The Alcoholic Blogger

So I relapsed…Might as well blurt it out to the world.

But I am a firm believer that my alcoholism is a symptom of my mental illness.

Afterwards, I Spent 12 days in a behavioral health hospital to do some intense trauma therapy for my Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The treatment is called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). It is a psychotherapy treatment used to alleviate the depression and agony associated with traumatic memories. It was recommended to me for my anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, and insomnia. It’s a procedure where Eye movements are used to occupy the person’s attention to an external stimulus, while the person is simultaneously concentrating on internal distressing memories.

As with any form of psychotherapy, there may be a temporary increase in distress. The
side effects can include unresolved memories brought to your attention, nightmares, and extreme feelings of sadness might emerge after treatment. At the end of EMDR therapy, they hope for the outcome of new healthy responses to the trauma.

I’d like to hear from anyone out there who has also tried this treatment, and how it did or didn’t work out for you.

Since I so recently participated, I am unsure of my results just yet…but will blog more later about it.

written by The Alcoholic Blogger \\ tags: EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, flashbacks, intense trauma therapy, nightmares, post traumatic stress disorder, psychotherapy, ptsd

This is a brieef explanation of the disease by Lisa Frederiksen, author of “If You Loved Me, You’d Stop! What You Really Need To Know When Your Loved One Drinks Too Much.”

Her book combines the most current brain research on alcoholism and alcohol abuse with her own decades-long experience in dealing with these family problems. By explaining this research from the perspective of someone who has personally survived the ravages of a loved one’s drinking, Ms. Frederiksen offers fresh hope for the more than 50 percent of Americans (and the one in four children) who have a family member with a drinking problem. Though it is a slim volume at less than 120 pages, this book nevertheless addresses a host of issues surrounding alcoholism and alcohol abuse, including co-addictions, dual diagnosis, codependency, and, importantly, the characteristics that distinguish alcoholism from alcohol abuse.

written by The Alcoholic Blogger \\ tags: alcohol abuse, alcoholism, brain disease, co-addiction, codependency, drinking problem, dual diagnosis, If you loved me you'd stop, Lisa Frederiksen

This is part two of three.
Alcoholism and drug addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disease.

written by The Alcoholic Blogger \\ tags: addict, addiction is a disease, alcohol abuse, alcoholic, bill nye, brain disease, Dr Drew, Drinking, drug addict, dual diagnosis, recovery, relapse, relapsing, trauma co-dependency

PART ONE OF THREE … Bill Nye and Dr. Drew discuss alcoholism as a disease. Good for families of alcoholics to watch.

written by The Alcoholic Blogger \\ tags: alcohol and the brain, alcoholics, alcoholism, Bill Nye. Is alcoholism a disease?, disease, Dr Drew, families of alcoholics, help

I never wanted a drink more in my life than after I attended an AA meeting.

When my dependence on alcohol reached a level of debilitation and agony, my family had me involuntary committed to an alcohol treatment program. Since I was being mandated for treatment, it of course meant participation in Alcoholics Anonymous. It really didn’t matter what rehab they sent me to, data proved that somewhere around 95 percent of existing treatment programs adhere to the 12 step method, including places like The Betty Ford Center.

I was desperate to learn how to live sober, and I was ready to give AA my best shot. Like many others I was promptly turned off by the religious structure of it. Six of the twelve steps involve surrendering, confessing, and seeking God’s will. I am agnostic, but being required to participate, I still put forth the effort and energy to try and make the program work.

So the group taught me the first step, that I was to believe that I was powerless over alcohol. Yep, powerless, which I wasn’t sure I believed, but was able to make it through the step.

The meetings were decent at first. I liked the feeling of camaraderie, meeting people who knew just what it felt like to be me. After the initial feeling of acceptance though , I began to notice when certain people in recovery took their five minutes to speak, you’d never know what kind of negativity might come out of their mouths. Words would be thrown around like hopelessness, unhappiness, relapse, sadness, anger, and depression. People would tell their stories and feel the need to speak much about the past and use statements like, “I used to drink a half gallon of vodka a day.”, or “‘I miss watching football without my beer.” This send triggers out all over the place.

