William Penn Life, 1982 (17. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)

1982-07-01 / 3. szám

I GO TO HEALTH |

Alcoholism Kills Teens

What kills the most teenagers?

The most frequent causes (60-70 percent), notes Health Tips, a publication of the California Medical Association, involve alcohol.

There are at least 3.5 million teenage alcoholics in this country. Three out of four teenagers drink and one out of five is drunk at least once a month. (These figures are from the National Council on Alcoholism.)

What can be done to control this disease?

Plenty! But first parents, teachers, and teenagers must be taught to recognize it.

Key signs of alcoholism among teenagers: falling grades, constant change of friends, loss of interest in classes or school activities, amnesia while drinking, and daily preoccupation.

Once the disease is recognized, the teenager can be helped by peer groups modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous and inpatient treatment programs.

It would help, too, if adults would lead sober lives as an example to teenagers.

Measure Things Differently

The standard designations for describing common things are well known. A person’s height is measured in feet. The sizes of normally small items are given in inches or fractions of them; distance on the earth, even its size, is spoken of in miles.

But when our inquiring minds enter into the realm of the submicroscopic, into the vast reaches of space, even into the analysis of sounds and waves, new units and terms are necessary. Thus, extraterrestrially, the incomprehensible distance traveled by light in a second’s time, or 186,000 miles, extrapolates into the term “light years” for interstellar distance. Into the opposite extreme, though, a fly may be measured in fractions of an inch. One cell of its multicellular eye could be measured only in micrometers, and its molecular structure only in pico or femtomicrons.

Stop — Look — Let Live

At the corner of a street near a school in one community, the Chief of Police ordered this sign to be erected: DEAR CROSSING.

No, it’s not a spelling error, but rather a reminder to all motorists that school children are dear indeed.

HANDLE WITH LOVING CARE

Handle With Care: That’s what the label said pasted on the package. Probably something breakable inside it. Can’t help but think the same kind of label should be pasted in some prominent spot on each of our bodies.

Handle With Care: That certainly would be in our own self-interest.

But how many of us do? Who’s got the time? Why bother?

Still, we’re all getting older. We’re beginning to realize that physically, we’re little more than flesh and bones; and there are so many pains and germs and cancers and strokes and heart attacks around.

For many, however, that recognition comes too late.

We abuse that not too solid flesh in so many ways. Some experiment with pills and drugs which turns them on and off and on again. Others abuse and weaken that flesh with junk foods, alcohol, or tobacco. And so many mismanage or damn-handle their flesh with little or no exercise, insufficient sleep, and a dog-eat-dog philosophy of life.

Handle that flesh with care or damn-handle it.

It’s your decision.

But if you don’t want to face an early grave, make the right decision.

BUSINESS WOMEN'S WEEK SET

First observed in 1928, National Business Women’s Week, Oct. 17-23, dramatizes the contribution of women to the business and professional life of the nation. During the week, the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs salute the achievements of all business and professional women in their communities, states, and the nation.

Their objectives have remained constant:

1. To elevate the standards for women in business and in the professions.

2. To promote the interests of business and professional women.

3. To bring about a spirit of cooperation among business and professional women of the United States.

4. To extend opportunities to business and professional women through education along lines of industrial, scientific, and vocational activities.

Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, till the sun goes down. And this is all that life really means.

— Robert L. Stevenson

Safety Spells Sense

WHILE YOU PLAY, KEEP BURGLARS AWAY

Burglars do not take vacations.

With that in mind, the National Sheriffs Association recommends that you follow a few simple procedures before taking a trip:

• Either discontinue your newspaper and all other deliveries, or have them picked up daily by a neighbor.

• Notify the post office to hold mail until you return.

• Arrange to have the grass cut in the same way you would have it done if you were at home. A house with an unkempt look is a dead giveaway.

• Deposit excess cash and other valuables in a safe-deposit box. Don’t leave them in an empty house. There isn’t a hiding place you can think of that an experienced burglar won’t be able to think of too.

• Store empty garbage cans out of sight, or get friends and neighbors to put some of their garbage in your cans so it will look as though you are home.

• Turn bells down on your telephone or get a temporary answering service. The unanswered ringing of a telephone that can be heard outside a house or apartment is clear evidence no one is home.

• Leave shades and drapes slightly opened so your house doesn’t look closed.

• Install good locks on windows and doors and block tracks of sliding doors to prevent entry even if the lock is jimmied.

• Use timers to turn lights on and off and simulate normal use. A single light burning all night in one room is a good signal to a potential burglar that you are away.

• If possible, leave a telephone number where you can be reached and leave the kev to your house with a trusted neighbor. Ask him to check your house periodically, park a car in your driveway if possible, and even invite the children to play in your yard. An active household discourages burglars.

• Notifv police at least one day before you depart. In many communities police will check your home on a regular basis. A cruising patrol car can help keep burglars away.

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