Above are memes that a buddy of mine posted on FB and they reflect the complete idiocy of states run by the left, including my home state of Massachusetts, which increasingly loses its mind as it continues to be run/ruined by political whores and thieves. They also reflect the fact that we now have to create humorous memes to get the truth out there since all the media puppets do now is lie and spread propaganda. Sad that our ceaseless decline into a culture of depravity has even infected something as serious as addiction. If there is one group that absolutely must take responsibility for their behavior, it is drug addicts and alcoholics. For one, there is no hope of recovery if they do not. Second, the ignorant notion that we are blameless victims reflects the same sick frame of mind that both perpetuates our mental/spiritual sickness as well as prevents us from becoming sane again. In order to validate the whole “I have a disease and it is not a choice and I did not choose to relapse and I was triggered by this or that and blah, blah, blah…” bullshit, we must at the same time remove any moral component. If nothing is our fault, then there is nothing immoral about it. As well, since I can simply justify and rationalize my continuous misery and relapse with the progressive disease model, I never have to get better. How convenient.

     The problem with the disease model is people like me. I was completely out of control and used heroin, cocaine, alcohol and countless other drugs everyday of my life like a selfish fucking pig from age 13 to 28, but accordingly to these arrogant know-it-alls, I am not an addict. In other words, if I have no choice then how did I get better? Furthermore, how is it that I do not struggle? How is it that I am not “triggered” by anything at all? And how is it that I do not, nor did I, take any sort of lab concoction to get better?

     More importantly, why did repairing myself morally make me sane again, which then removed any thoughts or desires to use drugs and alcohol? Why did I suddenly reject drugs and alcohol because I wanted to change and grow spiritually? The truth is that drugs and alcohol destroy an individual’s conscience and moral compass. Drugs and alcohol push us away from God. So logically, repairing myself spiritually and morally pushes me further away from drugs and alcohol. Why do we deny this? I don’t get it. And why do these progressive tyrants become so unhinged and triggered by the words “choice,” “morals” and “God?” These words and those who disagree with their so-called science send them into an all-out rage. You have to wonder why they become so reactive. If they are so certain about their beliefs, there would be no need to react, let alone preach, especially with such vitriol.

     So allow me to illuminate a few things to all of the faux intellectuals out there who like to tell others what the truth is despite having ZERO experience. These are the same people who want to tell me what’s best for my child but do not have any children themselves. This must be some sort of mental or personality disorder. These are the same assholes who preach tolerance but are vehemently intolerant of anyone who disagrees. The best way to disguise one’s own depravity is to accuse others of exactly the same things you yourself are guilty of. So when you hear some lunatic screaming all sorts of obscenities and insults at you, just remember they are shouting at a mirror.

     Forgive me, back to the truth about morality and addiction. For one thing, if I achieve sobriety and work on myself and begin to learn and understand the effects/consequences of my behavior and the tremendous damage and harm I have done to others, how is drinking or using again NOT a moral failure? Well, um, it is. In fact, the reason it is so crucial for an addict to develop and cherish his or her moral compass is because that will be the best defense they have against using drugs or drinking alcohol ever again. The minute I stop caring about consequences is the minute I get sick again… and when we stop caring about consequences, what else is that except for a moral failure? How does anyone in their right mind not see this? You cannot maintain a state of recovery without a conscience that is alive and well within. That is the truth, whether you like it or not. If you can do the wrong thing and not give a shit about hurting others and somehow stay sober, then you’re a sociopath or a psychopath, and in that case, you’ve got bigger fish to fry than alcoholism.

     And as far as becoming an addict, no, I am not a victim of addiction. In fact, I am not a victim of anything. Addicts and alcoholics are not victims. I mutated myself into one after selfishly drinking and using again and again and again and again. Voluntarily turning oneself into an addict is a moral failure. Drinking and using repeatedly until you cross that line, break your body and become an alcoholic/addict is a moral failure. Drinking and using excessively even if you are not addicted is a moral failure. Continuing to remain an addict and failing to look for a solution to stop hurting others and to stop killing yourself is a moral failure. Being presented with a solution and failing to employ it is a moral failure. Acquiring a solution and getting better and then relapsing is a moral failure. Regaining your willpower (i.e. increasing your power of choice) and regaining one’s moral compass and then using again is a moral failure. Using or doing anything once I’ve lost control of it is a moral failure. Doing anything that causes pain or harm to self or others is a moral failure.

