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Organi By ELIZABETH LYNCH > Carolina Life Editor Among the midterms, football games and new episodes of The Simpsons, college students across the country are thinking about alcohol. "The No. 1 drug of choice for people ages 18-24 is alcohol," said Kim bra Robinson, assistant director of the Office of Alcohol and t> n LTug rrograms. "A leading cause of death for college students is alcohol related, whether it be accidents or health problems like cancer or diseases of the liver," Robinson said National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week is this week. "At least 10 percent of college students have drug or alcohol problems," said Thurman Williams, a community relations specialist for Bruce Hall, a center for the treatment of alcohol and drug dependency. Both Williams and Robinson said college campuses are conducive to creating alcohol and drug dependencies. "Students may think they can abuse alcohol now, but they're setting bad habits and high risk patterns that very well may lead to Condom lliillili I vH?Auany ill By LISA MOHN Guest Columnist As promised, this column will address your questions about sex in each Wednesday's edition of The Gamecock. Frankly, there has not been an overwhelming response to our call for questions. Come on, Gamecocks. We know you're out there, and we also know you don't know every thing about sex. Get those questions and letters coming so we can discuss what you want to know. The following are some questions left over from last time. How do I know if I have a sexually transmitted disease? The only way to know for sure is to be checked out by a doctor. If you are having symptoms, the lab tests for most diseases are fairly accurate. However, if you don't haVe i I Ideas ai The Cousteau Soi featuring Peter Burtchel "Environmental Is of the 1990's' Mondav. October 29 7:30 p.m. Admission: Fre* Fo Is _ DOI CMC ou EXCUSES DONT BLOOD D 1 ? ization: addiction," Robinson said. Thurman added that a teenage can start these high risk patterns i; a typical family environment a well. Robinson said students that ar "high risk" usually participate ii drinking games, use a fake I.D. o "chug" alcoholic beverages. "We make drinkina cn olamrvr ous rather than confronting it In stead, we encourage it" Robinsoi said Blackouts, excessive absentee ism, tardiness and anything that in terferes with friendships are just < few of the symptoms of an alcoho abuser, according to Williams. "One DUI (Driving Under th< Influence) may not be a red flag but two or more should be an indi cator that this person has a prob lem," Williams said. The alcohol awareness week began with a student organization banner contest on Saturday at the USC vs. The Citadel game. 'The purpose of this week is to heighten people's awareness and to get them to look at their own patterns of alcohol use and see if it is a low risk or a high risk," Robinson said Williams said the purpose of s not onl symptoms, you cannot go to the doctor and ask for a clean bill of health. The technology is just not there. And, by the way ? a Pap Smear is just an exam for cervical cancer. It does not rule out or detect STDs. ^ Some common symptoms of STDs are pain and burning with urination; a discharge (drip) from the penis or a change in vaginal discharge; redness and swelling in the genital area; unusual lumps, bumps, sores or warts (sometimes painful, sometimes not). The important thing to know is that a large percentage of people, particularly women, do not have any symptoms at all. For example, as many as 25-to-65 percent of women infected with chlamydia do not have any symptoms. A large percentage of people with herpes may be asymptomatic. These people are still contagious but do not know they have a disease. The thing to do if you have any symptoms is to seek medical care immediately. The diseases will not go away by themselves. They often become more difficult to treat as time goes on, and if you keep ?i?v CAROLINA PROGRAM UNION rid Issues Committee sues i 1990 _JH r more information call t arolina Program Union at 777-713( ogram is sponsored, in part, by student activit iri KEN IT. SAVE LIVES. OES. r s to figh r s 1 ? *?? * r f:fm I &&?~WBM '* ip -I r >^3B Comedian Paul Provenza will sell House Ballroom as part of Al y safe bu having intercourse, you run the risk of transmitting the disease to any and all sexual partners. An even better thing to do, of course, is to avoid getting the disease in the first place by always using condoms, using abstinence or having only one lifelong sexual partner. How do I get my partner to use condoms? In this age of sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, condoms are important Many people, however, do not know how to deal with getting their partner to agree 1 to using condoms, especially if that partner is negative about it. We hope the following suggestions will give you some ideas: Take a trip to the drugstore. ' Look through the variety of condoms, lubricants and spermicides 1 together and try to decide on one < or more kinds of condoms that your partner finds interesting. You r can get them in colors, flavors, studded and even in sizes for the "larger" male. Being creative can only help. If the unwilling partner is the presents jB r u he T^535" | | Student That Would Like a Name: Address: Phone: Major: ^ Please return this form to: Wome t drug, oerform Wednesday in the Rus- < cohol Awareness Week. s t fun . one to be wearing the condom, the other partner needs to make it seem as appealing as possible. Offering to put it on your partner and incorporating it into your lovemaking can be a turn-on, instead of a turn-off. If your partner seems offended that you have condoms available, explain that it's because you take sex with them seriously, you care about them, and if you do end up having sex, you want to make sure the worry of disease or pregnancy doesn't get in the way. If your partner insists that a condom is out, you need to insist that intercourse is out. If sex with you is really important to them, they will use a condom. There are also many intimate behaviors other than intercourse, which you can share in the mean-time, until you resolve your condom disagreement Attention THE CHfllt XlIk J I TH1 r? The offi fcl toring ] u dance a: Mentor: ' ear: ;n's Student Services Campus Acti alcohol this week is twofold: education and positive peer pressure. "A week like this highlights both of these components. There's a greater awareness on campus of alternatives to help people enjoy life without alcohol. More and more people are finding about their addictions earlier," Williams said. On Monday, Graduate Art Student Organization and Gamecocks Advocating Mature Management of Alcohol sponsored a "Help Get This Man Plastered" event on the Russell House Patio. Students were served mocktails from noon to 1 p.m. "When people hear the word plaster, they immediatley think of alcohol. By having this (event), we say you can have fun without alcohol," Robinson said. One highlight of the event was Student Government President Stephen Benjamin being covered in caster plaster. Also on Monday, from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Golden Spur, GAMMA and the National Speech Language Hearing Association sponsored 'Has it Happened to Your Friend? ... DUI Panel Discussion." On Tuesday, GAMMA sponsored "Learn more about alcohol, drugs ana otner health-related resources: Patio Extravaganza." 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Today from 1 to 2 p.m., 'Tamily Feud: Staff vs. Students" will be held in the Golden Spur. From 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., "Lust, Love and Low Risk: Alcohol and STDs" will be the topic of a lecture by Dr. James Turner, the director of the Thompson Student Health Center. He will speak in Russell House room 332. Continuing the alcohol awareness theme, comedian Paul Provenza will perform at 8 p.m. in the Russell House Ballroom. Provenza has made regular appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Late Night with David Letterman, MTV and HA!, the comedy network. Provenza's show is $2 for students and $3 for the general public. The week's activities will end Thursday with "RisQue Business" performing in the Belk Auditorium at 4:30 p.m. CEMENT Comics is lies store, offering: ne of new 1 the shelves by 4 pm earliest in town, I subscription service, to join, discounts up and largest selection comics in town, all * )plies, bags, boards, zes at the lowest on books, videos and more! ;r? ? r lovated Store Under of Jesse Willis, a ^er twenty years! next to Manifest 5 365 . The United Way Is e day lp The Way Of Low. ey." dents... E HERE! heavy weight, cotton two styles! Reg. $40. >2"!| c student j> ^services^ J 1 ; es is ueveiuping a menwith personalized guilty and staff. ,ike To Be a Mentor: (s): adline is November 2,1990