Why Recovery is So Difficult
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Posts: 3,550
Why Recovery is So Difficult
Why Recovery is So Difficult
Recovery from alcoholism and other substance abuse is difficult, hazardous and its outcome uncertain. History and the times in which we live have hardly made this easier. How? Why”
Tradition
Alcoholism and drug abuse have traditionally been regarded as shameful, something that people wearing dirty raincoats do whiie sitting in the gutter drinking from a bottle in a crumpled paper bag. The “hopeless drunk, bum, lush, wino, etc. He/she brought it on himself!” A selfish, feckless fool. Getting his just deserts. This attitude has mellowed with the passage of time but still lurks in the background for many of those who are not familiar with the illness or who choose not to be so.
The Health “Providers”
Modern “experts”, “providers”, counselors are often ill equipped to deal with their professed specialty. One of my physicians (a psychiatrist) prescribed 100 Xanax with three refills. Another prescribed Seconol (to get to sleep) and a longer acting barbiturate (to stay asleep). A primary care physician prescribed chloral hydrate in liquid form with unlimited renewals (back in 1958 when unlimited renewals were possible). Every psychiatrist or counselor I went to prior to 1988 failed to encourage me at least to try Alcoholics Anonymous. When I asked why not they often replied, “Well you may not like it.” “Why?” I asked. “Well there may be a number of troublesome issues”. I joined a group counseling session but dropped out because most of the sessions were devoted to helping one person deal with a friend who was threatening suicide because of a dating dispute. Alcoholism was seldom discussed. Another doctor tried to enroll me in group counseling for sexual issues, saying that most alcoholism is caused by sexual confusion. I failed to enroll even though the group was coeducational.
Recovery “Plans”
There are numerous recovery plans and many of them purport to be “the” exclusive solution. Traditional AA is often confused about the “Higher Power”, purportedly anybody, anything which helps and yet somewhat implying that this must eventually turn out to be “God”. Agnostics, atheists and free thinkers are at times made to feel unwelcome, or are dropped from central listing, as in Canada.
Alternative “plans”, such as Rational Recovery, claim exclusivity, deriding AA and dispensing with the need for group support. The latter may be available through an alternative similar program, Smart Recovery. An eclectic approach, combining the best elements of several “plans” is often discouraged. Health “providers” who favor AA are sometimes said to be doing so for commercial reasons. The same has been true for those who purport to recommend moderation rather then complete sobriety.
Families and Friends
Families, such as one’s spouse or children, even grandchildren, are often justifiably concerned. Understandably they want to “help”. But alcoholism has been called a “family” disease. Unwittingly, in attempting to “help” they may become “codependent”, may become “enablers”. A parent may seek to “help” by suggesting that a son or daughter not drink secretly or alone but just have “one” glass of wine at cocktail time or dinner, learn to drink “moderately”. Or a parent, also alcoholic, may wish the companionship of a another drinker within the family. And, outside the family, an alcoholic is likely to have many drinking “buddies”, an analogue to “group therapy” where the “group” seeks reinforcement and companionship of fellow drinkers. College fraternities and “clubs” are often drinking havens. One of the real challenges of attaining sobriety is the need to distance oneself from former alcoholic and substance abusing friends, finding new friends who are either sober themselves or seek sobriety.