     There is just no getting around any of that.

God, please help us…

Comment:

     Yes, I have found as a spouse of an addict that self-care is absolutely crucial to survival. You are so right that is is not selfish, but actually necessary to be able to have something to give to others.

     Out of curiosity, do you think that pot has a similar effect on the emotions as alcohol, or are the two different?

Response:

      They are different chemically but act on the same reward system of the brain and as such, have a similar effect. I get this all the time, that smoking pot is totally fine. I even get it from parents who want to convince themselves that their child is okay because they’re just smoking pot now and it’s not addictive.


     “I’m just gonna smoke pot from now on = guaranteed relapse.” In fact, you’ve already relapsed because pot is a drug, i.e. a mood-altering substance. And there is no such thing as I’m addicted to coke but not to pot, or I’m addicted to opiates but not to alcohol. If you are allergic to one thing, you are allergic to everything. Don’t believe me? just see what happens when you remove your DOC and begin substituting with something else. See what happens when you put a pile of coke in front of me when I’m not really a coke guy. 

     And yes, it is addictive. Highly addictive, in fact. Regarding the action of THC, Wikipedia states, “Via CB1 activation, THC indirectly increases dopamine release and produces psychotropic effects. Cannabidial also acts as an allosteric modulator of the mu and delta opioid receptors.” Physical addiction is characterized by the presence of craving and withdrawal, both of which are present in spades with any regular pot smoker, and especially in the fully blown addict. Remove the pot and you are removing excessive and superficial dopamine. Any superficially added dopamine when removed will cause various withdrawal effects, some physical, some psychological/emotional. 

     So first, the pothead will crave more physically. Second, the pothead will suffer from a myriad of emotional effects – anger, depression, boredom, anxiousness, restlessness, discontent, dissatisfaction. In fact, some will suffer rage and become verbally abusive. Pot unquestionably mutes the natural and surfacing and progression of feelings and thoughts, and since it also has psychotropic effects, it can and will wreak all sorts of biochemical havoc, effecting serotonin levels etc. In this sense, the emotional effects of pot are quite similar to the effects of alcohol. 

     Finally but no less disturbing is the lens through which a pothead perceives self, others and the world is warped, to say the least. If you want to see a person lose their will, their ambition, their maturity, their work ethic, their moral compass, their emotional and mental stability, then just observe a pothead or a brainwashed progressive college student whining about ‘micro-aggressions’ and the like. They become numb and indifferent, ineffective and lost, stunted in nearly all facets of human development. Some of the worst effects I’ve noticed with pot are when you see the pothead begin to see the world through a sort of collectivist lens – that everything is awful and unfair and unjust, that anyone who works and has more is evil, that work days are too long, the minimum wage should be $500 a day etc etc… you get the idea. 

     By the way, I have a friend on just about every entitlement there is, and she often lashes out and complains about wait times and not getting checks and what assholes they are. Lol, wow. You see, this is the problem with career entitlements and socialism – you become entitled. When you should have gratitude the most, you have none. Why? Because you are just existing. If you’re getting free help (free meaning taken from someone else), at the very least you should be thankful. Give a man a fish and he eats for a day and then comes back tomorrow expecting more, having done nothing to advance himself as his spirit, self-esteem and self-respect decays. Teach a man to fish and he eats for the rest of his life with dignity. He can also teach others to fish. He has a purpose.

     Here is a good anecdote I read on Martin Armstrong’s blog about the difference between capitalism and socialism:

     “Martin, A story I received: A guy looked at my Porsche the other day and said I wonder how many people could have been fed for the money that sports car cost! [ugh, people like this are insufferable] I replied I am not sure, it fed a lot of families in Bowling Green, Kentucky who built it, it fed the people who make the tires, it fed the people who made the components that went into it, it fed the people in the copper mine who mined the copper for the wires, it fed people in Decatur IL, at Caterpillar who make the trucks that haul the copper ore. It fed the trucking people who hauled it from the plant to the dealer and fed the people working at the dealership and their families. BUT,… I have to admit, I guess I really don’t know how many people it fed.”

