Andrew Sullivan points to a recent talk by the pope discussing how faith is lost when it becomes an ideology. The faith passes, so to speak, through a distiller and becomes ideology. And ideology does not beckon [people]. In ideologies there is not Jesus: in his tenderness, his love, his meekness. And ideologies are rigid, … Continue reading Recovery should not become an ideology
Tag: Alcoholics Anonymous
Tribes of the recovering community
Yoga of 12-Step Recovery (Y12SR) thinks of itself as an adjunct to 12 step recovery. Founded in 2012, The Y12SR Foundation is a program of Off the Mat, Into the World® (OTM). Our mission is to empower the lives of individuals and families affected by substance and behavioral addictions with relapse prevention practices that enhance … Continue reading Tribes of the recovering community
Mental Illness not a barrier to 12 step benefits
A recently published study replicates findings that addicts with co-occurring mental illness benefit from twelve step facilitation: Background Evidence indicates that 12-step mutual-help organizations (MHOs), such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), can play an important role in extending and potentiating the recovery benefits of professionally delivered addiction treatment among young adults with … Continue reading Mental Illness not a barrier to 12 step benefits
Marc Maron on AA and psychiatry
This is great. I love Maron's fearless questioning and the interviewer's (a psychiatrist) tolerance for vulnerability and honesty: Slate: How did A.A. figure into your getting sober? Maron:For practical tools to deal with the addicted brain, the stuff I learned in Alcoholics Anonymous and the community of A.A. just totally worked for me. If you would … Continue reading Marc Maron on AA and psychiatry
The internal combustion engine of AA
Service to others. Bill White posted earlier this week about the evidence base for the benefits of alcoholics helping other alcoholics. Now, National Geographic has posted an article about research into AA that covers some of the same territory: Lee Ann Kaskutas, a scientist with the Alcohol Research Group, has faced skepticism … Continue reading The internal combustion engine of AA
Buprenorphine and emotional reactivity
The following article was shared with me by a reader. Not surprisingly, the emphasized portion below caught my eye. [emphasis mine] Abstract Addictions to illicit drugs are among the nation’s most critical public health and societal problems. The current opioid prescription epidemic and the need for buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone®; SUBX) as an opioid maintenance substance, and its … Continue reading Buprenorphine and emotional reactivity
without someone like me!?!?!?
Keith Humphreys is pretty great in this interview: Harold Pollack: I should say you've also done some research on AA [Alcoholics Anonymous]. I think some folks would be interested to know that, at least according to your research, AA is actually a pretty impressive intervention in some ways. Keith: Yeah. I don't mind people who are skeptical … Continue reading without someone like me!?!?!?
The Game
Cabinet Magazine has an article on the bizarre history of Synanon from beginning to end: Soon the number of people wanting to join Dederich’s after-hours sessions grew too big for his living quarters. This was largely due to an influx of drug addicts who had heard of Dederich’s ability to keep people straight. For the … Continue reading The Game
RIP Roger E.
Roger Ebert is dead. I always loved that he was a film lover first and a film critic second. More recently I admired courage and spirit and in the face of cancer as it stole pieces of him and his life. I kept his blog feed in the philosopher's folder of my reader. For me, he embodied … Continue reading RIP Roger E.
Anonymity Hurts More Than It Helps???
This video came to my attention through this op-ed. I like the video and agree that making recovery more visible is important in reducing stigma. Last year I wrote: Am I the only one who is really underwhelmed with these recent pieces on whether anonymity in AA has been rendered quaint? To me, they seem to fundamentally misunderstand AA’s anonymity. There’s … Continue reading Anonymity Hurts More Than It Helps???
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