Some musings

As I think about the wonders and joy of recovery I sometimes wonder why some don't seem to want the recovery lifestyle. AA would say that person is "constitutionally incapable of beings honest with himself." .. Chapter 5 Alcoholics Anonymous . Some would say they are lazy, some would say morally depraved. Perhaps lack of willingness comes closest to the way I see it. If a person is even somewhat willing the miracle can happen. But if willingness doesn't exist chances of recovery are slim to none.

What does recovery offer? Happiness, joy and freedom. Is this automatic? Not at all. Recovery is also hard work and requires constant vigilance. This is no different than diabetes or heart disease. Some research suggests that the recovery rates from addiction are actually higher than from the other diseases. Do you hear that insurance companies and policy makers??? Just as with any other major life transition, garbage in, garbage out. To reach recovery we must do things that are so foreign to us and at times so onerous, we would prefer to return to the hell pit we came out of.

I don't think we will ever have the total answer to that question but I am grateful that so many of us have found the answer.

Celebrity Rehab Again!

I recently read an article in Oprah Magazine written by Samantha Dunn. The author did a good job presenting a picture of what happens at the "rehab". How Dr. Drew can call this a rehab experience is beyond this writer. Most people don't get a pay check for going to rehab. I don't necessarily see this as a bad idea and certainly it is one of the most palatable parts of this travesty. That said, it does tend to skew a persons participation. The sad thing here is that these people are desperately ill, the combination of drugs they use could cause death on any given occasion. Have we, as a society, gotten to the point where we enjoy seeing others misery so much that we don't care whether they are being exploited for our "viewing pleasure"?

In the article, Dr. Drew says he had moments of doubt and questioned why he was doing this. He didn't ask the right questions, if he had, he would not have gone ahead with this project. One of my passions is reducing the stigma that addicts face in recovery, this can only serve to make it worse by showing the darkest side of addiction without showing how recovery changes lives. Shame on you Dr. Drew.

Alcohol Problems Affect 1 Out of 3 Americans

Is anybody really surprised by that? I'm sure some are shocked but I am not one of those people. abcnews.go.com reports research shows that 30.3 percent of the U.S. population has, at some time in their lives, had an alcohol use disorder. This does not mean that 30.3 percent of the population are alcoholic, but that many people have sufferred disruption in their lives to to their use of alcohol. 12.5 per cent could be diagnosed as alcohol dependent according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel (DSM) which is the bible of diagnostic criteria for both substance abuse and mental health disorders. I ask all to think about what that means to our society. What about the friends and family of these people? What about employers? What about the healthcare system. Stay tuned.

Too Little Too Late

On January 29th of this year, President Bush visited a faith-based addiction program in Baltimore;he talked about his own "recovery". He said he "drank too much" but didn't call himself an alcoholic. Trust me if he were truly in recovery and living the 12 steps this country wouldn't be in the mess it is today. He could have been a conduit to reducing stigma but instead chose to perpetuate the problem Oh well, maybe one day......

Rehab Now a Political Strategy?

Hi all, been gone for awhile but now am back. While watching the sunday talk shows I heard one pundit say "Hillary should check into rehab that would insure more attention". Is this what we have come to? A lifesaving medical intervention is now seen as a strategy to win an election? Thank you Celebrity Rehab and all those rags at the super market checkout. Rehab is a service that isn't available to most who need it and certainly would not work if a person WERE using it as a part of a strategy to benefit themselves. It makes me sad to realize that addictive disease is still stigmatized; and is seen as something to joke about on TV. Imagine the person who might want to stand up and advocate for treatment?? I have been in recovery long enough not to be concerned about stigma for myself but I certainly understand the concerns of those who don't have the same longevity in recovery.

Recovery takes hard work and committment and shouldn't be joked about!!!!!!!

Most Don't Get It

Yesterday I read a feed from ABC news that talked about some physicians now saying that it is ok for women to drink "a little" during pregnancy. One individual thought that one drink a day was moderate. It is questionable whether this can be considered moderate during pregnancy but, then, I am not a doctor. I am person who is passionate about treatment and recovery and I am baffled by the fact that some women and their doctors endorse drinking during pregnancy.

Why wouldanybody want to take the risk of harming their unborn child in a manner that is totally preventable??? The doctors were quoted as saying that 13 - 14% of the pregnant women they see choose to drink during pregnancy. I guess they don't know that this is approximately the prevalence of alcoholism in the general population. Could these women be unable to stop drinking??? Did the doctors address that question???? Did these physicians give their patients information on FAS and FAE to help these women make a more informed decision? I'll bet not.

I could go on about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy and the consequences to the baby. I am sure none of these women would put alcohol in their babies bottle at the age of 1 week but yet they don'ty mind feeding them alcohol in utero. So choosing to drink strikes me as extremely selfish and self centered. Those of you who know about addiction, does that srike a chord?

My hope is that women who choose to drink have the information they need to make that decision and the resources they need if they CAN'T make a choice.

Go Giants

Families in Recovery

Yesterday I had the pleasure of presenting a "Family in Recovery" program to a group of people who have either children, spouses or parents in early recovery from addiction. It has been my experience that most families in this situation are struggling for answere and yet blaming themselves. They don't understand why their loved one became addicted and wonder why "they can't just quit". If only it were that easy. Addiction, my friends, is a brain disease that doesn't just stop because a person stops putting drugs in their system. Recovery is a lifetime process which requires hard work. That hard work takes time and unfortunately families sometimes don't understand why their loved one is so wrapped up in getting better. Quite a paradox, the thing they wanted most takes their loved one into a whole new world which initially may not include them. Family education helps with this and support groups for the family, such as ala-non, help even more.

To see the look of understanding, relief and hope on the faces of these families is a joy to behold. I take this opportunity to salute all the families who are in recovery.