ALCOHOLICS CAN BE CURED DESPITE A.A.

[Guest guest]

Hi all

This was posted by a stepper on addict-l. I deleted his

reports of how the AA inner party responded to it, as I

have no way of knowing that his report of them is accurate.

wilson is reported as responding with the usual pious

appeal to humility. in fact, i dont actually know that

*this* article is genuine - the poster has a fondness for

writing spoof articles parodying harm reductuctionist and

other perspectives including bogus citations and the like.

the fact that there arent any in this ( and in his intro to

his post he attacked it) suggests that it is genuine.

Pete

Nationally-distributed criticism of AA first appeared

in a 1963 Harpers Magazine article.

ALCOHOLICS CAN BE CURED—DESPITE A.A.

By Dr. Arthur H. Cain

An expert charges that Alcoholics anonymous has become a

dogmatic

cult that blocks medical progress and hampers many

members’ lives.

" It is time we made a thorough investigation of Alcoholics Anonymous in

the interest of our public health. A.A. is

identified in the public mind as a God-fearing fellowship of 350,000

" arrested alcoholics " who keep one

another sober and rescue others from the horrors of alcoholism.

Unfortunately, A.A. has become a dogmatic

cult whose chapters too often turn sobriety into slavery to A.A.

Because of its narrow outlook, Alcoholics

Anonymous prevents thousands from ever being cured. Moreover A.A has

retarded scientific research into one

of America's most serious health problems.

" My own experience with A.A. began in 1947. As a psychologist and

investigator into the causes and cure of

uncontrolled drinking, I have attended about 500 A.A. meetings in over

40 states and a dozen foreign

countries. At first I was tremendously impressed with A.A.'s

altruistic efforts in alcoholics' behalf. Its members

would perform prodigies of selfless service, no matter what the hour

by meeting the helpless and sodden in

hospitals, flophouses and homes, and offering their sympathy, a

helping hand, and their own example that

temptation could be withstood. At the weekly meetings, which all A.A.

members attended, there was a true

sense of humility and a devout belief in God (We " came to believe that

a Power greater than ourselves could

restore us to sanity " ) and the fellowship of man—the original tenets

of A.A. New members were given the

freedom to question A.A.'s guiding principles codified in the Twelve

Traditions and the Twelve Steps of

Recovery. '

" Over the years a disturbing change began to take place. As an

increasing number of alcoholics joined A.A.

chapters many turned out to be misfits who had rejected Christianity,

Judaism or the Kiwanis Club. Dogmatic

and opinionated in their nonbeliefs, they found in A.A. an instrument

for a new kind of bigotry. Their only

meaning in life was that they had heroically become " arrested "

alcoholics. Arrogant egoists, they soon

dominated many of A.A.'s 10,000 chapters. Weekly meetings, once

spontaneous and exciting, became

formalized and ritualistic. Anyone who questioned A.A.'s principles or

even expressed curiosity was handed the

slogan, Utilize, Don’t Analyze, and told to sit down. The desire to

help others degenerated. As one

disheartened former A.A. member told me, " I felt nobody cared what

happened to W. I felt they were

just interested in another alcoholic who would become another notch in

their belts. I felt as if I was being

pressed into serving their cause and building up their oligarchy. "

" With this growing dogmatism came a Dark Ages attitude toward any

scientist who might differ with official

A.A. doctrine. According to the A.A. litany, alcoholism is a physical

disease which can never be cured: " Once

an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. " The corollary is: " A reformed

alcoholic must live A.A. from day to day and

never leave A.A. "

" Actually, there is no scientific evidence that alcoholism is an

incurable, physical disease. According to current

evidence, the origin of uncontrolled drinking is psychological. A

person drinks to ease anxiety, depression,

boredom, guilt, timidity, inarticulateness. An alcoholic learns to

become one; he is not born that way. This

means that many alcoholics can return to normal drinking without fear

of ending up on Skid Row. Over the past

17 years I have treated more than 50 alcoholics who no longer need to

attend meetings or receive treatment.

