Re: Mona ... Anti-depressants

[Guest guest]

The medical board here treats doctors who drink very harshly. There

was one doc not too far from here who was diagnosed as an addict (he

was diagnosed as bipolar subsequently, and the consensus was that he

had been self-medicating to smooth out his highs. However, he had

never in the past abused alcohol). He did, however, take Nyquil while

he had a probational license. He was randomly checked the next day,

and they found two nanograms of alcohol in his urine. The board

concluded he had been drinking, and his license was consequently in

jeopardy.

Two nanograms? These were doctors, and they apparently didn't know

what a nanogram is. Also, they didn't stop to inquire what the level

would have been if he had had one cocktail the evening before.

> I'll have to check out some of these non-alcoholic drinks. In some

> ways, I was fortunate(?) that my " alcoholic " drinking had so little

> variety. So as long as I'm not " forced " into buying *that* stuff -

> and in *quantity* I reckon I'm fairly safe!

>

> I believe the idea of getting used to having *some* contact with

> alcohol (in my case look-alikes :-) is important and I conciously

> don't go overboard if I see that my food or medication contains

small

> amounts of the alcohol. I'm grimly reminded how some AAs related how

> they took (caustic) emetics when they found out they had accidently

> consumed alcohol.

>

> I knew one lady who seems to have a permanently ongoing " binge and

> purge " relationship with alcohol over years, which seemed to be very

> much tied up with a confessional and forgiveness aspect of meetings.

> It's also rather sad to watch " mixed " marriages break up when the AA

> party cannot take part in family gatherings, go on holiday or even

> visit a restaurant, because of this acquired fear of wet places.

>

> So much is in the mind... I saw a recent report that the quality of

> many street drugs was so inferior that addicts were getting high on

> substances with almost no active constituant. Nevertheless, the

> removal from an environment must be of some importance otherwise the

> US would have been overrun by addicts, following the Viet-Nam war?

>

> I see that one (non-XA?) drug rehab actually takes patients through

> the act of preparing for a fix, but stopping short of the actual

act.

> This gets people used to the process and then not following up on

it.

> Seems very sensible to me - A big thing seems to be anticipation...

>

> Mack

[Guest guest]

> I wouldn't say using anti-depressants is 'not sober' (you can be

using any

> drug, and still be sober, depending on how much you took) But I

would say

> you are not clean and chemical free if you are using any substance,

> including aspirin, coffee, cigarettes, ibuprofen, whatever.

Does this include antiobiotics, vitamins, and ordinary food and water

chemicals? If not why not? does that mean Im not clean and chemical

free because I am 70% H2O?

Your comments are a mere rationalization for prejudices, and exactly

the kind of horsehit that makes XA so dangerous.

[Guest guest]

> I wouldn't say using anti-depressants is 'not sober' (you can be

using any

> drug, and still be sober, depending on how much you took) But I

would say

> you are not clean and chemical free if you are using any substance,

> including aspirin, coffee, cigarettes, ibuprofen, whatever.

Does this include antiobiotics, vitamins, and ordinary food and water

chemicals? If not why not? does that mean Im not clean and chemical

free because I am 70% H2O?

Your comments are a mere rationalization for prejudices, and exactly

the kind of horsehit that makes XA so dangerous.

[Guest guest]

> I wouldn't say using anti-depressants is 'not sober' (you can be

using any

> drug, and still be sober, depending on how much you took) But I

would say

> you are not clean and chemical free if you are using any substance,

> including aspirin, coffee, cigarettes, ibuprofen, whatever.

Does this include antiobiotics, vitamins, and ordinary food and water

chemicals? If not why not? does that mean Im not clean and chemical

free because I am 70% H2O?

Your comments are a mere rationalization for prejudices, and exactly

the kind of horsehit that makes XA so dangerous.

[Guest guest]

> And didn't I hear that Bill himself died of tobacco-related

> causes? I can't remember where I heard that - maybe here.

and too. In the UK our tobacco deaths are even worse per

capita. MY own rehab running sponsor offered the stat that 80% of

*sober* AA's die from tobacco-related causes... and thats presumably

not including the passive smokers in those gas chamber meetings!

P.

[Guest guest]

> And didn't I hear that Bill himself died of tobacco-related

> causes? I can't remember where I heard that - maybe here.

and too. In the UK our tobacco deaths are even worse per

capita. MY own rehab running sponsor offered the stat that 80% of

*sober* AA's die from tobacco-related causes... and thats presumably

not including the passive smokers in those gas chamber meetings!

P.

[Guest guest]

> And didn't I hear that Bill himself died of tobacco-related

> causes? I can't remember where I heard that - maybe here.

and too. In the UK our tobacco deaths are even worse per

capita. MY own rehab running sponsor offered the stat that 80% of

*sober* AA's die from tobacco-related causes... and thats presumably

not including the passive smokers in those gas chamber meetings!

P.