The Battle Within
The Greeks said “Know Thyself!” and displayed this at the Temple at Delphi. Those who seek recovery from alcoholism and substance abuse must fight the hardest battle of all- themselves. First of all, it is generally recognized that alcoholics may have inherited some genetic characteristics which cause their bodies to react to or metabolize alcohol in atypical ways. In a sense they may have inherited a unique sensibility or allergy to alcohol. Recent research in England has revealed that single base-pair point mutations in a particular gene (Gabrb1), an important part of the GABAA receptor in the brain, has particularly a strong effect on the brain’s pleasure center (the nucleus accumbens) of laboratory mice, causing them to prefer alcohol containing liquid (primarily wine) over water at least 85 percent of the time. Other*research seems to indicate that persons prone to addiction may have abnormalities in an area of the brain known as the medial forebrain pleasure circuit where the neuromodulator dopamine plays a crucial role. See a recent study by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Neuroscience Professor David. J. Linden, "The Compass of Pleasure" (New York: Viking Press, 2011); "Memoirs of An Addicted Brain- A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs" by Marc Lewis (New York: Public Affairs, 2012) and N.Y. Times, July 24, 2011, Sunday Review at p. 4. *Continued use of alcohol tends to build up “tolerance” and the body “adapts” to the alcohol by becoming physically dependent upon it. The brain chemistry changes and there may also be physical changes in the neurons’ receptor sites, altering the balance of such neurotransmitters as glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as well as the so called neuromodulators, such as dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine and norepinephrine. (For the effect this has on adolescents,, see “Why Teenagers Act Crazy” by Richard A. Friedman, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Weill Cornell Medical Center, in New York. (N.Y. Times June 29, 2014 Review Section) reporting recent research indicating that the amygdala, which forms part of the primitive portion of the brain (nucleus accumbens), develops more rapidly in adolescents than the more rational areas of the cerebral cortex. Since the amygdala deals with sensitivity to fear and governs fear response, as well as risky situations, adolescents are more prone to experience fear, as in certain social situations, and have greater difficulty unlearning fear responses. Paradoxically they are also inclined to seek out risky situations and are thus prone to be “risk takers”. When they encounter fear, such as in social gatherings, they often respond by self medication with alcohol. or, most recently, with pharmaceutical psychostimulants like Ritalin or Adderall, sales of which increased more than five fold in the ten year period 2002-2012. * Programs dealing with substance abuse, such as Rational Recovery, rely on such scientific data in discussing the so called “addictive voice”, which in response to alcohol induced changes in brain chemistry and neurology, sends covert messages to a numbed and underdeveloped cerebral cortex *to *have “just one” *“just one more” or “that didn’t do any harm- guess I can now drink moderately, a glass of wine ‘now and then‘ just like the rest of the folk").
Conclusion
Recovery from alcoholism and/or substance abuse may be the hardest battle of all. It is as if a person, unskilled at mountain climbing, wishes to ascend Mt. Everest. Rejecting the suggestions of some that he or she might do that alone, they rope up with others who quarrel among themselves or suggest tactics which may be hazardous. And all the time the would be climber must battle inward fears, doubts, temptations towards risky alternatives. And finally, in these modern times, a climber may well have a cellphone on which family members call and say how they worry. "Aren't you afraid you might slip? Wouldn't you be better at home with us? We miss you at cocktail time! One glass of wine won't hurt! Just one glass!"
W.
Recovery from alcoholism and other substance abuse is difficult, hazardous and its outcome uncertain. History and the times in which we live have hardly made this easier. How? Why”
Tradition
Alcoholism and drug abuse have traditionally been regarded as shameful, something that people wearing dirty raincoats do whiie sitting in the gutter drinking from a bottle in a crumpled paper bag. The “hopeless drunk, bum, lush, wino, etc. He/she brought it on himself!” A selfish, feckless fool. Getting his just deserts. This attitude has mellowed with the passage of time but still lurks in the background for many of those who are not familiar with the illness or who choose not to be so.
The Health “Providers”
Modern “experts”, “providers”, counselors are often ill equipped to deal with their professed specialty. One of my physicians (a psychiatrist) prescribed 100 Xanax with three refills. Another prescribed Seconol (to get to sleep) and a longer acting barbiturate (to stay asleep). A primary care physician prescribed chloral hydrate in liquid form with unlimited renewals (back in 1958 when unlimited renewals were possible). Every psychiatrist or counselor I went to prior to 1988 failed to encourage me at least to try Alcoholics Anonymous. When I asked why not they often replied, “Well you may not like it.” “Why?” I asked. “Well there may be a number of troublesome issues”. I joined a group counseling session but dropped out because most of the sessions were devoted to helping one person deal with a friend who was threatening suicide because of a dating dispute. Alcoholism was seldom discussed. Another doctor tried to enroll me in group counseling for sexual issues, saying that most alcoholism is caused by sexual confusion. I failed to enroll even though the group was coeducational.
Recovery “Plans”
There are numerous recovery plans and many of them purport to be “the” exclusive solution. Traditional AA is often confused about the “Higher Power”, purportedly anybody, anything which helps and yet somewhat implying that this must eventually turn out to be “God”. Agnostics, atheists and free thinkers are at times made to feel unwelcome, or are dropped from central listing, as in Canada.
Alternative “plans”, such as Rational Recovery, claim exclusivity, deriding AA and dispensing with the need for group support. The latter may be available through an alternative similar program, Smart Recovery. An eclectic approach, combining the best elements of several “plans” is often discouraged. Health “providers” who favor AA are sometimes said to be doing so for commercial reasons. The same has been true for those who purport to recommend moderation rather then complete sobriety.
