The Addiction Project - Al-Anon Family Group

akristab · Member

The Addiction Project

akristab · Member

Sorry...

I refreshed an it entered my post again.

Friendofyours · ~*Service Worker*~

Thank you for the info. I will watch out for it ;)

annmarie · ~*Service Worker*~

thanks akristab,
I had a look at the website, very informative.

Interesting counsellor's view that one does not have to hit rock bottom in order to find recovery.This was new to me!
Thanks for sharing
AM

Alanoner · Veteran Member

Thanks for sharing this info. I looked at the site and really learned a LOT.

I am SO happy taht researchers are studying addiction like this, so many people need help!

This part was interesting, here is a quote:

Alcoholics can stop drinking simply by attending AA meetings, so they can't have a brain
The key word here is "simply." For most people, AA is a tough, lifelong working of the Twelve Steps. On the basis of research, we know that this support system of people with a common experience is one of the active ingredients of recovery in AA. AA doesn't work for everyone, even for many people who truly want to stop drinking.

LOL, it is clearly a mistake, since there is no period at the end of brain. I have to wonder though if it is perhaps a fraudian slip, LOL.

Interesting that they say research shows that AA doesn't work for everyone, even for people who are truly committed to the program. People here share that also, that some of their A's have found recovery without knowing a single thing about AA. That actually backs up AA's own findings, that they only have a 10% "recovery" rate (this is based on people avoiding relapse for at least ten years). This is probably figured based on the chips they award for so many years sober, they probably don't keep track of names and such, just numbers.

This website refutes a lot of what AA says, that you have to hit bottom to get better, although I am sure that is true for many people. But this explains why some people keep drinking despite liver failure and other dire medical conditions. A death sentence if pretty much hitting bottom, but it does not deter many people. This website states that hitting bottom is not a good place to start treatment, since you have nothing to try and protect and save, you have pretty much lost everything and so have little motivation to try and salvage your life.

What I would like to see is AA and these scientists working TOGETHER rather than refuting each other. Imagine how many people could be helped if the caring support system of AA was "married" to cutting edge research.

AA was founded in the dark ages of pharmacology and psychology, when it was not known that people self medicate mentall illness. When AA was founded, alcholism was thought to be solely a "spiritual disease" and not a physical or psychological one. They did not know at that time about psychiatric drugs that can help mentall illness and not drive people to self medicate.

Imagine the power behind a comprehensive program, where people get physical help for their physical problems, psychological help for their mentall disorders, and loving support from AA. Where AA is not seen as an EXCLUSIVE "one size fits all" approach and a person suffering from a mental illness and self medicating is told that all they have is a 'spiritual disease". It would be great if AA became a realy strong support system that worked along with science, and stopped telling people all they have is a spiritual disease. I read that in the old days of AA that people weren't even allowed to take an aspirin tablet, and that hard line has not changed officially, although people understand today that this type of thinking simply belongs in the dark ages. Even the hardest liners in AA understand that people must take medications prescribed for them by their doctors. It would be nice though for AA to acknowledge that in PRINT and keep up with the times and not make people think that they are weak or not really following the program if their doctor says they need xanax for anxiety for example.

I once read that clergymen have the HIGHEST rates of alcholism of all professionals, scary. Specialists say it is likely due to the depression they experience to take on all of the pain of their parishioners, as they listen and counsel them. I would think that a person who has devoted their life to spiritual pursuits and religious studies and the spiritual care and comfort of others is a pretty 'spiritual" person, so what could AA really do for them to tell them that they are suffering from a "spiritual disease"?

Thank goodness we have alanon, because I really don't see scientists really studying the effects of alcoholism on others that much. Well, our time will come, right now they are attacking the problem the right way, help the addicts and then hopefully there will be less people needing alanon like I do.

Thank you once again for sharing this, just reading it has helped me to have a different view of my close family member who is a chronic alcholic.

