Thanks for your uplifting and illuminating contribution, Ian.
The human spirit can overcome horrific setbacks given half a chance.
Unfortunately, our Leader Howard is refusing to give people in desperate
need that half a chance.
Howard reminds me of ''A blind man on a galloping horse" , on many of these
vital societal issues.
Laurie
Laurie and Desley Forde [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Henderson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Recoznet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Sunday, February 14, 1999 1:44 PM
Subject: [recoznet2] Howard and addiction.
>Friends,
>
>I am an alcoholic and a drug addict. These substances almost killed me four
>times: three times when I woke up in the intensive care ward of the Wimmera
Base
>Hospital as a result of suicide attempts, and once when I was told by my GP
in
>Darwin that I had two months to live because my liver was on the verge of
>collapse. This latter was interesting because whilst being given this news
all I
>could think of was, "I wish you would hurry up because the Parap is open".
That
>is the pub across the road. But he would not give up and between him, the
rehab.
>unit in Darwin, and Alcoholics Anonymous (and to a lesser extent Narcotics
>Anonymous) I have not felt the need to drink or drug for fifteen years.
>
>I would like to stress three points that apply to both AA and NA. First,
>addiction is a disease which has physical, mental and spiritual aspects.
This is
>why it cannot be successfully treated by a 'pill'. Secondly, no addict
reaches
>that state because it is a nice day and they think they will go out and
become
>an addict; there is always some underlying, usually psychological,
influence.
>Thirdly, once one experiences addiction it can never be 'cured', only kept
in
>remission That is why I will be attending meetings as part of the AA
programme
>for the rest of my life.
>
>Both AA and NA subscribe to these points. Stopping drinking or using
without
>experienced support is to condemn an addict to a personal hell. Again, in
both
>cases the power of the support is that our advice is based on what we did,
not
>what we say. I am unclear about the NA stats. but I do know that AA can
boast
>close to three million members throughout the world who have been sober in
>excess of twelve months. This is a record that has not been approached by
any
>similar organisation in this field. The only significant success that the
>Salvos. or any similar organisation or rehab centre have is to the extent
that
>their clients take up the AA or NA programmes.
>
>In all of such situations there are always exceptions. But they are usually
>quite statistically insignificant. When ever I am advised of some miracle
cure
>for addiction I always ask what is the number of your successes, how long
have
>they been sober and do they appear happy. So far I have found no system
which
>can provide numbers even approaching those of AA or NA.
>
>Finally, I have many friends - twenty five I could name easily in Perth -
who
>have been sober in AA between 25 and 45 years. Most have come back from the
>bottom of the social ladder. (Commonly known as in the getter.)
>
>When John Howard starts consulting longtime sober members of AA and NA in
>conjunction with new medical finds which ease the burden of that first
twelve
>months of being 'clean and sober' then we, as the community, might get
>somewhere. But of course 'pigs might fly' because it would require some
>courageous decisions and John Howard, as we all know, is not given to such
act
>of bravery.
>
>Finally, there are organisations in train, associated with AA, who look
after
>friends and dependents of alcoholics and then the equivalent in NA. For AA
they
>are Alanon (friends and dependents) and Alateen (children of alcoholics).
>
>Ian H.
>
>
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>
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