treatment. I do not wish to be interpreted as seeking a “soft” treatment for drunken drivers. Persons who commit crimes while driving under the influence require and deserve appropriate sanctions, not excluding imprisonment; but I feel that such sanctions should be geared toward treatment of the alcoholic problem. If imprisonment is determined to be necessary in certain cases, then the offenders need to be placed in special facilities which provide intense and effective treatment programs. These facilities could be located in isolated areas of existing prisons where the alcoholic offender would be separated from the general prison population and kept together with other offenders with his/her same general problem; addiction to chemicals. This section should be staffed by psychologists, alcoholism counselors, a medical staff and technicians trained in the field of alcoholism/addiction as well as custody staff (guards). Programs should be set up and followed for each offender. In my personal experience within the prison system, alcoholic offenders are placed in the general prison population where they associate with criminally oriented persons. There is very little, if any, in the way of theraputic programs. Upon release from prison, these sick individuals not only must continue to face the stigma of being alcoholic, they must also deal

with being an “ex-con.” To the untreated alcoholic, this can result in more severe alcoholic behavior. The prison treatment program which I am suggesting should not simply end with the offenders’ release from prison. Upon release, after serving the standard sentence, the parolee should be closely supervised, at his own expense, for a reasonable period of time, say five years or more. This aftercare program should include frequent chemical testing to assure abstention. The subject should also be urged, if not required, to participate in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous. If a death is involved, the offender/parolee should be required to meet the victim’s family, if the family finds such a meeting acceptable. Also, the offender/parolee should reimburse the family for all hospital, funeral, etc., costs. This should be done in payments upon the parolee’s securing of employment. No driver’s license, or a restricted license only, should be issued during the period of parole. We live in a society where there are automobiles, which are potentially dangerous themselves. In our society there is also ethyl alcohol, a psychoactive chemical substance which if it were discovered today would be classified as a class A controlled substance, available only with a perscription. As it is, alcohol is widely available as a recreational beverage on almost every street corner as well as in a majority of American homes. Furthermore, its use and potential abuse is encouraged, if not promoted, on television, radio and other media. No one, including an alcoholic, wants to hurt or kill people while driving drunk. But as long as institutionalized alcoholism (weekend overindulgence, etc.) which pass for for social drinking is condoned, there will be problems. Until society’s attitudes are shifted away from the present condition, towards attitudes which deal with the cause of the problem, rather than the symptoms, the problem will continue to exist. Tougher laws will remove some of the offenders for a period of time and, statistically, the problem may appear to improve. But, without getting tough on the real cause of the problem, new offenders will appear every day. This is especially true of young people who are particularly influenced by the ad media, peer pressure and prevailing social customs. This is without mentioning prior offenders who will be returned to society. Finally, there are millions of otherwise law-abiding American citizens who have, or will, drive while under the influence of alcohol. That amounts to a lot of potential criminals. Most, if not all people who drink have driven when they legally shouldn’t have. This does not make it “okay,” but it says something. I am a killer. I am an alcoholic. I have spent several years in prison for alcohol related crimes. Therefore I feel well qualified to have spoken about the subject of alcoholism and crimes stemming from chemical abuse. It is because of treatment and personal experience in Alcoholics Anonymous that I am on the road to recovery. Because of these things, and the grace of God, I pray that that road will not lead to further pain and death at my hands. I have shared this persona) experience in the hope that society will recognize the other side of this troubling national tragedy and accept its responsibility by getting tough on the real cause instead of just treating the symptoms and feeling hatred. Right! The chief trouble with this country is too darned many legal ways to steal. - Constitution, Atlanta, Ga. Good substitute There is no wholly satisfactory substitute for brains, but silence does pretty well.

- Missile, Red Bank, N.J.

