Alcoholics Recalibration Continues

On my 9th Blog, a follower asked: What other "Speak for Me" method will you use to help others if they withdraw from the AA club?”

Great question!

Probably half of Canada would like to know the answer although I’d bet that if they were to guess, they would come up with the most obvious one anyway – quitting alone.

I’ll first recap “AA” from various sources:

According to Alternatives for Alcoholism (http://www.alternatives-for-alcoholism.com/alcoholics-anonymous.html), of whom I can attest to experientially:

“Putting all statistics aside, one only needs to ask around any Alcoholics Anonymous meeting to clearly see what the statistics are. At any given meeting at any given time most people that are present are newcomers. Membership usually consists of people who have only a day sober or a few days or weeks. There are a few people who have 90 days or 120 and maybe 1 or 2 people with 6 months or one year. Depending on the size of the meeting, there may be one, or if you're really lucky two old timers, someone with more than 5 years. Old timers are far and few between.

‘Most alcoholics do not recover from their disease, they die. Those who do recover using a 12 step program fight constant cravings to drink and suffer with a variety of other symptoms like irritability, anxiety, tension, fatigue and depression that has a deep impact on the quality of their life and forces them to be dependent upon attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings the rest of their life.”

I’ll also add to this. Most people who “slip” in AA make it worth their while. I have read from various sources that an AA slip is never just one drink. (No surprise.) In fact, it is a binge. Not only that, AA binges are reportedly far worse (heavier, longer) than non-AA binges. It’s because a non-AA binger doesn’t throw himself or herself into an AA meeting once the binge is over; desperation absent; no fear factor. The reality being that once the AA binge drinker goes back to a meeting and had better “have first gotten the good drunk right,” would still knowingly be faced with expectations from Mother Group. Two of which are of a better recovery effort and a better working of the steps, that is, if they want to set themselves right. People go back and end up crying over it showing the expected humiliation that AA goers are “encouraged to practice.”

I will also interject, with relevance, that in my experience 25-30 years ago, regulars in groups who seemed to stand as pillars of strength to other group members as having the success that is every AA goers dream of, would suddenly not show up to meetings for a month or so. I’ve heard them come back with such excuses as, “I decided to take some time away,” “I went on a vacation,” “I tried another group,” etc., the latter of which makes no sense whatsoever because if they were in a group that worked, they would not need to stray.

When I look back, it’s hilarious to me what I was sucked into believing.

A book by K. J. Wilson, Ed.D. (Brief quotations for broadcast may be used - Copyright 2006, 1997) reveals a serious problem pregnant women face.

“Drug-addicted pregnant women have the additional problem of finding a treatment program that will accept them. There is a tremendous fear among service providers concerning liability issues associated with treating addicted women who are pregnant. In New York City, [place of AA headquarters], of seventy-eight drug-treatment programs surveyed, 54% refused to admit pregnant addicts, and 87% refused to take pregnant, crack-addicted women on Medicaid.”

Fetuses Against FASD, that’s us, or we, will not refuse them. We have open unprejudicial arms. My immediate thought is that besides prejudice, there is a stigmatism or embarrassment to the group or institution itself that compel refusals. It’s sad to FAFASD that anyone could refuse treatment care sought by anyone regardless of any condition except, say, serious mental problems that prevent them from helping themselves. Yet, still we would consider giving them a shot at it. FAFASD is fair and new. Please, get used to it. We’ll expediently have our own successes. It’s inevitable. The baby will win if anyone comes to us in good faith (Christian, Buddhist, atheist, etc).

In California there are at least 50 different groups one can go to for recovery. Some could be quack medicine, like AA, and yet others could have a high success rate. Just remember this AA truth:

1 Early Stage

2 Middle Stage

3 Late Stage

4 Treating Alcoholism

5 Relapse to Drinking

Rational Recovery is the answer as I’ve explained in my Blogs, “Quotes to Live By,” and “Recovery is Not and Event - It’s a Process.” The point is that we believe if you take responsibility for your drinking, rather than passing it off as a disease that you will never overcome, you will have a greater chance of success – a 600% better chance than deceptions that prevent recovery in the AA quandery.

The major point remains: Who will win?

At @fetuswinning (my blog), I relate what I know or what supports the unborn baby. We speak to the moms-to-be and care about their recovery or their occasional binge problem. We always remember that any drink on the wrong day could damage the fetus’ brain. So it is massively important that we also direct them to an agenda that gives real recovery. One that is undeniably truthful and well understood. That way, when the fetus says, “Speak for Me,” she can.

We have a number of “Speak For Me” ideas and solution-oriented plans to enforce the idea that any woman and her man can quit drinking for 9 months. We give real training using Rational Recovery methods, discussions on pregnancies and a great deal of moral support using what we have available in councelling, prevention methods, and arms that will open up to anyone who walks through our door.

Hope this answers your question! Remember, we are very young. We are in the midst of recalibrating the way people view FASD. Then our "Speak for Me" methods will be structured accordingly.

Let the fetus do its job of becoming your baby.

No Booze. No Drugs. Being Real.

Comment Below