Families and Friends
Families, such as one’s spouse or children, even grandchildren, are often justifiably concerned. Understandably they want to “help”. But alcoholism has been called a “family” disease. Unwittingly, in attempting to “help” they may become “codependent”, may become “enablers”. A parent may seek to “help” by suggesting that a son or daughter not drink secretly or alone but just have “one” glass of wine at cocktail time or dinner, learn to drink “moderately”. Or a parent, also alcoholic, may wish the companionship of a another drinker within the family. And, outside the family, an alcoholic is likely to have many drinking “buddies”, an analogue to “group therapy” where the “group” seeks reinforcement and companionship of fellow drinkers. College fraternities and “clubs” are often drinking havens. One of the real challenges of attaining sobriety is the need to distance oneself from former alcoholic and substance abusing friends, finding new friends who are either sober themselves or seek sobriety.
The Battle Within
The Greeks said “Know Thyself!” and displayed this at the Temple at Delphi. Those who seek recovery from alcoholism and substance abuse must fight the hardest battle of all- themselves. First of all, it is generally recognized that alcoholics may have inherited some genetic characteristics which cause their bodies to react to or metabolize alcohol in atypical ways. In a sense they may have inherited a unique sensibility or allergy to alcohol. Recent research in England has revealed that single base-pair point mutations in a particular gene (Gabrb1), an important part of the GABAA receptor in the brain, has particularly a strong effect on the brain’s pleasure center (the nucleus accumbens) of laboratory mice, causing them to prefer alcohol containing liquid (primarily wine) over water at least 85 percent of the time. Other*research seems to indicate that persons prone to addiction may have abnormalities in an area of the brain known as the medial forebrain pleasure circuit where the neuromodulator dopamine plays a crucial role. See a recent study by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Neuroscience Professor David. J. Linden, "The Compass of Pleasure" (New York: Viking Press, 2011); "Memoirs of An Addicted Brain- A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs" by Marc Lewis (New York: Public Affairs, 2012) and N.Y. Times, July 24, 2011, Sunday Review at p. 4. *Continued use of alcohol tends to build up “tolerance” and the body “adapts” to the alcohol by becoming physically dependent upon it. The brain chemistry changes and there may also be physical changes in the neurons’ receptor sites, altering the balance of such neurotransmitters as glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as well as the so called neuromodulators, such as dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine and norepinephrine. (For the effect this has on adolescents,, see “Why Teenagers Act Crazy” by Richard A. Friedman, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Weill Cornell Medical Center, in New York. (N.Y. Times June 29, 2014 Review Section) reporting recent research indicating that the amygdala, which forms part of the primitive portion of the brain (nucleus accumbens), develops more rapidly in adolescents than the more rational areas of the cerebral cortex. Since the amygdala deals with sensitivity to fear and governs fear response, as well as risky situations, adolescents are more prone to experience fear, as in certain social situations, and have greater difficulty unlearning fear responses. Paradoxically they are also inclined to seek out risky situations and are thus prone to be “risk takers”. When they encounter fear, such as in social gatherings, they often respond by self medication with alcohol. or, most recently, with pharmaceutical psychostimulants like Ritalin or Adderall, sales of which increased more than five fold in the ten year period 2002-2012. * Programs dealing with substance abuse, such as Rational Recovery, rely on such scientific data in discussing the so called “addictive voice”, which in response to alcohol induced changes in brain chemistry and neurology, sends covert messages to a numbed and underdeveloped cerebral cortex *to *have “just one” *“just one more” or “that didn’t do any harm- guess I can now drink moderately, a glass of wine ‘now and then‘ just like the rest of the folk").
Conclusion
Recovery from alcoholism and/or substance abuse may be the hardest battle of all. It is as if a person, unskilled at mountain climbing, wishes to ascend Mt. Everest. Rejecting the suggestions of some that he or she might do that alone, they rope up with others who quarrel among themselves or suggest tactics which may be hazardous. And all the time the would be climber must battle inward fears, doubts, temptations towards risky alternatives. And finally, in these modern times, a climber may well have a cellphone on which family members call and say how they worry. "Aren't you afraid you might slip? Wouldn't you be better at home with us? We miss you at cocktail time! One glass of wine won't hurt! Just one glass!"
W.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 3,550
Originally Posted by teatreeoil007 
Thx W. Good info!
W.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,429
Thanks for that Bill.
I have a couple of quibbles tho, if I may.
When I speak of recovery plans I'm speaking holistically.
I'm not really speaking of AA or Rational Recovery or SMART or whatever, although joining one of those groups may indeed be the basis or a part of a plan.