Most important, over 20 of my patients have learned to drink normally,

to use alcohol as a beverage, not a

psychological crutch.

" Yet when scientists have reported similar findings, A.A. members have

often set out to discredit them. In 1957

Doctors Melvin L. Selzer and Holloway of the University of

Michigan came up with the then startling

report that 13 confirmed alcoholics had become social drinkers.

Because of the pressure of an influential A.A.

member, the state agency that provided the funds for the study

virtually ordered the two scientists to omit what

it called these " embarrassing " findings. Doctor Selzer published his

findings anyway.

" In 1962 Dr. D.L. Davies, after a study at Maudsley Hospital in London,

declared that seven men who had

been alcoholics were able to drink normally after treatment, some had

been drinking without problems for as

long as 11 years. Doctor Davies concluded that 'the generally accepted

view that no alcohol addict can ever

again drink normally should be modified. " Some A.A. members branded

the scientist's report " immoral,

because it might cause some members to drink. "

" Dr. E. M. Jellinek, a cofounder of the Yale School of Alcohol Studies

and a dean of researchers in the field of

alcoholism until his death in 1963, was drawing on his own experience

when he declared: " . . . Alcoholics

Anonymous have naturally created the picture of alcoholism in their

own image . . . and there is every reason

why the student of alcoholism should emancipate himself from accepting

this exclusiveness as propounded by

A.A. "

" Not only has A.A. interfered with scientific investigations, it has

prevented medical and psychological treatment

which runs counter to its own theories. At one New York City hospital,

for instance, the physicians preferred

using paraldehyde to treat acute intoxication. But then A.A. members

implied that they would stop referring

patients there if paraldehyde was used. The doctors were persuaded to

switch to another drug, chloral hydrate.

As the physician in charge of the alcoholics' ward explained, the A.A.

non-scientists had discovered that

paraldehyde was a form of alcohol. Actually, chloral hydrate is the

more toxic drug. In fact, its indiscriminate

use in another New York hospital has left some patients more

intoxicated upon discharge than when they were

admitted.

" While A.A. adherents battle scientific inquiry that does not fit

A.A.'s narrow theories, its chapters often attempt

to assume control of members' lives. Purporting to offer everything

needed for human fulfillment, the fellowship

now boasts of a " ladies auxiliary, " called Al-Anon, for spouses of

members and even a division for members'

children called Alateen. It suggests that the youngsters open their

meetings by reciting this incantation: " We will

always be grateful to Alateen for giving us a Way of Life and a

wonderful, healthy program to live by and

enjoy! " Implied is the distressing theory that there is no other way

of life for alcoholics except that of A.A.—a

life in which every waking hour is devoted to the struggle for sobriety.

" The wife of a Texas member described some unfortunate consequences of

A.A.'s creed that the struggle

against alcohol must be the most important ambition in a member's

life. " This must be placed above wives or

husbands, children homes, or jobs. They must be ready to abandon these

things at any time.... The tragic part

is, some of them while searching for this sobriety and serenity

actually do exactly that. " How pervasive the

obsession with A.A. can become was poignantly demonstrated by a

patient who had come to me because of

worries about her A.A. husband. He had proposed that they move their

bed into the A.A. clubhouse so they

might be " avail able 24 hours a day just in case an alcoholic wandered

in. "

" For many members, of course, staying sober is a fierce challenge

daily. But under the A.A. program, the lives

of many are so sterile that their growth as human beings is hindered.

Taught to rely or slogans and compulsive

A.A. routine, some are unable to face the fact that they are

alcoholics because they are psychologically sick. It

is for this reason that many A.A. members never recover.

