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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 1973)
Wednesday, August 8, 1973 College Station, Texas Page 15 THE BATTALION Alcohol, Drugs *By this time nearly every citi zen of the state is familiar with the problem of drug abuse and the effect that it has on them, their families and associates. However, the Texas Pharmaceu tical Association is working on a specialized area of the problem that few people ever thought about or even realized existed. The potentially lethal interaction of alcohol and other drugs is a facet of drug abuse that is wide ly misunderstood and not gener ally recognized. “There are two important con siderations to this unique area of the drug abuse problem,” says Paul F. Davis, a pharmacist and Director of Public Affairs of the Association, “in that the public as a whole generally does not think of alcohol as being a drug, and that they are lax in their concern for mixing this drug with other drugs.” Thus, the situation is an ob vious area that should not exist, but which annually leads to an untold number of deaths and near-fatal reactions that could be avoided. The interaction of alcohol with sedatives (sleeping pills) is of course fairly well recognized. You frequently hear of suicides and attempted suicides via this route. The question can always be raised though as to how many of these are intentional versus the number of merely accidental overdoses. The most serious interactions though are the ones that do not necessarily result in death. Those that cause loss of consciousness, decreased coordination and blurred vision may be a signifi cant cause of injury through auto accidents, and accidents in the home or while at work. To understand the problem we need to realize that the consump tion of alcoholic beverages is far more prevalent than most people realize. To place this problem in a better perspective it is worth while to make note of the extent of alcoholic consumption in the United States today. Seventy-one percent of the age group between 21 and 29 drink; of the age group between 30 and 49, 76 percent drink; and of the persons aged 50 and over, 61 percent drink. By economic distribution, 86 percent of the affluent drink, 66 percent of the average income group drink, while only 54 percent of the lower income group drink. The amount of alcohol con sumed by the American public is even more alarming. Per capita consumption for each individual over the age of 15 is currently at the amazing annual rate of 2.4 gallons of pure (lOO'X) al cohol. To add weight to the problem, in an analysis of the National Prescription Audit for 1971 pre pared by the R. A. Gosselin Com pany, one would find that ap proximately 25 f / ( of all prescrip tions contained substances which can and do interact when com bined with alcohol. Additionally, of the top 100 most commonly prescribed drugs in 1971, over 50'/r contained at least one in gredient that has been document ed to interact with alcohol. To further complicate the problem many of the relatively “safe” over-the-counter drugs (those available without a prescription) have ingredients which can inter act with alcohol. So, what is there to do? First, in cooperation with the Texas Commission on Alcoholism, the Texas Pharmaceutical Associ ation has developed brochures, posters and public service an nouncements to call the public’s attention to this most important area. Secondly, the Association says everyone should follow’ some gen eral “common sense” rules: —If possible, always avoid tak ing any kind of medication or drug before, after or while drink ing an alcoholic beverage. —If you must take medica tions, always check with your pharmacist or physician before drinking. Many drugs do not interact wdth alcohol and you can feel perfectly safe in combining the two. —Never underestimate the po tency of non-prescription medi cations. Never combine them It's Something Different" PEANUT GALLERY Dance — Wednesday & Friday Nights Featuring Danny Keetch, Disc Jockey & Scotty Price on Drums Serving Beer, Wine, & Mixed Drinks 813 Old College Road 846-9978 Krueger-Dunn Dini Mon. - Sun. Dinner Supper 11-1:15 Bring The Fam^y, Eating Out Is Ft “QUALITY FIRST”' Dangers Noted with alcohol or exceed the recom mended dosage without consent of your doctor. —Never take sleeping pills while intoxicated. (This is re ported to have been the cause of several untimely deaths. While intoxicated, individuals occasion ally forget if they have taken sleeping medication and can eas ily repeat the dosage ultimately resulting in death or severe coma.) As part of the grant, the As sociation has developed a slide- tape presentation which is avail able through the local pharma ceutical