It wasn't the basis of my recovery plan tho - and I think it's important to acknowledge that recovery plans can and do exist out of the established methods axis
I also think that this:
is changing. It's quite common now to see people using more than one method to stay sober
There may be some parts of RR where AA is derided (and vice versa) - but it's not the case here on SR and I wanted to acknowledge that too, and thank people for it
Those are my (I would say minor) quibbles.
Thanks for the work and time you put into the post Bill
D
I have a couple of quibbles tho, if I may.
When I speak of recovery plans I'm speaking holistically.
I'm not really speaking of AA or Rational Recovery or SMART or whatever, although joining one of those groups may indeed be the basis or a part of a plan.
It wasn't the basis of my recovery plan tho - and I think it's important to acknowledge that recovery plans can and do exist out of the established methods axis
I also think that this:
An eclectic approach, combining the best elements of several “plans” is often discouraged.
There may be some parts of RR where AA is derided (and vice versa) - but it's not the case here on SR and I wanted to acknowledge that too, and thank people for it
Those are my (I would say minor) quibbles.
Thanks for the work and time you put into the post Bill
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 3,550
Originally Posted by Dee74
Thanks for that Bill.
I have a couple of quibbles tho, if I may.
When I speak of recovery plans I'm speaking holistically.
I'm not really speaking of AA or Rational Recovery or SMART or whatever, although joining one of those groups may indeed be the basis or a part of a plan.
It wasn't the basis of my recovery plan tho - and I think it's important to acknowledge that recovery plans can and do exist out of the established methods axis
I also think that this:
is changing. It's quite common now to see people using more than one method to stay sober
There may be some parts of RR where AA is derided (and vice versa) - but it's not the case here on SR and I wanted to acknowledge that too, and thank people for it
Those are my (I would say minor) quibbles.
Thanks for the work and time you put into the post Bill
D
I have a couple of quibbles tho, if I may.
When I speak of recovery plans I'm speaking holistically.
I'm not really speaking of AA or Rational Recovery or SMART or whatever, although joining one of those groups may indeed be the basis or a part of a plan.
It wasn't the basis of my recovery plan tho - and I think it's important to acknowledge that recovery plans can and do exist out of the established methods axis
I also think that this:
is changing. It's quite common now to see people using more than one method to stay sober
There may be some parts of RR where AA is derided (and vice versa) - but it's not the case here on SR and I wanted to acknowledge that too, and thank people for it
Those are my (I would say minor) quibbles.
Thanks for the work and time you put into the post Bill
D
As I have said many times before, to paraphrase that great philosopher Yogi Berra, "Sobriety ain't everything! It's the only thing!" A bit of an overstatement perhaps but what he means is that if the ball goes over the left field fence it makes little difference how it got there. And if you manage to get to home plate before the catcher and thus score a run, the important thing is that you got there, even if you had to travel underground to do it.
Bill
Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: MN
Posts: 8,704
Originally Posted by wpainterw
Why Recovery is So Difficult
Recovery from alcoholism and other substance abuse is difficult, hazardous and its outcome uncertain. History and the times in which we live have hardly made this easier. How? Why”
Tradition
Alcoholism and drug abuse have traditionally been regarded as shameful, something that people wearing dirty raincoats do whiie sitting in the gutter drinking from a bottle in a crumpled paper bag. The “hopeless drunk, bum, lush, wino, etc. He/she brought it on himself!” A selfish, feckless fool. Getting his just deserts. This attitude has mellowed with the passage of time but still lurks in the background for many of those who are not familiar with the illness or who choose not to be so.
The Health “Providers”
Modern “experts”, “providers”, counselors are often ill equipped to deal with their professed specialty. One of my physicians (a psychiatrist) prescribed 100 Xanax with three refills. Another prescribed Seconol (to get to sleep) and a longer acting barbiturate (to stay asleep). A primary care physician prescribed chloral hydrate in liquid form with unlimited renewals (back in 1958 when unlimited renewals were possible). Every psychiatrist or counselor I went to prior to 1988 failed to encourage me at least to try Alcoholics Anonymous. When I asked why not they often replied, “Well you may not like it.” “Why?” I asked. “Well there may be a number of troublesome issues”. I joined a group counseling session but dropped out because most of the sessions were devoted to helping one person deal with a friend who was threatening suicide because of a dating dispute. Alcoholism was seldom discussed. Another doctor tried to enroll me in group counseling for sexual issues, saying that most alcoholism is caused by sexual confusion. I failed to enroll even though the group was coeducational.
Recovery “Plans”
There are numerous recovery plans and many of them purport to be “the” exclusive solution. Traditional AA is often confused about the “Higher Power”, purportedly anybody, anything which helps and yet somewhat implying that this must eventually turn out to be “God”. Agnostics, atheists and free thinkers are at times made to feel unwelcome, or are dropped from central listing, as in Canada.
