Fort Hays State University - Reveille Yearbook (Hays, KS)

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ntoxication by Alison Hall Eight thousand young people die yearly. That ' s one an hour, every hour, every day ’ say represen- tatives of Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD.) Drinking and driving is the number one cause of death among young adults, age 16-21. SADD promotes safe drinking, for example, contracts between parents and children? if the child gets drunk, he or she can call home for a ride, and the parents agree to not force discussion until the morning. On July 1 , 1982, the state of Kansas imposed harsher penalties on drunk drivers. If a person has a blood alcohol con- tent of one percent, they can be convicted of driv- ing under the influence (DU 1) Before sentencing, the driver must undergo alcohol tests at a facility like the Smoky Hill Foun- dation for chemical dependency. Dr. Dick Whittington, the executive director of the Smoky Hill Founda- tion, deals with people accused of DUI. They undergo tests to see if they are an alcoholic or an abusive social drinker. The abusive social drinker is sent to alcohol information school, while the alcoholic, depending on what stage they ' re in, receives in or out patient treatment. Some are sent for detoxication in a hospital, Whittington said. The number of college students receiving treat- ment at the foundation increases each year. We have an annual flow of 650 people; 100 of these are young adults. Many of them are here as a result of a court order, Whittington said. ’ They have been involved in a car accident. It is absolutely, by far the most abused drug. It is legal, accepted socially, and sold over the counter. If alcohol were discovered today, it would be considered a wonder drug. It ' d be classified as a class 2 narcotic, Whittington explained that alcoholism is genetic, Alcoholics are born with a predisposition, like diabetics. If they drink the problem appears. According to Whittington, the in- evitable raising of the drinking age to 21 will not decrease the number of young people he sees, Alcohol is always available, to anyone, I was raised in Oklahoma, the next to last dry state. Bootlegging cards were always around, Whit- tington said. Age doesn ' t make a dif- ference, A problem drinker has that problem at any age. In some states if a per- son is drunk as he or she leaves a party or bar, the host, hostess, or tavern owner is responsible for his or her actions, Whit- tington feels the ultimate responsibility lies with the drinker. When a person is convicted of DUI they are often resentful. I point out to them that both drinking and driving are privileges. They have a legitmate right to be punished. Their action put them here, Whittington said. When people drink and drive they ' re a menace. If you want to kill yourself, that ' s your business. It ' s not your right to take the lives of other. In Kansas, tavern owners are not responsi- ble for their customers ac- tions, Kevin Beokey, a D.J. ' s floorwalker, said, Once they leave, they ' re not our responsibility. If they ' re in an accident that ' s their business. Whittington stresses that a lot of young people think beer is not intox- icating. One can of beer contains the same amount of alcohol as one mixed drink or a five-ounce glass of wine. People don’t realize how much it af- fects them, Whittington said. Whittington believes Alcoholics Anonymous is the best long-term treat- ment for alcohol pro- blems. Twenty-five to 30 percent of the people that attend meetings at the Downtown Group are of college age. Ellis County Assistant District Judge Tom Scott agrees that alcohol is the most widely abused drug. I see more than enough teenageers on DUI charges. In nearly almost every case, I send them to an A. A. group, Scott said. If a person kills another person while intoxicated it is a type of manslaughter. It ' s called aggravated vehicular homicide, an unintentional killing is a class E felony, Scott said. The minimum panalty is one year in prison. The maximum is three to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. I saw a lot of repeaters before the law toughened, Scott also feels drink- ing is the responsibility of the drinker. A person has to answer for their own actions. Scott would like to see a program that returned irresponsible drinkers home safely after a night out on the town. Law enforcement officers would be happy to pro- vide a ride home to per- sons who feel they ' ve had too much to drink. On their off duty time police officers, firemen, and volunteers would provide their home numbers and be available to help out, Scott said. Ellis County has purchased a video camera to tape record possible DUI offenders while they are being ques- tioned. Most people are really em harassed, but it makes things so much clearer. It forces some people to plead guilty, Scott said. Bill Stark, Leavenworth graduate student, feels alcohol it too readily available to young people. Being in o cor with a drunk person driv- ing scares me to death, Stark said, Kids need to be educated about alcohol. But gore is not the way to go. Make them think about the possibilities of dying and don ' t let them forget about it. 20 DRUNK DRIVING

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HKI lUSRMItK ' I wtr m Sculptor Pete Felten carves images out of stone in a garage behind his home, Ninety percent of his work is done in limestone. Warm temperatures allow Felton to work outside the Stone Gallery on a larger piece of work. Feather, one of Felten’s cats, sits beside o sculpture that was made of his image. PETE FELTEN 19

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Stricter drunk driving laws and a raiie in the legal drinking age have been promoted to prevent alcohol-related accidents. Drinking and driving is the No. 1 cause of death among young adults. DRUNK DRIVING 21 Motity Deu !