• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1991-09-19_Vol57_No06_05

Volume 57 Number 6 Alcoholism John Ritchie Contributing Writer When we think of alcoholism or the alcoholic we tend to think of individuals who can't control their drinking of alcohol. However, in terms of understanding and changing alcohol abuse, it is more helpful and accurate to view the terms "alco- Features The Western Carolinian Page 5 Thursday, September 19, 1991 holism" and "alcoholic" as encompassing a system or group of people. It's not just that someone who abuses alcohol, affecting others. It's the effect on others (family members and intimate, friend, or work relationships) who are "caught" in the alcoholic system. They tend to take on roles and attitudes that maintain a system which in the long run is destructive to themselves and the abusive drinker. Whenever a drinking problem develops, you are likely to respond with the natural feelings of confusion, anger, hurt, fear or guilt. First you may pretend it's not a problem and hope it'll just go away. Then it's natural to want to "help" the distressed abusive drinker in whatever way you can or are willing to do. Three common "natural" roles that develop in response to an alcohol abuser are the Enabler, Vic tim, and Adjuster/Provoker roles. The Enabler enables the alcohol abuser to engage in destructi ve drinking behaviors without experiencing the full impact of the consequences of that behavior. At home or here at school, some examples of enabling behaviors are: making excuses or lying to friends or professors to protect the drinker from things said or not done, or helping pay for damages or cleaning up messes due to the drinking. The drinker is thereby denied the process of learning by correcting his/her own mistakes and he/she becomes conditioned to believe there will always be a protector to come to the rescue. The Victim takes on rcspon- sibility for getting the work done that the alcohol abuser neglects. Here at Western, student victims end up writing papers, taking class notes, or doing projects for the drinker who doesn't go to class due to hangovers, or doesn't do homework because of partying and drinking. Victims cover-up the non-work of the alcohol abuser and keep up the protection with the hope that their "help" this time will be the last time, or that it will soon change. The Adiuster/Provoker is generally someone very close to the alcohol abuser, like a family member or intimate relationship. He/she tries to make the relationship better by constantly sacrificing and adjusting to the expectations of the drinker. They believe they have the power or the responsibility to change the drinker and just need to be good enough or do enough to succeed. However, they soon learn that the abusive drinker is never satisfied and actually blames them for provoking his/her drinking. Rather that accepting self responsibility for his/her drinking the alcohol abuser finds it easier to blame those close to him/ her who are willing to "accept" that responsibility and role. Examples of the Adjusting and Provoking role are the girlfriend who won't develop any friendships with other guys because of his (abusive drinker) jealousy, yet still gets yelled at for flirting whenever she talks to guys; or the partner who doesn't make any plans for herself so she'll always be available on short notice yet, is constantly told she's not giving enough to the relationship; or the partner who won't complain aboutanything for fear that it'll cause great conflict and further drinking, yetgetsblamedformostof the problem. It's important to realize that doing what comes naturally doesn't stop abusive drinking because itcan- nothelp. You cannot be responsible for the drinking problem nor can you be responsib'" for that person's recovery. If you are caught in an alcoholic system, the best way to affect an alcoholic abuser's behavior is to change your natural response tends to reinforce the behavior you want to change. Take the focus off the drinker and put it on yourself — you have more control over changing your own response. Be responsible to yourself and your own growth and you will thereby provide that best relationship for others too. If you would like help in dealing with an Alcoholic System, please contact the Counseling and Psychological Services Center (Room 114 Scott, 227-7469) for individual counseling, or join the group for people wanting to better understand and change alcoholic systems they arc involved in at home or at school. Riquoche has sights set on bright future Julie Wingruber News Writer Who among us hasn't ever thought about what it would be like to be a part of a genuine rock-n-roll band? Let's face it, everyone would love to be famous, have hit songs, and perform for thousandsof screaming fansdevotedonly to them! Well, even though this scenario probably will not be in the future for most of us, it just might become a reality for a local group of guys, Riquoche'. Riquoche' (Ri-co-shay) is a colossal new band made up of six multi- talented musicians, four of which, Dean Cloer, Matt Henley, Karl Wingruber, and Shawn Colvard, are students here at WCU. The band features Ric Luther on lead vocals, Randy Mason on bass guitar, Shawn Colvard on lead guitar, Karl Wingruberon saxophone and Dean Cloer on trumpet. Riquoche' plays all the favorite top forty hits, but they rely much more on their own original songs. Two of which, "Mystic Dreams," a ballad love song, and "Outta Here," an upbeat dance, rap tune were recently recorded in Asheville. Both were penned by Ric Luther, who provides the foundation for most of their songs — the lyrics. "First of all, I'll hear a phrase or an idea that I like and I write it down and read it over and over, while I think about what the words would mean or seem to say," said Luther. "Then, I think about the melody line and where the music will take itself. But, basically I create songs by starting out with two words or a simple idea. "I also try to let every song tell a story, whereas most songs today have so many jumbled up ideas in them that it is impossible to tell what they are really trying to say! I strive to keep one idea to a song. When I write, I think about how I can touch people emotionally, whether itbethroughasmileortears. That's why I write, and that's where my 'high' comes from," he continued. He also says that he feels privileged to work with musicians of such a high caliber as these and thinks that Riquoche' is destined to go to the top. Riquoche' believes that their songs do have an interesting and special quality that will appeal to the general public. Perhaps one reason for their confidence is that there is a wide variety of musical tastes incorporated into their overall sound. "I think our songs, once they are all heard, will be well-liked because they are original," said band member Shawn Colvard. 