association. Persons de- si r i n g additional information should contact their pharmacist or the Texas Pharmaceutical As sociation (Post Office Box 4487, Austin, Texas 78765). * Statistics and data provided by the Texas Commission on Alco holism, 809 Sam Houston State Office Building, Austin, Texas 78701; and Dr. Victor A. Yan- chick, Associate Professor of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin. Food Situation In Uncertain State Welcome Coeds! Are you a college woman that wants to create an impression — on all those male minds Come see the styles that will knock their eyes out - at a little shop that has YOU AT HEART! Come In We Want To Meet “The overall food situation is currently in a state of uncertain ty,” Mrs. Gwendolyne Clyatt said this week. “Under Phase IV controls, a more normal marketing pattern of fresh fruits and vegetables is expected,” according to the con- sumer marketing information specialist, A&M’s Texas Agricul tural Extension Service. “However, ‘demand exceeds supply’ is showing up on many commodity market reports. This will undoubtedly result in contin ued higher prices. “It’s most difficult to forecast fruit and vegetable supply-price situations at this time, but con sumers still can buy wisely if they watch for locally grown and nearby produce, make their own selections and take the best pos sible care of the items when they get home with them,” she said. Seasonal items include canta loupes, peaches, nectarines, seed less white grapes, cherries, plums and pineapples. Also cucumbers, corn-on-the- cob, blackeye and purple hull peas, carrots and okra. “There is little promotional in terest in the fryer market this week. However, turkey is a good protein choice to look for. Tur key parts and turkey rolls may be good values, too. “Consumers may find a few featured items at the meat coun ter, but supplies are “guestimat- ed’ to be less than usual, because demands continue strong. “Shoppers can help ease the situation by using more meat al ternates, such as dry beans, dry peas and peanut butter,” the spe cialist concluded. It's a Great Year for the Aggies! SALES DEPT. SERVICE DEPT. YOU! The Clothes Horse 3801 E. 29th. Jr. Shop 846-2940 Bryan Insurance Rate Increase Seen Monday - Friday 8:30 a. m. - 7:00 p. m. Saturday 9:00 a. m. - 6:00 p. m. Monday - Friday 7:00 a. m. - 6:00 p. m. Parts Dept. Open Saturday Till 1 p. m. An increase in some workmen’s compensation insurance rates is due under a new law increasing benefits for those injured or killed in job accidents. An average 19.5 per cent hike in the rates employers must pay for the coverage is anticipated under a State Insurance Board staff proposal, which would be come effective if approved be tween September 1 and Septem ber 15. Rates would have gone up 22.8 per cent in the absence of the federal anti-inflation program, a Board actuary indicated. Under new law effective Sep tember, an injured worker can get up to a maximum of $63 a week in benefits, an increase from the present $49 top. SALES • SERVICE • PARTS SCHWARTZKOPF, INC. Pontiac - Buick - GMC 601 Texas Ave. — Bryan 823-8044 Take three extra minutes when you arrive Enroll In Texas A&M's Student Insurance Plan Insurance may be something you haven’t thought much about. But maybe you should . . . just in case! It’s like preparing for an exam. You can’t always anticipate all the questions, so you ‘cram’ as much as possible, just in case you need the informa tion. Insurance works the same way. You can’t anticipate a broken bone or mono or appendicitis. And you hope they don’t happen. But you can plan ahead for the expenses that accompany such a sickness or accident . . . just in case! That’s the whole idea behind your University’s student insurance program. To make sure sudden and unan ticipated medical expenses don’t disrupt your studies or col lege budget. That’s why your Student Senate carefully selected Texas A&M's new plan. Underwritten by Mutual of Omaha, it pro vides hospital-surgical protection for all sorts of sickness and accidents. Plus benefits for doctor’s calls, X-rays, ambulance and miscellaneous benefits. Beginning August 15th, right on through to August 15th of next summer. We want you to enjoy the excitement of your University years without the worries of doctor and hospital bills. That’s our job. For your convenience, we’ll be in the Memorial Student Cen ter the first couple of weeks of school. Stop by and see us. See us in the M.S.C. Texas A&M Insurance Plan Is Underwritten by Your Mutual of Omaha Representative At A&M Mutual ^Omaha.xL/ The people who pay... MUTUAL OF OMAHA INSURANCE • HOME OFFICE — OMAHA, NEBRASKA R. M. JACKSON AGENCY Mutual of Omaha 308 East 27th Street at Texas P.0. Box 3849 Bryan, Texas 77801 Phone 822 1321