Evening star., 1947-08-08

reflex Is useful and helpful step In the treat
ment Of an alcoholic If It IL followed With
program Of helping the patient readjust himself
In society. Before the discharge Of the patient
ut Freedmens the interested person was called
In and the whole process Of conditioning re-
hexes outlined. When the patient arrived
home. the favorite bottle was in sight on table
or . shelton instruction. II the patient fell
to gazing ut 1t or walking around 1t, the inter-
ested person reported this and the patient was
brought back for more conditioning.
OF most Importance, he said, was the at
tempt to MI the void left by abstinence from
alcoholic beverages. What did the man like to
drink otherwise? Sometimes Coca Cola some
times Pepsi Cola wss mentioned. From then
on 1t would be always available to him In the
hospital. But much more important was the
questiost-what was 1t that he would like to do
that drinking and its attendant poverty had
kept him from? One man said he liked to play
the violin. A nurse located one st 4 pawn
brokers exchange shop. The man has been
abstinent since, and that was three years ago.
Other Interests Help.
Another man wanted to paint What did he
want, an easel7 No, he could make that him.
self. He needed brushes, pigments, a stretcher
and some canvas. I'VE got him = job as .
janitor," DR.. williams said. That gave him
time to paint. He apparently was conscientious
about his duties. First he was in an $So-a-
month job: then he moved to 4 $l9o-a month
place. and the last heard Of him he was get
ing $40 in another place. He painted some Of
the lewdest pictures ever saw-but 1t kept him
from drinking"
DR.. Williams said he had not found it neces-
sary to condition men against whisky. gin. rum
AvAA hAA 10 %asp>a A-kIs l~A S~s
Seattle. And he had not reconditioned men ex-
cept in case Of slips. One man lived above
liquor store. Six months after Freedmens he
found himself pausing to look in the windows.
Then he slipped. He came running back. The
freconditioning has been successful-so far.
DR.. Williams principal interest at Freed
mems Is in drug addiction. He has conditioned
only = handful Of patients compared with the
Seattle sanitarium. But that handful has con-
vinced him that the method will work. Ths
only trouble is he says. that SO per cent Of the
patients cant take it." They walk out before
the conditioning is completed. All they have
to do is to sign = statement that they feel
all right and they can leave. Ninety per cent
of those who 90 through with 1t, he says, ap-
parently are recovered from alcoholism His
statistics are these IS cases were treated in the
last three years; II never completed it: 1S went
through with 1t. OF the 1s. only returned to
periodic drinking. Eleven returned to moder
ate drinking after period Of abstinence and
hve showed q continuing aversion.
DR.. Williams Is interested in the provision Of
the Hebert bill allowing the judges to commit
defendants they find to be chronic alcoholics
to- clinic for as much As 30 days He feels
that II the judges will only give him alco-
holics 45 days with no privilege Of walking out
on him. he can turn them out excellently con-
ditioned and help them read lust thenselves.