Randy Cassingham's Blog

Posted by John, East Texas on December 31, 2010:

I am sorry for being such a weak and stupid asshole jerk. I just wish they had a non-religious organization for us alcoholics who have no faith in an invisible "higher power" for which there is not a jot of evidence.

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An appropriate first comment -- thank you! I'm far from an expert on AA, but I do understand the complaint. As I understand it, AA has backed away from equating the "higher power" with "god", and the main point is to get the members to stop thinking the universe revolves around them. The "higher power" can simply be nature; are you more powerful than a hurricane, an earthquake, a tornado? No? Then you've taken the first step away from thinking of yourself as the supreme being. If the AA chapter you tried isn't liberal enough to let you use nature (or the sun, or the universe, or whatever floats your boat), then try another one. The important part is to find a group that you can feel comfortable in, and then find a sponsor there who will work with you, since that's when the real work begins. Just don't give up so easily. -rc

Posted by Gloria, Bradenton, Florida on December 31, 2010:

I'd like to state that alcoholic behavior is present at times when there is no drinking. Alcoholism is like a stone dropped in a pond which circles out to affect everyone in the family. My sweet grandfather innocently became drunk every Saturday night on his own homemade wine. (He was a coal miner and probably needed it.) However, his behavior severely affected his family and its repercussions are seen at every age level of my family.

Posted by Mike from Dallas on December 31, 2010:

I'm baffled over the way that different vices affect different people. I've done a lot of drinking and getting plastered through the years, but never experienced any addiction. When money was tight, there was no booze. When responsibilities demanded my attention, booze was not part of the package. Nowadays, I just don't even have the interest. Just lucky, really.

Because kicking the smoking habit was murder for me. Anyone who thinks I'm a stubborn pig-headed obstructionist doesn't know the half of it when I had to apply it to myself. And many years later, I still experience a rare, momentary urge to light up.

Only when society gets away from this stupid "Just Say No" crap will there be a chance to understand addiction in general and formulate a way of correcting it in specific.

I have the utmost respect for recovered alcoholics who've grabbed the monkey by the throat and continue to strangle it in order to keep control over their lives. And as others have said, it's not failure to not succeed; only failure when you quit trying.

Posted by Brendan Illinois on December 31, 2010:

When I read this, "It astounds me to realize how many cops, prosecutors, and judges don't seem to realize how much crime can be directly traced to addiction." I immediately thought of an article I read the other day about the success of Argentina's softer policy on drug use. (don't quote me on the country).

Basically the article said that drug use was decriminalized, though possession wasn't. That people who would have previously be sent to criminal court were immediately sent to rehab.

There was no spike in drug use and addiction rates seemed to stay the same, but the cost of sending these folks to rehab and other various health and safety measures was actually less than the cost of prosecuting and detaining people as criminals. While yes some people are undoubtedly taking advantage of the law in the end the problems caused by drug use are being reduced.

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The country is Portugal. See the last line of my essay for a link to the article. -rc

Posted by Felix, Dutch Flat on December 31, 2010:

Minor quibble -- prohibition started in 1919 or 1920, ended in 1934.

That comment about "alcohol (and many other drugs) grossly inflate their egos" ... not being much of a drinker myself, and never having been an alcoholic, I do have acquaintances who drink until they pass out, every day, all day long. My impression has been that they drink because they don't want to be conscious. I mean that literally -- they are afraid to be with their own thoughts I suppose, afraid to have to interact with people, and so they drink because they know it clobbers their brain, slows them down, and simplifies existence itself while they are drunk. There's probably a term for it. But I have never thought of them that they drink to inflate their egos. If anything, they drink to become dumber, because they hate being alone with their own thoughts.

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Thanks for the correction on Prohibition. I should have looked it up. -rc

Posted by Denise, Missouri on December 31, 2010:

I am not an addict, but I've been married to two of them. I have some experience with both AA and NA (Narcotics Anonymous). Some groups are Christ centered, but most are not. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are non-religious organizations, and they always have been. If you want help, it is there. As far as I know (and according to all I have ever seen) the only groups that don't allow you to choose anything you like as your higher power are those that are specifically Christian -- and they will always tell you in advance if they are. Unless you live in the middle of nowhere, there is a non-religious AA group available to you if you look around. Your best bet is to talk to recovering alcoholics in your local area to find out where the various groups are and when they meet.

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Thanks for reminding me about NA. I'll put a link to them in the essay too. -rc

Posted by Terry, Ill. on January 1, 2011:

Thank you for pointing out that there is help if you choose to look for it. My wife and I are both recovering members of both programs. She AA me NA. She stopped drinking after the birth of her daughter 32 years ago. She will be the first to tell you it was the hardest thing for her to do. But she did it.