     As Margaret Thatcher once said with such logical simplicity: “The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people’s money.”

     Winston Churchill also understood the degenerate nature of socialist thought: “Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.”

     What fascinates me is the rather stark similarity in attitude and frame of mind between a drug addict and a socialist. They both whine and complain incessantly. They both demand that other people think, speak and act a certain way while they are, of course, exempt. They both believe their own feelings, thoughts, concerns and lives are more valid and important than yours, especially if yours differ from theirs. They both feel bitter and envious towards anyone with more. They both feel entitled to take what is not theirs. They both falsely believe they are victims of injustice and blame their lack of success on some odd fiction such as social injustice or global warming as opposed to their own frailties, failures and poor decisions. They both demand everyone conform to their wants, needs, desires, beliefs, agenda, etc. They both judge everyone except for themselves for the very qualities they own, which is textbook projection. They blame everyone and everything besides themselves for their misery and their circumstances in life, despite the fact that they alone are responsible for their circumstances. They become unhinged when someone calls them out, presents them with facts, or disagrees. They blindly believe in propaganda, as if programmed or indoctrinated. They are both financially, scientifically and socially illiterate, spewing endless bullshit to get what they want. They are both fake, acting or pretending to be one thing while truly being another. They are both, ideologically speaking, an exercise in hypocrisy, arrogance and narcissism. I could go on and on… but I do think the comparison is valid, which is both pathetic and frightening.

    A drug addict, therefore, is synonymous with a socialist, and I submit this comparison to be added to the Thesaurus.

*This is an old draft I never published…
     
     As we become increasingly inundated with wordly life and the reality of responsible adulthood, we begin to realize that addicts and self-help gurus alike who don’t ever leave the cushy spiritual retreat centers are missing quite a few ‘muscle’ stones in their foundation. It’s easy to be calm and at peace when all you do is hang out at an oceanfront retreat sweeping leaves and writing books on how messed up everybody is. It’s easy to stay in the womb-like bubble of the treatment center with endless service opportunities at your fingertips to lift you up, all while worldly clamors are essentially absent. The bubble of isolation leads to idealism and false knowledge, and thus to a flimsy foundation. After a certain amount of time, remaining in retreat mode year after year can become a crutch. I am guilty of multiple crutches, too, so no need to get trigger-happy with the keyboard. Feel free, however, to bash away as I believe in free speech with every cell in my body, unlike the SJW/ PC tyrants of today.

     Try joining the world, working a full-time job and having children and then we’ll talk. Better yet, try serving in the world as well as serving the dust particles in the monastery, as even I cannot deny that a balance between the inner and outer is the way. But to truly grow, we must rejoin the world, face the challenges of adult life and put away the blanky and the stuffed animal collection. Trust me, if you want to get really strong in your recovery, come home, serve your family, serve your friends and colleagues, get a job, work hard, pay down debts, start a family of your own, serve your region, try new things and jump in. Remaining protected and isolated is fine for a short while, but will cripple you after too long.

     Remember, we addicts and alcoholics will want to do what is HARDER, NOT EASIER, as the harder thing is the better thing for people like us, and perhaps for everybody. It is harder to come home. It is harder to be there for our families, for those who may push our buttons but those who need us and whom we owe it to. Whenever we get too comfortable, we need to get moving. That is the trick to growing and staying strong year after year. Never make a home in your comfort zone.

     This is perhaps the single most important thing for addicts to understand if we truly want to recover and conquer ALL of our demons, not simply drug and alcohol addiction. It was by doing the very things I didn’t want to do that fixed me and made me stronger. Doing that which scared me and made me uncomfortable, insecure and self-conscious is what repaired my mind and soul, enabling me to go from recovering to recovered. Making a tough amends, running a group or speaking publicly are good examples. Working full-time, raising children, helping one’s family, living by God’s principles while surrounded by a world of idiots are other examples. I’m sure you can think of several others…

     At times we all feel like isolating, shutting off, going inward and avoiding people, places and things that push us out of our comfort zone. But this is exactly why the most important part of the Step process is to go work with other people. When we get up and force ourselves to sit with another addict who is suffering, it thrusts us out of isolation and lifts us up inside. It shifts our direction from the small and narrow world of self-focus to the colorful and limitless world of service. Giving, sharing and being with others is perhaps the greatest contributor to personal strength, and it adds the most to our reservoir of relief and freedom.

