Originally Posted by
AVRT 
For a long time, Rational Recovery went to bat for many who were literally forced into addiction treatment, often from within the US prison system. The suggested "dos and don'ts" are a reflection of the experiences of such people. Much of this was covered in the Journal of Rational Recovery, no longer in print, but available in archive format. I don't know how things are in Canada, but speaking for myself, those suggested "do's and don'ts" allowed me to avoid many costly mistakes I might not have otherwise.
This does make sense, especially when you are talking about the US prison system. I think in Canada things are only, maybe, a bit less rigid - or maybe that is just an illusion too!
I do think labeling someone, just to have a label and put them into a box is an insane way to try to 'help' someone. The story in the beginning of the book about the man on probation who confessed to having had one drink after working 2 years towards getting his life back and getting put back in jail because of it by a social worker claiming to have his best interests at heart....THAT did stay with me. I mean, how dare you? How does that benefit anyone. I suppose that is the intent of those dos and don'ts. I was trying to relate it to my own situation, i suppose.
PS, AVRT - I sheepishly confess, at least until I started reading the book, to sometimes wondering if you are Jack here in disguise!