Alternative “plans”, such as Rational Recovery, claim exclusivity, deriding AA and dispensing with the need for group support. The latter may be available through an alternative similar program, Smart Recovery. An eclectic approach, combining the best elements of several “plans” is often discouraged. Health “providers” who favor AA are sometimes said to be doing so for commercial reasons. The same has been true for those who purport to recommend moderation rather then complete sobriety.
Families and Friends
Families, such as one’s spouse or children, even grandchildren, are often justifiably concerned. Understandably they want to “help”. But alcoholism has been called a “family” disease. Unwittingly, in attempting to “help” they may become “codependent”, may become “enablers”. A parent may seek to “help” by suggesting that a son or daughter not drink secretly or alone but just have “one” glass of wine at cocktail time or dinner, learn to drink “moderately”. Or a parent, also alcoholic, may wish the companionship of a another drinker within the family. And, outside the family, an alcoholic is likely to have many drinking “buddies”, an analogue to “group therapy” where the “group” seeks reinforcement and companionship of fellow drinkers. College fraternities and “clubs” are often drinking havens. One of the real challenges of attaining sobriety is the need to distance oneself from former alcoholic and substance abusing friends, finding new friends who are either sober themselves or seek sobriety.
The Battle Within
The Greeks said “Know Thyself!” and displayed this at the Temple at Delphi. Those who seek recovery from alcoholism and substance abuse must fight the hardest battle of all- themselves. First of all, it is generally recognized that alcoholics may have inherited some genetic characteristics which cause their bodies to react to or metabolize alcohol in atypical ways. In a sense they may have inherited a unique sensibility or allergy to alcohol. Recent research in England has revealed that single base-pair point mutations in a particular gene (Gabrb1), an important part of the GABAA receptor in the brain, has particularly a strong effect on the brain’s pleasure center (the nucleus accumbens) of laboratory mice, causing them to prefer alcohol containing liquid (primarily wine) over water at least 85 percent of the time. Other*research seems to indicate that persons prone to addiction may have abnormalities in an area of the brain known as the medial forebrain pleasure circuit where the neuromodulator dopamine plays a crucial role. See a recent study by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Neuroscience Professor David. J. Linden, "The Compass of Pleasure" (New York: Viking Press, 2011); "Memoirs of An Addicted Brain- A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs" by Marc Lewis (New York: Public Affairs, 2012) and N.Y. Times, July 24, 2011, Sunday Review at p. 4. *Continued use of alcohol tends to build up “tolerance” and the body “adapts” to the alcohol by becoming physically dependent upon it. The brain chemistry changes and there may also be physical changes in the neurons’ receptor sites, altering the balance of such neurotransmitters as glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as well as the so called neuromodulators, such as dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine and norepinephrine. (For the effect this has on adolescents,, see “Why Teenagers Act Crazy” by Richard A. Friedman, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Weill Cornell Medical Center, in New York. (N.Y. Times June 29, 2014 Review Section) reporting recent research indicating that the amygdala, which forms part of the primitive portion of the brain (nucleus accumbens), develops more rapidly in adolescents than the more rational areas of the cerebral cortex. Since the amygdala deals with sensitivity to fear and governs fear response, as well as risky situations, adolescents are more prone to experience fear, as in certain social situations, and have greater difficulty unlearning fear responses. Paradoxically they are also inclined to seek out risky situations and are thus prone to be “risk takers”. When they encounter fear, such as in social gatherings, they often respond by self medication with alcohol. or, most recently, with pharmaceutical psychostimulants like Ritalin or Adderall, sales of which increased more than five fold in the ten year period 2002-2012. * Programs dealing with substance abuse, such as Rational Recovery, rely on such scientific data in discussing the so called “addictive voice”, which in response to alcohol induced changes in brain chemistry and neurology, sends covert messages to a numbed and underdeveloped cerebral cortex *to *have “just one” *“just one more” or “that didn’t do any harm- guess I can now drink moderately, a glass of wine ‘now and then‘ just like the rest of the folk").
Conclusion
Recovery from alcoholism and/or substance abuse may be the hardest battle of all. It is as if a person, unskilled at mountain climbing, wishes to ascend Mt. Everest. Rejecting the suggestions of some that he or she might do that alone, they rope up with others who quarrel among themselves or suggest tactics which may be hazardous. And all the time the would be climber must battle inward fears, doubts, temptations towards risky alternatives. And finally, in these modern times, a climber may well have a cellphone on which family members call and say how they worry. "Aren't you afraid you might slip? Wouldn't you be better at home with us? We miss you at cocktail time! One glass of wine won't hurt! Just one glass!"