     Do yourself a favor and step outside of your comfort zone, something many programs, doctors and counselors in the bullshit, new-age addiction world don’t recommend for some reason. But the truth is that it’s often the things that scare us the most which are also the most healing and beneficial for us and for those in our lives. So do not isolate. Rather, do the opposite.

God, please give me the power and willingness to walk through fear, pain and discomfort…

     To be an alcoholic or a drug addict is not a complicated thing to understand, despite our efforts to complicate just about everything, especially something that seems so mind-boggling. But it’s pretty simple. Junkies are entitled, blame everybody and everything else but themselves, and desire to maintain maximum comfort 24/7 with the least amount of effort possible and the least amount of gratitude possible, similar to a child or millenial (or liberal socialist). Of course, we’re then faced with the unfortunate (or perhaps fortunate) reality that perpetual comfort is not real life. So if we can simply become willing to be uncomfortable, we can choose to give up the right we falsely believe we have to drink or use drugs. We can shed the ignorance of childhood and come to understand that life is uncomfortable at times and shouldn’t preclude us from working hard and taking responsibility for ourselves. Recovery, therefore, whether from addiction or some adolescent ideology, simply revolves around growing up and the development of one’s conscience.

     This is why AA has such shitty relapse stats, that is, from the fluff version as opposed to the original program/process. Quitting non-spiritually depends on the extent to which one’s willpower has been lost or weakened, so if most hardcore, chronic addicts quit and recovered on a spiritual basis, those stats would be entirely different. If you measure recovery rates among those who have worked tirelessly and given everything they have to the Step process and way of life (a path of action), we’re probably looking at something more like 80% as opposed to the horrific stats that are measured by meeting attendance and sobriety.

     Why does the mainstream so widely misunderstand AA? One, because AA is defined as attending meetings and the 12 Steps are seen as nothing more than an intellectual element of meetings. There is simply a lack of knowledge as to what the Steps really are – that they are not just a poster on the wall, that service is not reduced to putting chairs away, that sponsorship is not talking on the phone to some pity pot crying outside of a bar. The set of right actions prescribed in the Big Book are daily, lifelong and take place outside of any meeting. They occur in our daily lives and external relationships. Service and character development, for example, are themes that we bring home, to work, to all of our worldly engagement.

     So the atrocious statistics of AA’s success rate are based on a sample who I suspect has never engaged in or completed the Steps at all. How many in the sample size have written all four columns of their resentment, fear and sex inventory? How many have then read every word on the page, meditated for an hour and then recited the 7th Step prayer out loud, down on their knees? How many have made a comprehensive amends list and made ALL of them, including living amends, where we simply change our behavior and approach to those close to us. How many of them engage in taking others through this Big Book process and get to see others touched by God and restored to sanity? How many of them actually engage in ongoing 10th step written inventory, prayer and meditation?

     The very problem with modern, watered-down AA is that it begins and ends with a 1st Step – the simple admission that one has lost power over their drug or alcohol problem (power that can be restored, mind you). This reduction of the program is certainly the result of a radical cultural and attitudinal shift towards addiction – that because we have somehow been involuntarily victimized by addiction and permanently damaged, the best we can hope for is to load up on substitution drugs and hold on by a thread.

     Well, that never interested me and I rejected any solution that left me on the edge of a cliff 20 years down the road. In fact, if you see me whining on the edge of a cliff in ten years, please shoot me in the f’ing head. Good thing that sort of nonsense has nothing to do with original AA. Good thing that is just the tragic byproduct of how we view addiction today – to placate addicts with the lifetime excuse of the disease beyond their control, entitled to go through life numb and useless, and oh, here are more drugs you can take to spiral deeper into zombieland. We should all reject this cowardly view of our spiritual malady. We should all reject the notion that we just have to rip our family’s hearts out forever and ever, and even more disturbing, that doing so is no our fault – so sorry mom, sorry dad, sorry kids, sorry spouse… I can’t help it. The doctor said so.

     Bullshit.