I will look forward to watching it!

abbyal · ~*Service Worker*~

I am sure it's a great series to watch but for me it is still about *them* and I grew tired of trying to understand them and focused on why I allowed what I did , there was definetly something wrong with my thinking way back then . I will never understand them any more than they will understand how the behavior affected me . . enjoy !!

barisax · Senior Member

Alanoner wrote:
hat I would like to see is AA and these scientists working TOGETHER rather than refuting each other. Imagine how many people could be helped if the caring support system of AA was "married" to cutting edge research.

Tradition 6:
"An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."

Tradition 8:
"Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers."

Tradition 10:
"10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy."

The presence of these traditions and their wording is on purpose. It's based on the experience of early AA attempts to do just what you suggest.

Much of the anti-AA propaganda I have seen claims there is a "conspiracy" or some kind of "professional" arm of AA that exists to make money from treatment programs and the like. The fact that this is utterly untrue - due to adherance to tradition 6, 8, and 10 by the individual, independent AA groups - renders this propaganda impotent.

Science will continue to explore causes, conditions, and treatment for alcoholism and other addictions. Individuals - whether members of AA or not - are free to participate in this research and study... or not, as they choose. There is no "corporate AA" that could "partner up" with science, as you propose. It simply doesn't exist. If someone were to create such a thing, it would immediately be something separate from AA, because it would neither be answerable to AA groups, nor would it have any authority over AA groups.

This often-questioned, frequently misunderstood facet of AA is what has enabled it to survive for the past 72 years. As an individual AA member, I am entitled to say that it has worked for me. I will not suggest it is the only way, nor can I declare any statistics because they are not available.

It may very well be possible that science will discover a cure for addiction during my lifetime. If I could swallow a pill to cure being fat, I'd do it tomorrow. If there was a pill to cure alcoholism, I might use it... might not. But I'd be very sad if there was no AA, if it were replaced by a pill.

I consider myself logical, and scientific - I am not a religious fanatic. But as Mister Spock would say, "It is illogical to assume one knows everything".

I am only 100% certain of one thing, and that is that I don't know everything. And I'm 99.99% sure that there isn't just one answer to the problem of addiction.

Barisax

virjennyan · Member

Actually, scientists are very much aware of the effects of addiction on others, although it is not so well known to the general public. It is now common belief among most professionals who work in the substance abuse field, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse states, that addiction is a family disease (meaning relatives & loved ones are affected and become sick by the disease) and that the most successful and thorough treatments include treatment for all those affected by the disease. However, practice has not necessarily caught up with belief, in part b/c insurance companies are not gung-ho in supporting this. But, more and more treatment programs are including separate & combined programs for the family.

My mother attended one for codependency and it has helped her tremendously. She works every day at not allowing this disease to consume her every thought and behavior. She is learning what is healthy control, and what is not. She has made great progress in learning to set boundaries and stick to them, and to not take on the addict's responsibilities anymore in trying to "save" him from consequences of his actions or lack of action.

In getting educated about the disease, we all learned what enabling behaviors are - behaviors that support the disease without meaning to do so. So, we are more mindful of behaving in ways that do not support the disease (in making it easier for the addict to use).

Many families in addiction (affected by addiction) are not well educated about the disease. HBO's project is attempting to change this. Often, people in close contact with an addict become sick from the disease in ways such as being co-dependent, enabling, developing unhealthy coping mechanisms, assuming or assigning unhealthy roles in the family, stressed out, physically ill, etc.., many times without even realizing it. Getting educated and seeking support through groups like Al-Anon helps loved ones live more healthy lives that are not controlled by the disease.

For me, learning to separate the disease from the individual helped me a great deal in coping with the situation and being less angry. By getting educated in the disease, I gained a lot of understanding - no longer wondering why, why, why like I did before.

-- Edited by virjennyan at 01:24, 2007-03-07

virjennyan · Member

Forgot to mention to those of you without HBO... Many cable companies are offering free viewing of the documentary. Check out www.addictionaction.org to see if your cable company is listed.

I hope everyone can watch it!

The material presented here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method to exchange information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal level.