The endeavors that were undertaken by the newly formed Center are especially impressive when one considers the societal perspective on alcoholism at that time. When I became interested in the field of alcoholism, the topic was something that was whispered about. He attributes this to tireless efforts of individuals such as Skipper Bowles and Sam Johnson and to the fact that North Carolina has been in the forefront of treatment of alcoholics. The Center came about through Dr. Ewing's lifelong desire to establish an alcohol center, and Representatives Sam Johnson's and Skipper Bowles' keen insight in realizing the need for studying the disease. One of the many contributions that Dr. Ewing has made is the development of an internationally used assessment instrument for identifying alcoholics, called the CAGE questionnaire .
CAGE is the pneumonic that represents the four questions used to identify an alcoholic.
Since its conception, the CAGE questionnaire has been translated into several languages and used in hundreds of studies. Skipper, who was not a scientist, became very knowledgeable about alcoholism. His wealth of knowledge can be attributed to his close friend Dr. Ewing, who was the source of information he relied on when making speeches throughout the state. The two had a close working relationship that developed into deep respect and admiration for one another. It is this deep respect and desire to find a cure for alcoholism that made Skipper work so tirelessly fund-raising across the state so that the Center staff could be located in one building.