Myself with NA was after a short term Vacation in a state run hotel. My point here is that reading the stories you provide are a reminder to NEVER go back to that life and enjoy the lives we now have. Thank you Randy.

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I'm very glad if TRUE has helped you in any way. -rc

Posted by Cal, New Jersey on January 1, 2011:

AA might give you a broad choice of higher powers, but the only higher power you can't choose is yourself, and the fact is that YOU are the only one with the power to stop your drinking. If somebody goes to AA and stops drinking, it wasn't because of AA; they made the choice when they sought help.

Only 5% of people going to an AA meeting for the first time will still be sober after 12 months. That's the same portion of people quitting on their own, without AA. It's as good as nothing, and my feeling is that a treatment program is worse than nothing when it is court-ordered religious nothing.

A drug called naltrexone is known to suppress cravings for alcohol, and certain psychedelic drugs have shown promise in a few trials. If addiction is a disease, it's time we treated it with modern scientific methods rather than trying to convince people that they are weak, diseased, and powerless people who need to surrender themselves to a higher power if they ever want to stop screwing up their lives with drugs and alcohol.

The only step an alcoholic needs to take is to take control of his own life. It's not easy, but drinking is not a disease, it is a behaviour, and the only person who can control it is yourself.

John -- you'll be happy to know you have a non-(quasi-)religious alternative in the Secular Organizations for Sobriety.

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Thanks for the alternative source for help. Naltrexone is far from perfect, either: the NIH notes it needs to be supported with counseling and a sponsor, and has the potential for liver damage. Advanced alcoholics have plenty of liver problems already. But I do agree that we could do much more to find a "cure" that would work for more people. -rc

Posted by Allan, Fontana CA on January 3, 2011:

Randy wrote: The "disease" of alcoholism isn't a personality defect, he argues, but simply an inability in their bodies to process alcohol correctly.

My wife works on a crisis team that helps to assess people who may be a danger to themselves or others. Many of these patients have been diagnosed with mental health issues and have received a prescription. The problem is that while they're taking their medicine, they start to feel "normal" - and so they think they don't need to take the medicine anymore. Either that, or they feel that the medicine is a "crutch" or somehow makes them abnormal.

My wife's response to this always starts out the same: "Even if you need to take medicine for the rest of your life, that does not mean you have a personality defect. You have a chemical imbalance in your brain, and some of these drugs might help to correct that."

Not exactly the same thing, but certainly quite similar.

I think that she usually does NOT tell patients is that she has MS, and takes medicine daily - probably for the rest of her life. (I take daily medication for life too, although my medical conditions aren't in the brain.)

It's amazing to me that the "stigma" of taking doctor-prescribed medication in the privacy of your own home (why? Is there a personality defect?), is worse than the "stigma" of getting drunk or stoned, or having hallucinations, or trying to kill someone (why? Is this person a jerk?)

Every person on Earth has to deal with hardships. For some people, the hardships are easy to see (a teen with abusive parents has to decide to sleep in an alley, or sleep in a bed but get beaten first). For others, it's hard to identify with (Imported caviar is so expensive, will I have to switch to domestic?) but no less real for that person. I think that how strangers might perceive your problems should be the LAST thing you worry about, when dealing with these issues. Get advice from people you love and respect, then make up your own mind and stick to it. That's the only way to make sure that the solutions will really last.

Posted by Bonnie, Florida on January 3, 2011:

I used to work in an alcohol and drug rehab clinic and we actually envied the low recidivism of the AA program. They were the gold standard in the days of limited drug support and in patient counseling for the rich and somewhat famous. I suspect they still are but have not checked recent stats.

When we came up with methadone for drug addicts we were hopeful but not wildly enthusiastic. We did not use narcan /naltrexone maintenance but to reverse immediate narcotic stupor. It is painful and very unkind.

The drug we used for alcoholics was antabuse and it had a habit of killing people if their disease drove them to drink with it in their system. Most of them just skipped the pills and then had a drink. We always made them take a small dose followed by a beer to show them what would happen. Most did not dare take antabuse and drink. Those that did had disastrous results.

So we thought methadone would turn up to have some really bad side effects too. And it did, they liked the stuff. Most were long past being able to get high on the drugs. They were just trying to keep from being "sick." So they changed their drug of choice to methadone until they got "well" enough to decrease their tolerances and develop the ability to get high again. Sighhhhhhhhhh.

It would be great if all you needed was "willpower" to get well. You need help from many different sources and a lot of patience. There are many paths to success and it sometimes takes many years to finally get it behind you.

To those of you who made the journey, I salute you. To those en route, I admire you and wish you well. And don't listen to jerks, if what you are doing is not working for you; find another program. One of them will work.