Page 3
Thursday • March 6, 1997
Compulsive habits may lead gamblers into despair, financial woes
he Battalion
senior en-
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playing at Fitzwi I ly’s at 9:30 p.m.
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Saturday
BigApple Trio, a jazz band from
Bryan-College Station, is playing at
Sweet Eugene’s House of Java at
9:30 p.m.
Brewer & Shipley, a folk
nd, is playing with the Wood-
es.arock band from Bryan-Col-
egeStation, at Dixie Theatre at
fffcp.m.
Cloud Six, a rock cover band
om Houston, is playing at
Itelsea Street Pub and Grill at
p.m.
Old Army, a classic rock/coun-
ryband, is playing at Fitzwilly’s at
1:30 p.m.
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L iving with a compulsive
gambler can be compared
to being in a room with an
invisible elephant, according to
former gambler Rocky M.
“It is difficult for others to put
their finger on what is wrong,”
Rocky said. “With alcoholics, it is
easy to tell.”
Compulsive gambling, like al
coholism, is a progressive illness.
Compulsive gamblers start out
with small bets but gradually can
build up to bets of $2,000 to $3,000
dollars. However, in accordance
with the “invisible elephant” theo
ry, the indicators of a gambling
problem are hard to detect.
“Your boyfriend could go to
the dorm room across the hall,
lay down a $2,000 bet in 15 sec
onds, and you would never be the
wiser,” Rocky said.
In time, compulsive gamblers af
fect everyone around them. They
borrow money, steal and lie to pay
off debts and cover their trail.
Shari R., coordinator of the
Problem Gamblers’ HelpLine of
Texas, said compulsive gamblers’
money problems affect their
work, school, family and friends.
“Money is the vehicle in which
to gamble,” Shari said. “Gamblers
will do anything to reach the high
brought about by gambling. They
will lie and steal from family
members to get money.”
Friends and family can help
compulsive gamblers, but only if
the gambler is ready to accept help.
“It takes hitting a low to realize
you have a problem,” Shari said.
“Some never realize it until they
have lost everything — their fam
ily, jobs and friends.”
Rocky said one should never lend
money to compulsive gamblers.
“They will lie and tell you their
bookie is going to hunt them down
if they can’t pay him back,” he said,
“but they really just think they’re
one bet away from the ‘big win’.”
Rocky and Shari agreed the
best way for a compulsive gam
bler to get help is to go to Gam
blers Anonymous.
Story by Karen Janes
Graphics by Stew Milne and
James Vineyard
“Compulsive gamblers need
group support,” Rocky said.
“Only a compulsive gambler
knows what another compulsive
gambler goes through. GA is
made up of men and women who
have ‘been there, done that.’”
Compulsive gambling affects all
kinds of people. Race, age and class
status are irrelevant, Shari said.
Despite this, Rocky said a
common trait among compulsive
gamblers is a higher-than-aver-
age intellect.
“An ego trip is involved,
an T can beat the system’
attitude,” he said.
Insecurity and low self-es
teem also contribute to compul
sive gambling.
“I was never very athletic,”
Rocky said. “I used to sit around
with my jock frat friends and try to
be the big shot by betting $500
while the other guys only bet $50.”
Rocky’s problem was sports
betting in college. Shari said
sports betting, playing the lottery
and casino gambling are among
the most popular forms of gam
bling for Texans aged 18-25.
Kelli Garrett, a junior psychol
ogy major, said she prefers casi
no gambling.
“My dad first took
me to Shreveport
for my 21st
birthday,”
Garrett said.
“I liked craps and roulette.”
Though Garrett said she does
not have a problem with gam
bling, there are young adults in
Texas who are addicted.
“There has been a huge in
crease in the number of young
compulsive gamblers,” Rocky
said. “We are seeing more and
more college and high school
kids at Gamblers Anonymous.”
The risk factor and anticipa
tion involved in gambling draws
teenagers and college students
to it.
“I like gambling because you
never know what’s going to hap
pen next,” Garrett said.
People with extreme gam
bling problems tend to live in a
“dream world” where they bene
fit from gambling.
“In the dream world, gamblers
win back everything and make it
all right,” Shari said. “Their think
ing is irrational — it’s a total fan
tasy world.”
Rocky said compulsive gam
blers create the dream world be
cause reality is painful.
“You use the dream world to
escape the reality of your life,” he
said. “You have this vision of pro
viding gifts for all your friends
and becoming a billionaire. It is
total insanity and is what keeps
people coming back.”