W.
Recovery from alcoholism and other substance abuse is difficult, hazardous and its outcome uncertain. History and the times in which we live have hardly made this easier. How? Why”
Tradition
Alcoholism and drug abuse have traditionally been regarded as shameful, something that people wearing dirty raincoats do whiie sitting in the gutter drinking from a bottle in a crumpled paper bag. The “hopeless drunk, bum, lush, wino, etc. He/she brought it on himself!” A selfish, feckless fool. Getting his just deserts. This attitude has mellowed with the passage of time but still lurks in the background for many of those who are not familiar with the illness or who choose not to be so.
The Health “Providers”
Modern “experts”, “providers”, counselors are often ill equipped to deal with their professed specialty. One of my physicians (a psychiatrist) prescribed 100 Xanax with three refills. Another prescribed Seconol (to get to sleep) and a longer acting barbiturate (to stay asleep). A primary care physician prescribed chloral hydrate in liquid form with unlimited renewals (back in 1958 when unlimited renewals were possible). Every psychiatrist or counselor I went to prior to 1988 failed to encourage me at least to try Alcoholics Anonymous. When I asked why not they often replied, “Well you may not like it.” “Why?” I asked. “Well there may be a number of troublesome issues”. I joined a group counseling session but dropped out because most of the sessions were devoted to helping one person deal with a friend who was threatening suicide because of a dating dispute. Alcoholism was seldom discussed. Another doctor tried to enroll me in group counseling for sexual issues, saying that most alcoholism is caused by sexual confusion. I failed to enroll even though the group was coeducational.
Recovery “Plans”
There are numerous recovery plans and many of them purport to be “the” exclusive solution. Traditional AA is often confused about the “Higher Power”, purportedly anybody, anything which helps and yet somewhat implying that this must eventually turn out to be “God”. Agnostics, atheists and free thinkers are at times made to feel unwelcome, or are dropped from central listing, as in Canada.
Alternative “plans”, such as Rational Recovery, claim exclusivity, deriding AA and dispensing with the need for group support. The latter may be available through an alternative similar program, Smart Recovery. An eclectic approach, combining the best elements of several “plans” is often discouraged. Health “providers” who favor AA are sometimes said to be doing so for commercial reasons. The same has been true for those who purport to recommend moderation rather then complete sobriety.
Families and Friends
Families, such as one’s spouse or children, even grandchildren, are often justifiably concerned. Understandably they want to “help”. But alcoholism has been called a “family” disease. Unwittingly, in attempting to “help” they may become “codependent”, may become “enablers”. A parent may seek to “help” by suggesting that a son or daughter not drink secretly or alone but just have “one” glass of wine at cocktail time or dinner, learn to drink “moderately”. Or a parent, also alcoholic, may wish the companionship of a another drinker within the family. And, outside the family, an alcoholic is likely to have many drinking “buddies”, an analogue to “group therapy” where the “group” seeks reinforcement and companionship of fellow drinkers. College fraternities and “clubs” are often drinking havens. One of the real challenges of attaining sobriety is the need to distance oneself from former alcoholic and substance abusing friends, finding new friends who are either sober themselves or seek sobriety.
