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What Can, Should Be Done For County’s Alcoholics! unpleascnt experience" i alcohol is consumed. The offenders report to tl offices of the WCCA evei Monday to take a blood te which determines whethi ibuse regularly. ' novel. If the test shows they aren’t, they can be charged with violation of probation. tudy of the pro- j six had returned to drinking, persons had been The HSRI proposal recommends that the program be expanded to carry a caseload of about 700 persons a ; DUlLs, 370 D & D's and 7 other offenders. Through the years, observe ‘ d the Filkins, a number of aF •o .10, proaches to alcoholism hav n-tLy. __hcca .tried and failed. reduced it to .08; and he ciety, he ‘ adds: Heeds the recommends bringing it down courage, the generosity, ; " •C all "the willingness to experi- ■These p . potential killers,” "and they should be Antabuse Program. If approved, the county must apply for the federal funds by the end of February. The program would treat three types of law violations — driving while under the influence of liquor (DUIL), drunk and disorderly (D & D), and other alcohol-related they have recovered and can drive soberly." The Judge notes that “we can keep an offender off the road for two years through probation.” But it has been noted that in many American communities the chances of a psychologists, police, agencies. (Recommendation of Dr. Robert L. Hess, director of the U-M Highway Safety Research Institute.) —The adoption 1 services and its Antabuse ai research programs. (Dei Fedele F. Fauri of the U- n feder- ncluding case-finding, d nosis, prescription, treatn and follow-up and evalul all aimed at identifying keeping the drunk driver State Hospital to d hospital’s alcoholi drug addiction program. (Dr. ?. Dukay, medical the ci , lented recently to the • Board of Supervisors by Lyle D. Filkins of the HSRI) —Establishment of better rehabilitation facilities for alcoholics. (Psychiatrists Mel-" and Stuart Gould superintendent -Grants-’ SuptTVlsofs ielzer. Smith and Clay, the tork of the HSRI, Judge llden’s and the WCCA’s ..ntabuse Program, the 'psilanti active, grass-roots work of its ;lop the 12 AA groups-« „ a range of servii pies provided at Y State Hospital and otht alcoholics under that diagnosis may stem from the fact that, as Dr. Smith points out, “until recently. Blue Cross considered alcoholism to be a self-inflicted disease and did not cover the illness.” Thus doctors, for entirely humanitarian reasons, may have gotten into the habit of admitting alcoholics under another diagnosis so that they could qualify for benefits. Clyde Walker, manager of Cross-Blue Shield, says the On the desk in Judge Elden’s office in City Hall sits a plaque with the inscription: “Every story has three sides. Yours, mine and the facts.” The facts arc that in the 1968-69 fiscal year, 300 brought before the 15th District Court; about 95 per cent of them resulted, in convic- "limited.” adds: “Drunk drivers convicted, pay fines, get th back or . pension or revocation of a license does little good.” What is rather unusual Judge Eldcn’s court is cover hospital alcoholics under a section for “nervous and mental condi- The story is often the says Judge Elden—"But your Honor, I only had two beers." Elden calls it “The Two-Beer Syndrome,” but, he adds, “the Breathalizer test always gives them the lie.” The Breathalizer Is a sensitive machine which, when a man breathes into it, meas- the blood. “It convicted alcoholic offenders on his Antabuse Program. Either the offender asks the judge for treatment h s the jt i little But, s o r alcoholic ird to pay fo t doing the 4obf he thinks needs to be . And Dr. Howell, who ives that next to pollution tract docs not actually specify alcoholism — but it covers in-hospital care up to 30 days, wsWe—-again—-Sfter 00-;. Walker also said that Cross does not cancel an the: , “relatively fool-proof.” n a recording below .10, Jr.) unty’s —The development of "a meaningful alcoholism dto-gram” by the County Mental Health Board. (Bent Nielsen) a voluntary basis term drying-out pi Russell F. Smith Evelyn E. Kirsch, vention of alcoholism. (Dr. Margaret L. Clay, research psychologist, U-M Mental Health Research Institute) know enough to d a lot better than we ar doing.” Dr. Smith maintains tha handle S’ Prograr alcoholic Psychiatrist Rager V ind Dr. Clay) expanded Antabu; lie offenders ter use of the already have.” He points out, and several alcoholics echo his view, that "there is now no place in the County for the average drunk to go to dry out." He says that the facili- cxccllent, but the average alcoholic, who is often in debt and who is likely to be a hazard on the highways, can’t afford to go to them. (They charge up to S30 per day.- >n binges. - Nonetheless, Dr. Smith maintains that "Blue Cross will still not pay the whole freight,” but only $15 a day. Dr. Dukay says that the policy at Ypsilanti State Hospital is that “we don’t admit alcoholics on a voluntary 'impaired driving." From .15 up, the charge is driving while under the influence of liquor, known option of going to jail or doing something about their drinking problem.” At the moment, 80 alcoholic offenders are on the program. All are on probation. Include drunk and d assault and battery, drunk driving, and carrying a concealed weapon. Each is put on the drug Antabuse (tetraethylthiuram disulfide), which blocks the metabolism of alcohol at midpoint, causing a "profoundly cnce is that th sentence for drunk driving is 90 days in jail or fines up to $500, plus The only alcoholics we have are committed through Probate Court, and the type we get is the end - of - the - road alcoholic. We are willing to accept alcoholics on a volun- license for 90 days. Though it varies w person, il ‘ ■ci of six cans of beer or six shots of whiskey absorbed into the blood stream in order to reach the .15 drunk driving icently i test from .15 to .10 to justify trict Court Judge S. J. Elden) —The development of better diagnostic tools to identify alcoholics, especially t h e dial drunk driver. (Dr. is is pretty n-in this count treated fora

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