Re: Terry McGovern Foundation

[Guest guest]

Pete-

I found this link about Terry McGovern.

http://www.peele.net/misc/mcgovern.html

Hers is a big name around here. I did not know her but have known many people who did. From what I have heard she tried really hard to stay sober and was abstinent for long period of time. She was a very common face at detox when she was in her drinking phases.(Run by Tellurian) A lot of people talked about her at the meetings I went to because she was famous and because she embodied everything the believed to be true about the program: You have to work it like crazy to stay sober, and even then you're still probably screwed.

Please believe that I do have respect and empathy for her life but it's tragic. She just so perfectly fits the AA worldview to a tee, from embarassing her family, to being a treatment frequent flyer, detox mascot, and an AA meeting revolving door alcoholic. The final chapter in her tragedy was freezing to death, drunk in a snowbank. She is the epitome of the AA Boogeyman that will get you if you don't work a good program. She was what every good AA fears they will become and can't keep from thinkng about. What really tops off her story is the fact that she always, always did what AA suggested...she kept coming back.

Nate

Terry McGovern Foundation

Got this Mission Statement of their website: 'Our primary purpose is to honor the memory of Terry McGovern by helping families deal with alcoholism. The Foundation's objective is to advance the public's knowledge of addiction and recovery. Funds raised by the Foundation are distributed for research and treatment, with a special emphasis on women's issues and relapse prevention. 'The objective given is a propoganda one - "educate the public's knowledge of addiction and recovery" i.e. promote their view of it, yet the statement goes on to say that funds are used for research and treatment. I cant get over that "special emphasis on ... relapse prevention". Once a person is detoxed, what the bleedin' 'ell else should treatment possibly be about *apart* from relapse prevention? The answer of course, is the 12-step religion. By denoting that there is an aspect of treatment *apart* from relapse prevention, this is a tacit acknowledgment that there are parts of it that cant be directly linked to it!P.