" A New Hampshire novelist and former A.A. member, who has been

continuously sober for eight years,

described this human waste when he wrote me- " I have met members who

are actually afraid to think. They

have made a high fence of A.A., which shuts them out from all

pleasurable and vital aspects of life. "

" Behind the A.A. fence the original principle that alcoholics must be

humble before God has been turned into the

dictum that alcoholics are God's chosen people. This theme is preached

in meetings and through books and

pamphlets. A typical illustration is a booklet titled. " Around the

Clock With A.A., " published recently by an

A.A. group in California. One passage declares: " God in His wisdom

selected this group of men and women to

be the purveyors of His goodness.... He went right to the drunkard,

the so-called weakling of the world. Well

might He have said to us: 'Unto your weak and feeble hands I have

entrusted- power beyond estimate. To you

has been given that which has been denied the most learned of your

fellows. Not to scientists or statesmen, not

to wives or mothers, not even to my priests or ministers have I given

this gift of helping other alcoholics which I

entrust to you. " ' Such idolatry causes the believer to see himself as

all-knowing, and turns the missionary into

the zealot.

" A.A.'s creeds not only infect its own members but pervade public

education. Most of what we hear or read

about alcoholism is inspired by A.A. adherents spouting A.A. dogmas.

City, state and private agencies

frequently fill all key posts with A.A. members. One western state

actually requires that personnel assigned to

its alcoholism program be A.A. members for at least two years. No

professional experience is needed. The

A.A. philosophy also dominates the National Council on Alcoholism, the

only nationwide public-information

agency on alcoholism. N.C.A., which is supported by public donations,

has over 60 affiliated information

committees scattered throughout the country. Although both N.C.A. and

A.A. deny that they are officially

connected, many members of N.C.A.'s staff and some directors are A.A.

members. A.A. members serve as

directors in eight out of ten N.C.A. information centers in the

largest cities in the United States.

" Thus, it is not surprising that N.C.A. continues to parrot the A.A.

line that alcoholism is a " progressive disease

for which there is no known cure, but which can only be arrested. "

Further, N.C.A. in a series of radio and TV

commercials actually stated that the American Medical Association had

declared alcoholism to be a disease,

although the A.M.A. has restricted itself to general statements that

the alcoholic is " sick. " Time and again, I

have heard public figures recite A.A.-N.C.A. myths and propaganda as

if they were gospel.

" I once heard Arthur Flemming, former Secretary of Health, Education

and Welfare, read verbatim a

pronouncement on alcoholism which I knew had been prepared a year

earlier by N.C.A.'s public-relations

firm. Flemming offered the now familiar " statistic " that there are

five million alcoholics in the United States. This

figure is based on a study Doctor Jellinek of Yale conducted 18 years

ago in a small community; he thought he

had found that three percent of the population were alcoholics. N.C.A.

applied this percentage to the whole

nation. Doctor Jellinek, a great physiologist but no statistician,

repudiated his own formula in 1956. The

five-million figure is only a guess, for- no scientific count of

alcoholics has ever been made.

" While N.C.A. issues well-intended but sometimes questionable facts and

theories, A.A. officials, when

pressed, often hide behind the famous Tenth Tradition, which states

that " Alcoholics Anonymous has no

opinion on outside issues, hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn

into public controversy. " This device

enables members of A.A. to make outrageous assertions which A.A.'s

head quarters promptly disavows when

challenged. " Many people I have tried to help, " said one Chicago

member, 'have abandoned the program just

because they couldn't take the ex cathedra homilies on drugs, alcohol,

psychiatry, medicine, sociology,

biology, to name a few subjects on which they speak with authority. "

" Much of A.A.'s failure can be blamed, on a lack of forward-looking,

constructive leadership. Writer Jerome

Ellison recently spent several months as a paid consultant to A.A.

evaluating the fellowship's publications and

activities. At national headquarters in New York City, Ellison

declared, committee politics took up half the

working day, and gossip was venomous. Everybody was an expert, Ellison

went on, " with a cluster of ideas

closed to amendment. " He related how one member had submitted to the

A.A. monthly bulletin an article which

showed that nearly all southern and a great many northern A.A.

chapters were racially segregated, and that

A.A. had failed to keep pace with the growing, problem of Negro

alcoholism. The article was turned down on

the ground that it " might disrupt A.A. unity. "

" Ellison's most damning indictment concerned the rule made by A.A.'s

nonalcoholic board of trustees that no

change can be made in A.A.'s theories on, alcoholism even though they

are nearly a quarter of a century old.

