European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 25, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 the stars and stripes february 1961 modern living new York times que console permits viewers to respond to televised poll a tool to tally multiple addictions by Dava Sobel new York times if it were possible to get several Hundred people together in a room for an hour and ask them a few hard questions about their drug and alcohol whether they Gamble overeat or Over most would understate or deny any addictive but if those same people could answer the questions anonymously by pushing buttons attached to their Home television say what would happen then Lawrence a psychiatrist with the new York Hospital Cornell medical who tried this approach on interactive television in col found that 49 percent of the 420 viewers said they were addicts themselves or had one in their immediate i was shocked by the Hatterer addicts arc a population one of the hardest things i find in treating them is getting them to admit the problem in the first he was further surprised to learn that the self professed addicts in the television audience named More than one substance or activity As their Hatterer received this information via a pay to system owned by Warner amex Cable communications and rented for a month to some Columbus residents who Are slightly younger and More affluent than the average the que Termi Nal allows subscribers to answer opinion take tests in televised play enter contests and Gaii Access to information it is a Pilot program expected to appear in Many More cities Over the next sever Al after his experience As a guest on an evening talk show called Columbus Hatterer thinks the que could be an important Public health tool As the people who classified themselves As he were not speaking in i presented a careful definition of and the other guests appearing with me were three addicts who further clarified some of the issues for the Hatterer defined addiction As an compulsive use of a substance or activity to Cope with pain of any kind and to produce a he erodes the mind or body of the addict or someone close to addicts also display tolerance to the substance or activity so that their need for it escalates Contin suffer withdrawal symptoms when they cant have it and deny that they Are Hatterer based on what youve the first question put to the Columbus television audience whom do you know who is addicted the choices and responses were As follows you or your spouse 40 someone else in immediate family 9 relative 7 Friend 16 none addicted 27 the second question addressed substances or activities of abuse and revealed multiple addictions As follows drugs 14 percent of gambling 1 percent of alcohol 29 percent of food 32 percent of other work 24 percent of since the total addicted add up to 100 and it is very unlikely that everyone is addicted to clearly Many people must be suffering from More than one asked whether they thought addicts were people who simply did not have enough will 15 percent of the audience said yes and 85 percent were Breeding a nation of poly addicted Hatterer referring to the High incidence of multiple today addicts Are highly they read the physicians desk reference and otherwise explore in depth the ways to alter their minds and the degree of polyard activeness is not known by the Hatterer but the concept of being whether on drugs or some activity that triggers the release of brain is becoming part of our kids who complain there that life is Are reflecting society idea that Normal Levels of activity or sensation Are we have the sense that nobody should be uncomfortable the self orientation of american Hatterer also contributes to addictive its interesting to note that the most helpful programs for such As alcoholics include collaborative associations that emphasize concern for Aneth ers Well being and breaking Down the self oriented Char Acter he Hatterer was eager to learn whether the viewers in Columbus would consent to taking a pre addiction test on the que that might identify people with a High propensity for addictive More than half the audience 51 percent said they would take such a test nearly As Many 44 percent volunteered to take the test and to provide their Only 2 percent indicated they would refuse and 4 percent were not sure How they Felt about the which Hatterer is trying to perfect on the basis of Many researchers findings about addictive be looks for 10 common denominators that show up repeatedly in various these include denial mechanisms of prob lems of Low disturbed personal relation sexual identity behaviour that is either too passive or Overly aggressive and obsessive compulsive behaviour dependency Oye concern with the self and polarized attitudes in Hatterer defined the last As the inability to do any thing in Small ways the All or nothing Outlook of people who can never eat one Peanut without finishing the whole at wits end by err no Bombeck if the american family is becoming an endangered you can bet one of the things that killed it is the dinner when it was the dinner hour was to be a gathering of every member of the family who would sit around and Exchange pleasantries and news of what each had done that i know that the Way its supposed to be because i saw it once on the Donna Reed we have never bad a family dinner that did not sound like we were hosting a it was inevitable to touch upon who did what to who did it and who would get a room to themselves after they were the criticism of family meals is that this is not a fit topic to discuss at As i see no one seems to know what is a fit subject to talk about at the dinner there Are few things that the entire family can get children tend to talk about things that take away your interest in food and at one meal i heard a description of the underside of the a Rumor of what popular food contained rats what pureed peas remind you of when you look at them from a Dis and what happens to the dogs Stool when he eats leftover men prefer to talk about within minutes they can make you feel guilty for asking for seconds on the they also take the Opportunity to Lay on the family their famous lectures an e on the Gas gauge does not mean Why do we heat the front porch by Gas in the Winter dont reach out and touch somebody unless its and the Al time when i go to the ill have to Call a cab to get mothers use the togetherness of the meal to discuss their Doormat status dont you just put a key under my Tongue and stand on and to Tell their children that no one Ever amounted to anything who smoothed a Lumpy bed with a coat i have come to the conclusion there Are no Safe topic areas at the family dinner no matter what you nit every member of the family will react in the other a guest said at our i read where the Snail Darter is still on the endangered species there was a moment of silence before one child Arent they the ones that bleed through the eyes when they die my husband when they go up to a knowing our  develop a Snail Darter deficient i they Arent the Only ones who have become so Are women who pick up towels after a the family that eats together c Fiew enter prism