Monthly Archives: September 2012

Dry Drunks

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     Just because we are sober does not mean that we aren’t still a rather large group of selfish assholes. In fact, if we have not yet chosen to live by spiritual principles, that’s what we are. And choosing to live by spiritual principles means, of course, actually practicing them in our lives… or at least making a sincere attempt. The reason I was able to get sober so many times yet fail so miserably is simply because I remained the same self-absorbed idiot after putting down the substance.

     I once heard a veteran AA “old timer” at a Manchester, MA meeting say that AA and recovery was not about being a good person, it was just about staying sober. His exact words were, “I’m still an asshole, just a sober asshole!” He said it didn’t matter if you still lied, cheated, or abused others verbally and physically. Here was the featured speaker of the night and he was telling everybody that AA wasn’t about morals. For this guy, it was totally fine to be a shithead.
     If you are an alcoholic or an addict and you hear that sort of insanity at a meeting, you are not in the presence of recovery. You are in the presence of poison. Why? First of all, we, as alcoholics and addicts, have been going around like a bunch of children, always wanting this, always needing that, lying and manipulating those who love us, burning bridges and throwing away any opportunity that we’ve somehow been given. We have not only given up the right to drink and use, but we’ve also given up the right to be a damaged, depressed, abusive, angry, self-centered and socially/emotionally retarded individual. 
     Bottom line: If you are an addict and you think that you have a chance in hell of staying sober without becoming a better person and living by moral/spiritual principles, think again. Unless you aren’t really an addict, you will fail. Miserably. The only chance we have is to rid ourselves of our lies, our grandiosity, our fear and our pathological immaturity. Otherwise, we might as well keep drinking and using, because an active addict is NO DIFFERENT than a sober addict who hasn’t adopted spiritual principles. 
     To note, I’ve never seen anyone accomplish this without humbling themselves by getting underneath something Greater. We can’t change who we are by thinking we are superheroes who can do anything. We need spiritual help. We can’t do it alone. We can’t do it without the help of God.

God, always remind me that physical sobriety means nothing if I don’t change and grow and live by spiritual principles…

The Bipolar & ADD Hoax

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     Many alcoholics and addicts do not recover. Watered down AA is just one problem. Perhaps an even bigger problem is the entire Western medical community, an arrogant community that pushes theories, disorders and pharmaceutical treatments as if they were ordained by God.

     Many of us who wind up in any mainstream clinical setting will almost immediately be diagnosed with ADD and/or Bipolar Disorder (formerly Manic Depressive Disorder). Sorry, but both of these disorders are fabricated. To note, I know people who truly suffer from severe biochemical imbalance, and let me tell you that the slew of essentially normal people now getting slapped with the bipolar tag is complete nonsense.

     Many years ago, it was thought and medically accepted that bipolar did not manifest itself until the age of 18. Now small children and toddlers are being diagnosed with bipolar and medicated with powerful psychotropic drugs, some to their death. Guess why?

     Secondly, every child who doesn’t want to sit through a bunch of mindless public school classes is getting pinned with ADD or ADHD, neither of which is a permanent neurochemical condition. These are clear-cut social diseases, but again, millions are diagnosed.

     Now, take a look at the symptoms of Bipolar and ADD. Bipolar Disorder is a cycle between periods of mania and depression. Mania is characterized by over-active mental activity, grandiosity, delusions, etc. Depression is characterized by apathy, numbness, lack of pleasure or interest in just about anything.

     Hmm, that sounds strangely similar to ANY drug addict.

     Alcoholics and addicts mimic all of these behaviors. When we are drunk, jammed, or high as shit on cocaine, we are manic. When we run out and sink into the torture of withdrawal, we are depressed as all hell. Why is it that when I removed the drugs and took Steps, the “bipolar” suddenly disappeared? Why is it that after growing up a bit, writing some inventory, making some amends, helping others, meditating and praying consistently did my neurochemistry return to normal and remain that way ever since?

     It’s because our problem isn’t ADD or Bipolar. Our problem isn’t even really drugs and alcohol. Our problem is simply that we are empty. We are spiritually ill and we lack purpose and meaning.

     What’s so sad is that what we need is the exact opposite of more pills, more institutions, more doctors, and more therapy. And believe me, it is no coincidence that each of these mainstream solutions are peddled by multi-billion dollar industries and the sociopaths who run them. We don’t need to be someone’s guinea pig. Many of these basket case medications that they toss out like Skittles will mess us up big time in the long term. They will rewire our brain, rob us of our personality, annihilate our creativity, and forever categorize us as damaged goods.

     We need to instead find ourselves, find purpose, and perhaps cultivate a spiritual life. We need to grow up and stop being so unbelievably selfish. We need to motivate regardless of how shitty we feel in the morning, just like everybody else in the world. Having horrible feelings isn’t a novelty. Nor is having a bad day.