" Despite the fact that the rank and file teems with exciting,

relevant, informed and up-to-the-minute experience, "

Ellison declared, " none of it is permitted to appear in book form. To

publish such literature, it is felt, would be

to risk heresy. "

" Needless to say, I do not suggest that A.A. be abolished or that a

single member quit. That A.A. helps many

thousands stay sober is obvious. But Alcoholics Anonymous should

return to its original purpose of being a

much-needed first-aid station. The " arrest " of uncontrolled drinking

is the essential first step in becoming a

recovered or cured alcoholic. During this critical period, the

alcoholic needs the sympathy and understanding

that only another alcoholic can give. But after three months or so,

when the shakes have subsided and the

cobwebs are beginning to clear, the recovering alcoholic should go

ahead. He should not be taught that he must

remain forever crippled and bound by the paralyzing concept " Once an

alcoholic, always an alcoholic. " It is at

this point that the patient needs a different kind of understanding:

an objective, dispassionate, clinical

understanding that physicians, psychologists and pastoral counselors,

not A.A. members, are trained to give.

Only after he has undergone a rigorous and lengthy revision of his

personality should he attempt to drink

normally again, and then only if he desires to do so.

" After all, sobriety in itself is not a way of life. It is simply the

absence of intoxication. It is what one does with his

sobriety and his life that is important. "

Pete

----------------------

Cool Briton

PERSONALITY-DISORDERS LIST:

http://rdz.acor.org/athenaeum/lists.phtml?personality-disorders

_____________________

" Every great scientist is part B.F. Skinner and part P.T. Barnum "

- Bart Simpson's science teacher

----

Read this list on the Web at http://www.FindMail.com/list/12-step-free/

To unsubscribe, email to 12-step-free-unsubscribe@...

To subscribe, email to 12-step-free-subscribe@...

--

Start a FREE E-Mail List at http://makelist.com !

[Guest guest]

I actually remember this when I lived in California...... at the time I was

a stepper and it actually didn't strike me as insane as it does today

<grin>.

" Around the

>Clock With A.A., " published recently by an

> A.A. group in California. One passage declares: " God in His wisdom

>selected this group of men and women to

> be the purveyors of His goodness.... He went right to the drunkard,

>the so-called weakling of the world. Well

> might He have said to us: 'Unto your weak and feeble hands I have

>entrusted- power beyond estimate. To you

> has been given that which has been denied the most learned of your

>fellows. Not to scientists or statesmen, not

> to wives or mothers, not even to my priests or ministers have I given

>this gift of helping other alcoholics which I

> entrust to you. " ' Such idolatry causes the believer to see himself as

>all-knowing, and turns the missionary into

> the zealot.

snip

Hooooooo Weeeee.......NO BULLSHIT!

This is actually a unique revelation for a non-stepper to hear and I can

attest to the fact that it's a very real issue.

> showed that nearly all southern and a great many northern A.A.

>chapters were racially segregated, and that

> A.A. had failed to keep pace with the growing, problem of Negro

>alcoholism. The article was turned down on

> the ground that it " might disrupt A.A. unity. "

----

Read this list on the Web at http://www.FindMail.com/list/12-step-free/

To unsubscribe, email to 12-step-free-unsubscribe@...

To subscribe, email to 12-step-free-subscribe@...

--

Start a FREE E-Mail List at http://makelist.com !