U2 / s latest effort is captivating, unique
By Michael Landauer
The Battalion
T his time of year brings with it baseball’s
spring training and a host of comeback
stories. Aging superstars shake the rust off
their bats and try to prove they still have what it
takes to make it through the long hot summer.
The music world is not too different. Every
spring, some perennial powerhouse starts to
shake the dust off its music and get ready to hit
the road with a massive summer tour. Step one:
Release an album with mass appeal.
U2 is this spring’s rock-n-roll comeback story.
After striking out with Zooropa, the first (and
hastily thrown together) album of a megadeal
with Island Records, U2 has spent more time and
energy trying to create something substantial.
The group’s efforts have cultivated Pop, an album
Pop
Island Records
★★★
(out of five)
that could be a young star’s claim to fame, but
has a lot to live up to given U2’s history.
Ten years ago, The Joshua Tree defined U2
and the rock ’ri roll of the ’80s. But Pop is an al
bum that has been defined by the rock of the
’90s. It’s full-sounding, psuedo-techno rhythms
are the result of more mixing and sampling than
most U2 fans ever thought possible from the
group. But it works.
Most of the tracks on Pop keep the lis
tener off-balance. With new sounds and
ever-changing beats, the songs captivate
and hold their audience.
A few songs have a steady rhythm that drives
them—and that will probably drive them up
the charts. “Discotheque,” “Do You Feel Loved”
and “Staring at the Sun” show the most potential
to win back mass audiences. Although it is a
slightly off-beat tune, “Wake Up Dead Man”
shows similar potential.
Driving, techno-rhythms aside, the album
marks the return of spiritualism to Bono’s writ
ing. Not since before War has God been men
tioned in so many U2 songs on one album, al
though U2 is definitely not returning to its
Christian roots. For example, in “Wake Up
Dead Man,” Bono sings, “I know you’re looking
out for us / But maybe your hands aren’t free.”
Another theme of the writing is Pop culture it
self. The remnants of Zoo TV and mega-fame
probably will always be part of what U2 has be
come. But “The Playboy Mansion” takes a slap at
OJ. Simpson, perfume commercials and big
brand names before offering imagery of a John
Lennon-like imaginary world without such things.
Coming on the heels of Zooropa, U2 can
probably do no harm in the eyes of its adoring
public. For the less consistent U2 fans, Pop may
provide the musical spring training comeback
story of the year. It already seems clear that the
group will pack stadiums with its tour, but a lot
depends on the reaction of mass audiences to
this solid album before they can tell if it is a
home run or just an extra-base hit. To Joshua
Tree fans it will be one thing; to U2 fans, it will be
another. But to the group itself, Pop is just an
other unique stop on its musical journey.
The Texas A&M University Student Publications Board
is accepting applications for
The Battalion The Battalion
(including new media products)
Fall 1997
(including new media products)
Summer 1 997
Qualifications for editor-in-chief of The Battalion are:
Be a Texas A&M student with a minimum 2.0 overall and major GPR at the time of appointment and
during the term of office;
Have at least one year experience in a responsible editorial position on The Battalion or comparable
student newspaper,
OR
Have at least one year editorial experience on a commercial newspaper,
OR
Have completed at least 1 2 hours journalism, including JOUR 203 and 303 (Media Writing I and II),
JOUR 301 (Mass Comm Law) and JOUR 304 (Editing for the Mass Media), or equivalent.
Aggieland
1998
Qualifications for editor of the Aggieland yearbook are:
Be a Texas A&M student with a minimum 2.0 overall and major GPR at the time of appointment and
during the term of office.
Have at least one year experience in a responsible position on the Aggieland or comparable college
yearbook.
Have demonstrated ability in writing through university coursework or equivalent experience.
Have completed or be registered in JOUR 210 (Graphics) or equivalent.
Application forms should be picked up and returned to Francia Cagle in the Student Publica
tions Manager's office, room 01 2 Reed McDonald Bldg. Deadline for submitting application:
5 p.m. Thursday, March 20, 1 997. Applicants for The Battalion editorships will be interviewed
during the Student Publications Board Meeting beginning at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, 1997.
Applicants for Aggieland editor will be interviewed during the Student Publications Board
Meeting beginning at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, 1 997.
wo, A&M IS an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. The Student Publications
9«S people from under-represented groups to apply.
is committed to increasing diversity and
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