European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 17, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A a 5staying on the Wagon even after into by Gary Pomeroy staff writer i he three Servic members sat on chairs in a Circle and recited the serenity prayer. They spoke softly in unison Quot god Grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change the courage to change the things i can and the Wisdom to know the  the prayer is the traditional opening for the thousands of hour Long sessions of alcoholics Anonymous held around the world each Day. This meeting had a distinguishing Quality it was the first publicized a meeting for . Peacekeepers deployed to Croatia in support of operation provide Promise. Military deployment stake service members to far Flung locations around the world. But recovering alcoholics know that there is no change of scenery that provides an escape from the disease. The Opportunity to give and receive support a especially in an unfamiliar environment a is always Welcome. In terms of numbers this meeting in a hangar on the military compound called Pleso base near the Zagreb Airport had an auspicious beginning. But the . Soldier who organized the first get together was fully prepared to have a Solo meeting had the other two not shown up. A i started the group for myself a said the Soldier Alan who asked that his real name not be printed a a that a my main concern. But i also want to help  a. 1 Alari is 19, says he has been sober for less than a year arid has attended meetings for about the same length of time those meetings were in Germany. Where his unit is permanently stationed. When he Learned that he would deploy with task Force 212, Alan recognized that he would need support during his 179-Day deployment. Quot i just wanted to continue what i had been doing a Alan said. A i had planned to do it All  after arriving in Zagreb he turned to maj. David Geeslin the task forces social work officer for help getting a started. Quot there a a certain amount of stress in a deploy mint a said Geeslin who deployed from the Frankfurt army regional medical Center where he is the Deputy chief of social work service. To a great extent a a you re Only expected to do. Your Job a said Geeslin who has nine years in the career Field. After work trips to the commissary and taking off in your own car arc among the simple diversions not available during a deployment basketball bicycles and volleyball Are popular releases. Vars Are becoming mainstays of Many Modem deployments and letter writing also makes time pass. After a while though Many people risk being overtaken by tedium. If boredom gets the upper hand on a recovering alcoholic the results can wreak havoc. A Quot time management becomes important As docs filling life with positive things a said Geeslin who. Served 2v4 years As head of the outpatient department of Tri services alcoholism and rehabilitation at the Bethesda my naval Hospital. Quot it can be  so far Alan has avoided problems. He works a different shift than he is accustomed to in Germany. This has enabled him to sleep More. And he is Reading a lot. Quot and in a not a person who reads a he said. He anticipates no problems Quot As Long As i done to go into Slippery  like bars. A amps Gary Pomeroy maj. David Geeslin Quot it can be  one of the unique facets of operation provide Promise includes a handful of bars of the compound managed by soldiers from different countries within the . Force. The accessibility of alcohol makes this deployment Simitar to being Back in Germany Geeslin said. In both locations Quot if you re trying to stay sober a bar is not a Good place to go a Geeslin said. The result of this social Blunder is explained by an adage often recited by recovering alcoholics Quot if you hang around a Barbershop sooner or later you la get a haircut Quot Alan has a less Folksy saying Quot in a just one drink away from getting  it the key he said is to not do anything log jeopardize my  but whether troops Are in an area like Zagreb or in a mythic ally dry zone like saudi Arabia one truth about alcoholics remains constant. Quot if someone wants a drink a Geeslin said Quot  find a  Iceland Man. 1 cometh Back from by Meridith Winder . Bureau Petty officer 1st class John Wilson had a pretty Good 1992. He was named senior military member of the Quarter for Nas be Finvik Iceland and was recognized by the red Cross. A amp is also just a few hours Short of getting his bachelors degree. But at one time things weren t looking so Good. Wilson had a problem that nearly ruined his military career and marriage. He liked his liquor. Not one or two drinks once in a while after work just to relax. Sometimes up to a fifth in one Day. Quot i  Tell anyone or myself that there was something wrong a said Wilson a 35-year-old native of Nashville Tenn. A but i had a moment of clarity when i realized that i had a  the nine year Navy Veteran is a recovering alcoholic and devotes his time to helping others beat the problem. He s a drug and alcohol abuse Counselor at be Finvik and what he went through serves As a catalyst for helping others a i started drinking in Junior High school Quot Wilson said. Quot at 13 years old i was rebellious. Besides it Felt like the adult thing to  from there he went on a drinking career that spanned nearly 20 years. Quot by the time i was 18 years old drinking was part of my repertoire a Wilson said. A it was the natural thing to do. It was part of my lifestyle and at the time i saw nothing wrong with  Wilson grew up in a family of alcoholics. His father died from alcohol related problems and he has an Uncle Stilt suffering from alcoholism. Quot but i done to blame Iny family for what happened to me a he said. Quot they did t make me  according to Wilson statistics show that people with alcoholic parents arc four times More Likely to become alcoholics than those with sober parents. But he does no to use that to. Explain away his problem. Quot i had discovered at an Early age that alcohol made bad feelings go away a said Wilson. After graduating from High school Wilson at tended College but found it Cut too much into his free time a his drinking time. So he quit and joined the Navy. But his problems for a amps Colleen Casper were not Over. John Wilson Quot some of my co workers knew 1 liked to drink but instead of turning me in they would cover up for me Quot he said. A but then my pay checks would t last Between  he got in trouble with the Navy and lost a Stripe Petty officer 2nd class. But the Navy gave him a second Chance which he nearly blew a after i got busted that first time i did no tend my drinking career Quot Wilson said. A the second time the drinking started affecting my marriage and then i found myself living alone.�?�. It was at that Point that Wilson hit in what recovery terms is called the Bottom. He decided to do. Something about it but found it Wasny to easy. A i was not a belligerent drunk a Wilson said. A i was a Happy drunk and surrounded myself with people who liked to drink  Wilson said he also used to make fun out of cat Lousy and shame of people getting awards or promotions. Guilt and feeling ashamed were unacceptable feelings so he used alcohol to cover them up. Quot and toward the end of my drinking career i needed to drink just to feel Normal a he  toughest Challenge was admitting he had a problem. Then he went All out to solve it. Quot it was easy to quit a he said. Quot but staying quit is a real problem learning to live without it is the hardest  Wilson said he remembers times when he went without drinking for extended periods. He was assigned to a ship and did 102 Days in the Indian Ocean without a drink. Quot but once i hit port i went straight to the bar a he said. Wilson was Able to turn his life around. He went through the Navy a rehabilitation program at Millington Tenn. For the first time since he has been sober Wilson feels he a effective in his life and work. Quot in be won some awards reconciled my marriage and am getting a big bang out of helping people Quot he said. He a also a competitive sky diver with More than 200 jumps and has helped Fly hot air balloons. Quot the stuff i do now i used to talk about doing while sitting there on bar stools Quot he said. Quot i be got a lot of catching up to do Quot Wilson added that alcoholism is one of the few fatal diseases that convinces someone that nothing is wrong. A if i had t sobered up either i  have lived Long or still be in uniform Quot he said. January 17,1993 sunday a pages