'They are similar to most top forty tunes, but with a kick." Colvard also describes their sound as being a cross between popular groups such as Winger, Extreme, Don Henley, and Robert Palmer, but with an extra added flavor of blues legends, Stcvie Ray Vaughn and Steve Vai all rolled into one. So it seems Riquoche' isn't a typi cal rock-n-roll band, since they experiment with these different musical styles. "1 believe one thing that is unique about us is our instrumentation. Not many bands have musicians that can double on different instruments like we do. This gives us a big advantage over many rock bands of today," said Matt Henley. He also explained that their live hom section sets them apart from a lot of bands who prefer to have trumpet or saxophone sounds played on synthesizers. "Every person is a powerful performer which makes us strong as a unit, and that is very important to succeed in this business," he said. Even though Riquoche' is a relatively new band, having been together only a year, that hasn't prevented them from gaining many admirers where they have performed. In fact, they have captured the attention of some very important people lately. Riquoche' has been offered a long-term management and recording contract with Omega Artists, Inc., a company based in Charlotte. The group has anxiously but carefully looked over the details of this contract. "We have signed with Omega, but we took every precaution first and talked to a lawyer to find out all the legal aspects of the contract before we actually signed it," said Dean Cloer. Omega is responsible for promoting the band through radio interviews and other events, and finding them places to play at, as well as handling all the publicity for Riquoche'. But it looks as if they have already been taking steps to benefit the band. '"Mystic Dreams' has been played on a popular radio station in Charlotte for several weeks now and we were told that lots of people called in and said they liked the song and wanted to know who we were," said Dean Cloer. While the band is delighted at the enthusiasm for the song, they are keeping their feet planted firmly on the ground - at least for now. "We are all very excited, but it is important that we all stay focused and not be too overwhelmed by all of this, so that we don't lose sight of what we really want to accomplish," added Karl Wingruber. "After all, we made a decision that will probably affect the rest of our lives." Each person in Riquoche' has always had a compulsive desire to perform, mostly because music has always been a very important facet of their individual lives. Together, this band hopes that their own unique style and sound will set a new standard in rock-n-roll. Even though their aspiration to become one of the hottest rock bands has not yet been achieved, their dream of being given the opportunity to do so has. ANNOUNCING... CAP CENTER 1991-92 Workshop Schedule Placement Orientation-Every Monday & Thursday, 3:30 p.m., in 60 McKee Co-Op Orientation & Resume- Every Tuesday & Wednesday, 3:30 p.m., 60 McKee Interview Skills-- Held twice a month on Mondays & Wednesdays, 4:00 p.m., 50 McKee (Check schedule in CAP Center for specific dates) Start Preparation for YOUR job hunt today... At the CAP Center, ground floor of McKee Building T)w Apple StyleVtriter* is an ink-jet printer that delivers, laser- quality print- nig t .160 clots per Inch). It's not much larger than an average textbook, and it weighs only file pounds. *Xmm Ur*. rSH* O i i"^~nt how to save money on Macintosh Here's the deal: We've paired some of the most popular Apple® Macintosh® computers with some of the most popular Apple printers. Buy one of these combinations, and save big bucks. Got it? Good. Now get going. This offer is available only for a limited time. See your authorized Apple campus reseller today for details. And discover the power of Macintosh. The power to be your best® Macintosh Classic Macintosh LC Macintosh llsi i jfeaiijifc ihifcWjn Save when you buy an affordable Macintosh Classic1 computer with either an Apple Style Writer or an Apple Personal LaserWriter* IS printer-' Save even more when you buy a Macintosh LC computer—our most affordable color system— with either an Apple StyteWriter or an Apple Personal LaserWriter LS printer." Save the most when yon buy a high-performance Macintosh llsi computer with either an Apple Personal LaserWriter IS or an Apple Personal LaserWriter XI'printer." 1 Apple Style\ liter Apple Pergonal (jaserW'riter IS "i Apple Styli-W'nhr Appk' Personal LaserWriter IS Apple Personal ItlscrWnlri IS Apple I'l'isoital fxiserWriter XI 'Oiler applies only to a Macintosh Classic with j built-in hard disk "Monitor sold sep.ir.iteK For farther information visit University Media Center in Hunter Library See James or Bob or call 227-7341 © 1991 Apple Computer, Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, LaserWriter, Macintosh, StyWriter. and "The power to be your best" are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc Classic is a registered trademark licensed to Apple Computer, Inc

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University's student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 1991-09-19
  • Date digitized: 2019-10-02
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 14.25"
  • Pages: 8 pages
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1991-09-19_Vol57_No06
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library