The Battle Within
The Greeks said “Know Thyself!” and displayed this at the Temple at Delphi. Those who seek recovery from alcoholism and substance abuse must fight the hardest battle of all- themselves. First of all, it is generally recognized that alcoholics may have inherited some genetic characteristics which cause their bodies to react to or metabolize alcohol in atypical ways. In a sense they may have inherited a unique sensibility or allergy to alcohol. Recent research in England has revealed that single base-pair point mutations in a particular gene (Gabrb1), an important part of the GABAA receptor in the brain, has particularly a strong effect on the brain’s pleasure center (the nucleus accumbens) of laboratory mice, causing them to prefer alcohol containing liquid (primarily wine) over water at least 85 percent of the time. Other*research seems to indicate that persons prone to addiction may have abnormalities in an area of the brain known as the medial forebrain pleasure circuit where the neuromodulator dopamine plays a crucial role. See a recent study by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Neuroscience Professor David. J. Linden, "The Compass of Pleasure" (New York: Viking Press, 2011); "Memoirs of An Addicted Brain- A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs" by Marc Lewis (New York: Public Affairs, 2012) and N.Y. Times, July 24, 2011, Sunday Review at p. 4. *Continued use of alcohol tends to build up “tolerance” and the body “adapts” to the alcohol by becoming physically dependent upon it. The brain chemistry changes and there may also be physical changes in the neurons’ receptor sites, altering the balance of such neurotransmitters as glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as well as the so called neuromodulators, such as dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine and norepinephrine. (For the effect this has on adolescents,, see “Why Teenagers Act Crazy” by Richard A. Friedman, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Weill Cornell Medical Center, in New York. (N.Y. Times June 29, 2014 Review Section) reporting recent research indicating that the amygdala, which forms part of the primitive portion of the brain (nucleus accumbens), develops more rapidly in adolescents than the more rational areas of the cerebral cortex. Since the amygdala deals with sensitivity to fear and governs fear response, as well as risky situations, adolescents are more prone to experience fear, as in certain social situations, and have greater difficulty unlearning fear responses. Paradoxically they are also inclined to seek out risky situations and are thus prone to be “risk takers”. When they encounter fear, such as in social gatherings, they often respond by self medication with alcohol. or, most recently, with pharmaceutical psychostimulants like Ritalin or Adderall, sales of which increased more than five fold in the ten year period 2002-2012. * Programs dealing with substance abuse, such as Rational Recovery, rely on such scientific data in discussing the so called “addictive voice”, which in response to alcohol induced changes in brain chemistry and neurology, sends covert messages to a numbed and underdeveloped cerebral cortex *to *have “just one” *“just one more” or “that didn’t do any harm- guess I can now drink moderately, a glass of wine ‘now and then‘ just like the rest of the folk").
Conclusion
Recovery from alcoholism and/or substance abuse may be the hardest battle of all. It is as if a person, unskilled at mountain climbing, wishes to ascend Mt. Everest. Rejecting the suggestions of some that he or she might do that alone, they rope up with others who quarrel among themselves or suggest tactics which may be hazardous. And all the time the would be climber must battle inward fears, doubts, temptations towards risky alternatives. And finally, in these modern times, a climber may well have a cellphone on which family members call and say how they worry. "Aren't you afraid you might slip? Wouldn't you be better at home with us? We miss you at cocktail time! One glass of wine won't hurt! Just one glass!"
W.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Earth
Posts: 607
To your original question; I don't believe the act recovering from addiction is all that difficult. The difficult part is making the ultimate decision to do so. Not that the early stages aren't rough but I've been through worse. Identifying the root cause of why you chose to escape to the comfort of constant numbness and rectifying it or at least coming to terms with it is key in my opinion.
I've spent hours and hours reading and over analyzing conflicting studies and opinions on the science of addiction and different methods of recovery. What really comes down to, no matter how you go about it, is the will to do it.
I am not degrading your well written thoughtful post. This is just the way I see it. I just no longer see it (in hindsight) as an epic battle. The struggle is only as hard as you want to make it be. I just see it as a willingness (or not) to grow up and take responsibility for yourself, no matter how old you are. Only took me 50 years and the jury's still out.
I've spent hours and hours reading and over analyzing conflicting studies and opinions on the science of addiction and different methods of recovery. What really comes down to, no matter how you go about it, is the will to do it.
I am not degrading your well written thoughtful post. This is just the way I see it. I just no longer see it (in hindsight) as an epic battle. The struggle is only as hard as you want to make it be. I just see it as a willingness (or not) to grow up and take responsibility for yourself, no matter how old you are. Only took me 50 years and the jury's still out.
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Thomas11: I don't understand your question to me, "What made you decide that
that sobriety what [sic] the right thing to do?" Do you mean "what made you decide that you needed complete sobriety ?" That's easy, I hit bottom after a severe relapse and might have died. I opted for life and happiness. After nearly 28 years it seems I got on the right path. If I'm a "dry drunk" I don't care, because time may be running out for me. I intend to be sober for the "duration", as my mother would say. After she died her friend poured Irish whiskey on her grave. I always wondered whether he then sat on her gravestone and had a snort for himself.
W.
that sobriety what [sic] the right thing to do?" Do you mean "what made you decide that you needed complete sobriety ?" That's easy, I hit bottom after a severe relapse and might have died. I opted for life and happiness. After nearly 28 years it seems I got on the right path. If I'm a "dry drunk" I don't care, because time may be running out for me. I intend to be sober for the "duration", as my mother would say. After she died her friend poured Irish whiskey on her grave. I always wondered whether he then sat on her gravestone and had a snort for himself.
W.