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Emergency loans available The Farmers Home Administration will resume making economic emergency loans by the beginning of next year, according to FmHA County Supervisor R. Greg Smith. “Economic Emergency loans are designed for farmers who are in a cost-price squeeze or face other financial difficulties beyond their control,” Smith said. “In other words, the loans are for a financial emergency rather than a natural disaster, such as a drought or flood.” The economic emergency or “EE” program was in operation from 1978-1981. The program expired in 1981 but was later reauthorized by Congress. It is being reopened under an order by the United States District Court in Washington, D.C. “Under the program, loans will be available to farmers who are suffering an economic emergency through no fault of their own. They must show that they have tried unsuccessfully to get a loan from another source before coming to FmHA and that they can repay the loan over a period of time, depending on the use of the funds. The funds can be used to finance debts and related uses,” Smith continued. The interest rate for direct loans fluctuates with the governmental cost of borrowing money. The interest rates for guaranteed loans, which are made by commercial lenders and backed by the government, are negotiated between the borrower and the lender. Applications for economic emergency loans will be available at the FmHA county offices located at 305 E. Gilliam Dr., Warsaw, and 1091 Central Ave., Central Shopping Plaza, Wabash; or by phone.

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Courage: Not always visible

By CATHY BRILL Staff Writer Despite her recent experiences, Penny Hill seems like any other 23 year old as she sits on the edge of a living room chair, eager to explain what has happened to her. Unlike most of her peers, however, Penny has experienced fears and concerns beyond her years. Penny, a Warsaw native, discovered there was something wrong when she was 15 years old. She had worn glasses and had an astigmatism, but this was different. She had noticed doubling vision which prompted her mother, Anna Clay, to take her to their family eye doctor. He diagnosed her condition as Keratonconus and recommended she see a specialist in Goshen. His diagnosis was supported by the specialist who felt surgery would be necessary, but not until she was in her 40’s. She then returned to her own eye doctor for treatment who corrected the condition to the best of his ability. Unfortunately an inflammation in the eye area accelerated her condition and surgery became necessary much sooner than predicted. Her optometrist refered her to an eye surgeon in Warsaw, who later performed the needed surgery at Kosciusko Community Hospital. Keratoconus is a rare condition in which a conic protrusion develops on the front of the eye ball. The growth can be slowed by wearing contact lenses, but surgery is usually required. The surgical procedure required is a corneal transplant. The surgery, a highly specialized eye operation, involves removing scarred opaque tissue from the growth area and replacing the tissue with an identical patch t of transparent cornea. The wedges of cornea are removed from donor eves which are

HL jH I PENNY HILL received at eye banks. The tissue grafts are then held in place by proper dressings until suitable healing has occurred in order to permit satisfactory vision. The acceptance rate is excellent and has been compared to the results of heart and kidney transplants. The operation’s success is subject to three main conditions: that it is not attempted in a subject who has had corneal opacity since birth; that the entire cornea is not opaque; and that it is not used when other eye diseases are present. Penny had known for some time that surgery would be necessary immediately when a donor became available, but when the phone rang at Center Quick Service, her employer, she was shaken. “I panicked,” she recalls. Penny does not remember a great deal about the time before her surgery. She was frightened and felt more secure not quite knowing. Says Penny, “When they told me I had an eye disease, 1 blocked it out. My mom’s the one who went to the library and looked it up, found out what it was. I didn’t even want to deal with it.”

Penny, in the words of her surgeon, tolerated the procedure well. After her three-hour surgery, she was hospitalized for two days and now returns for regular post operative checks. She excitedly explained, “I have to go tomorrow just to make sure (there are no complications). 1 think he’ll cut it back down now to just about a month between visits.” Despite the fact that two other eye diseases have been diagnosed in family members, Penny is hopeful. “It seems to run in the family, but we’re not sure it’s hereditary,” she said. Os her future she is also hopeful. “I’m looking forward to it. When you look at a bright color like red without this contact on, it doesn’t look red with this eye (Her left, which will require the same surgery next year). With this eye (her right), it’s red. You can see textures in it, it’s really kind of neat.” Penny does not offer any advice, but adds this request: “I’d like to see more young people donate their corneas because its rough to get a young cornea. Most kids don’t think about it. They think, I’m going to live forever and that doesn’t always happen. I’ve been helped out quite a bit, I’m 20/30 now, I was 20/200. I was off the scale, but because of the cornea I can see a lot better. Its not completely healed yet, but I’m 20/30 now and I think that’s great.” Courage is not always visible, but it is indeed present in Penny Hill. Synthetic sweeteners The American sweet tooth is nipping less at sugar and turning more to aspartame, a super-sweet synthetic sweetener that is gaining rapidly in the diet drink industry, the Agriculture Department said recently.