     Doctors, psychologists, and clueless social workers will tell you that your depression is caused by something other than you, something outside of yourself, that it is someone else’s fault, or that you perhaps caught it in the air. But for some reason they don’t tell you the truth. The truth is that it is our own fault. And no, I don’t mean that harshly. I simply mean that we are responsible for it. It is WE who give ourselves depression and WE are the only ones who can pull ourselves out of it. We make certain choices and we choose to respond to events a certain way. We are responsible for how we end up.

     Don’t count on some cocktail of psychotropic drugs to actually help or change you. And I also wouldn’t count on some hero with a PhD who thinks some insane science project will save you. In the end, all of this intervention might just kill us or facilitate some sort of psychotic break. Ever notice how there is now a medication for everything? Addicts and alcoholics, and perhaps all of us, must take back control of our lives if we want to be free inside…  and perhaps outside as well. Peace does not come from without, but rather from within.

Illusions of Psychiatry (Article)

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

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Wow. Check this out…

From Asha Hawkesworth (www.brighthill.net), on Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

     Narcissists lack compassion and empathy. They are critical and contemptuous of others, lack a sense of humor, cannot recognize their true feelings, have a poor memory, are competitive, and contradict themselves often. They live in a fantasy world in which they have absolute power, beauty, and genius, which they expect everyone to recognize. Your memory of events and the narcissist’s memory will seldom match, because the narcissist has already rewritten events in their head in order to see themselves in a better light. Narcissists will be your best friend if you agree with their fantasies about themselves, but failing to validate them (by disagreeing with them) brings swift retribution. They are very quick to stab you in the back. Children of narcissists grow up believing that everything that is wrong in the relationship is due to their own failure—never the narcissist’s. Often, children of narcissists either come to believe in the narcissist’s fantasy, or they see the truth and disagree, making them the target of the narcissist’s wrath. Narcissists are emotionally and verbally abusive, and sometimes resort to physical abuse as well.

(See Grandiosity for more on narcissism.)

     Yikes… I think I’ll be staying away from NPD. I also realize that addicts and alcoholics are quite fortunate to not only have the capacity to be honest with themselves, but to also have access to a spiritual solution. What’s so unfortunate for pure narcissists is their inability to be honest. They have no idea how sick they are, and therefore have no chance to recover.

(And another great resource re narcissism – www.narcissisticmother.com. – Nothing at all to do with my mother, needless to say.) 

God, please rid me of the poisons of fear, dishonesty, selfishness and narcissism…

Change Is Internal

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     Nothing outside of us can change us (other than God). We have to change ourselves…

     The problem with addicts is that that we carry this flaw into our recovery. Our self-absorbed frame of mind tells us that even our recovery is dependent on the outside world. We have a grand old time blaming anyone and anything when we feel like shit or when something goes wrong. Because we are so full of pride and arrogance and bullshit, we cannot see that nothing outside of us is responsible for how we feel or for what happens to us.
     We must be aware that our narcissism still pervades our perception far into recovery. We often think that our recovery itself is dependent on things taking place outside of ourselves.
     If my boss was only there when I went to make an amends, I’d be okay right now. If my wife would only do some work on herself, I’d be much better spiritually. If my family would only change along with me, I’d be more recovered than I am by now. If people would only forgive me, my depression would be gone already. If I had only gotten that job, I could’ve made amends to my creditors, but because there is no work, I have to stiff them, and then if I relapse, it’s not my fault.
     Wait a minute, wasn’t the whole point of getting better to finally understand that we alone are responsible for who we are, what we are, how we feel, and what happens to us? Wasn’t the whole point of taking Steps to propel us into the light of reality?
     In order to grow, change or get better to any degree at all, alcoholics and addicts must fully understand that we are where we are because of us and us alone. No one and no thing gets us better or worse. If we change, it’s because we change ourselves. If we fail, it’s because we fail ourselves.
God, help me understand and remember that change comes from within…

All The Same

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     I always remember that we addicts and alcoholics are all the same, but always forget that we humans are all the same. Why can I humble myself regarding my addiction yet remain so arrogant when it comes to the rest of the world? Why do I still think I know something? Why do I still think that some others know nothing? The truth is that nobody is better or worse than anybody else.

     But beyond that, why do I still think that our constructed human identities, our superficial problems and our meaningless opinions mean so much? Is it just me, or do we get sucked into a narrow little tunnel about our lives and the world?

     I still manage to forget everything I’ve learned on a daily basis. It’s like I suddenly go mad and start taking everything so seriously. The state of the world, the economy, what people know or don’t know, what people believe or don’t believe, who has power and who doesn’t, or better yet… the petty little ridiculous dramas that I pathetically lapse into with relatives or friends. As if it matters all so very much. Actually, it only matters to us if it matters to us… get it?

     The truth is that when I allow myself to get sucked into the nonsense of the world, or of identity, or of human drama… I have lost not only my mind but I have also lost my soul. I have lost the peace within, as I thrust myself out of the present (the only thing that exists) and into the past or the future.

     Lao Tzu said it himself, If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.

God, teach me how to stay out of my head…