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Dee:
P.S. I'm not really sure what is meant by a Recovery "Plan" nor what an "holistic" approach to one might look like. Sometimes folks seem to imply that having a "plan" might consist in no more than a determination to achieve sobriety. Is this "holistic"? To me it seems rather redundant as if one were to say, "My plan to achieve sobriety was my determination to achieve it!". ("My plan to go to Glasgow was my resolve to go there. I achieved my resolve, accomplished my plan, upon my arrival!"). There is a scent of the Tao in this (When you go anywhere, there you are!") and I feel like saying, "Ah sooo!"
Best wishes to you and thanks.
Bill.
P.S. I'm not really sure what is meant by a Recovery "Plan" nor what an "holistic" approach to one might look like. Sometimes folks seem to imply that having a "plan" might consist in no more than a determination to achieve sobriety. Is this "holistic"? To me it seems rather redundant as if one were to say, "My plan to achieve sobriety was my determination to achieve it!". ("My plan to go to Glasgow was my resolve to go there. I achieved my resolve, accomplished my plan, upon my arrival!"). There is a scent of the Tao in this (When you go anywhere, there you are!") and I feel like saying, "Ah sooo!"
Best wishes to you and thanks.
Bill.
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Hi Bill
I think a plan needs to look at the reasons why we drink (or use), first and foremost, and what we might do about that.
I think it should also look at things like social life, ideas of fun, and better ways of problem solving and dealing with stress, tho.
For some of us who were 'deep in the hole' of active addiction, you might even have to look as definitions of identity. I'd defined myself as a drinker for a long long time.
Thats why I used the word 'holistic' - basically looking as all these different components as part of some bigger whole.
Although I understand not everyone will accept the disease model (and I've no desire to argue the point) it's interesting how much the medical definition of holistic approach fits:
I think for most of us a plan needs to go beyond simply not drinking, and the physical, to encompass the mental and spiritual too.
For me not drinking was the end, but simply the beginning of my journey of self improvement.
If you're interested, this link that I post fairly regularly will give you a good idea of what I mean by recovery plan in its most basic form
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ery-plans.html
D
I think a plan needs to look at the reasons why we drink (or use), first and foremost, and what we might do about that.
I think it should also look at things like social life, ideas of fun, and better ways of problem solving and dealing with stress, tho.
For some of us who were 'deep in the hole' of active addiction, you might even have to look as definitions of identity. I'd defined myself as a drinker for a long long time.
Thats why I used the word 'holistic' - basically looking as all these different components as part of some bigger whole.
Although I understand not everyone will accept the disease model (and I've no desire to argue the point) it's interesting how much the medical definition of holistic approach fits:
characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease.
For me not drinking was the end, but simply the beginning of my journey of self improvement.
If you're interested, this link that I post fairly regularly will give you a good idea of what I mean by recovery plan in its most basic form
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ery-plans.html
D
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Thanks Dee. I like to use the term "illness" instead of "disease" and I note that Bill W. felt the same way. Disease connotes passivity on the part of the patient ("I've got this disease. Please "cure" me doc"). Illness is more holistic, implying many causative factors, including voluntary acts by the sufferer (no one's going to force feed you alcohol), cultural factors, your neighborhood, the party culture at college or high school, genetic factors, etc. etc.
Thanks for the website. I'll look into it. I must say I still like to rope up if I have to climb the North Face of the Eiger.
Bill
Thanks for the website. I'll look into it. I must say I still like to rope up if I have to climb the North Face of the Eiger.
Bill
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this was a really good post, well put-together, well-articulated and so darn true!
"An eclectic approach, combining the best elements of several “plans” is often discouraged. "
This one hit me right at home.... because that's exactly the path I have followed and have run aground of that discouragement at times personally.
But - it works. For me.
"An eclectic approach, combining the best elements of several “plans” is often discouraged. "
This one hit me right at home.... because that's exactly the path I have followed and have run aground of that discouragement at times personally.
But - it works. For me.
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Alcoholism and drug abuse have traditionally been regarded as shameful, something that people wearing dirty raincoats do whiie sitting in the gutter drinking from a bottle in a crumpled paper bag. The “hopeless drunk, bum, lush, wino, etc
That was my problem. I thought that was what an alcoholic was and I wasn't that.
Awesome post painter.
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Originally Posted by silentrun
Alcoholism and drug abuse have traditionally been regarded as shameful, something that people wearing dirty raincoats do whiie sitting in the gutter drinking from a bottle in a crumpled paper bag. The “hopeless drunk, bum, lush, wino, etc
That was my problem. I thought that was what an alcoholic was and I wasn't that.
Awesome post painter.
Let this be a lesson to all of you out there. If you become easily addicted, please don't feel sheepish about it. And send that raincoat to the cleaners, why not?
W.
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