Step two and three, “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity’, and ‘Made a decision to turn our will and lives over to God as we understood him.’ I was stuck right there and couldn’t imagine moving on with these steps that outright went against my own belief system. I am passionate of my free will, and believe I am an independent decision maker. Why would I need to give that up?

I made my decision accordingly, and AA was just too religious for me personally. Even though AA continues to contend that their program is one of spirituality, everything points to the opposite. Other members used to tell me that I just needed a higher power…that’s all. And that higher power could be anything to me, a rock, a feather, or even a door nob. Well, I’m sorry, to me that was absurd. And come on now? Typically the Serenity Prayer or the Lord’s Prayer close almost every meeting . Alcoholics Anonymous thinks the answer to all problems in addiction would be to follow the twelve steps, read The Big Book (which might as well be the bible), and get a sponsor.

I’ve been to hundreds of different meetings, closed and open meetings, big book studies, and speaker meetings, so I am just as familiar as most. I read the Big Book many times and AA tells us, “Nobody can do it alone.” when the statistical truth is that most do.

I did.

What about the real statistics on recovery?? They are not easy to find, but in my own research, I’ve established that AA and treatment programs which include 12 step study, have abut a 3-5% success rate. Are you kidding me? I was amazed by those figures and what a complete waste of time. But hell, repeat business is the best business there is, right? Most alcoholics have to go to several treatment centers before they finally find whatever way leads them back to a normal life.

AA itself was not reported to be a religion, but it was found to contain enough religious components, that many courts in different states have ruled that parolees, inmates, people on probation, or involuntary commitments cannot be sentenced to attend AA as a punishment. It is a violation of the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment of our Constitution!

Alcoholics Anonymous has made it’s way into social services, welfare, and our health care system. In some states the penalty for resisting AA participation can be imprisonment, loss of welfare or health care benefits, and even death for those in need of a liver transplant that won’t get one because they don’t follow particular treatment options.

Alcoholics Anonymous is a group movement that has created the addiction treatment industry. Forget about the little baskets passed around in meetings, where people throw in a dollar or two every visit. Let’s focus on the donations that are sent strait to AA’s General Service Office, which is unlike the individual groups, making profit and even maintaining a small paid staff.

Self-supporting through their own contributions? That’s funny. According to AA Annual Reports, if Alcoholics Anonymous had to survive on the donations from its members only, there would be NO AA. The revenues come mainly from commercially run alcohol rehabilitation programs. Those rehab and treatment programs pay Alcoholics Anonymous for printed materials such as The Big Book. AA would love you to believe it is not out for profit, but based on its own yearly report, the bulk of the annual proceeds come from the profitable friendship with alcohol rehabilitation programs.

Believe me, for the average person the typical amount is about $1500.00 a day for in-patient alcohol abuse treatment. For them to allege that it is self supporting through its own contributions seems to me like F-R-A-U-D. Although it appears that anyone reporting on the failure of treatment programs not working is a huge economic threat to our treatment centers and health care.

Can you believe that people who attended AA and were taught to believe that they are powerless over alcohol, did five times as much binge drinking as those with no education in powerlessness??

If AA works for you, more power to ya’. If you’ve only been to treatment once and have a success story, congratulations!

In my experience in over five rehabs, of course in-patient treatment doesn’t work. Think about it, you are on a locked hospital unit with absolutely no access to alcohol, or drugs. You learn some cognitive behavioral therapy, and any may have a mental health check. But the whole time you’re there, your body and mind is waiting for the day that it can jump back into the real world for another drink. NOW THAT is dangerous.

I would never recommend a treatment facility that lasts longer than 30 days. Because I believe if you are or were a low down dirty alcoholic like me, you will need detox, and some time away from the availability of liquor. Other than that don’t waste you time, money, and hope.

Now don’t shoot the messenger. I am just getting the information out there. I write my blogs based on my own opinions, observations and research.

If AA works for you, more power to ya! If you’ve only been to treatment only once and have a success story, congratulations!

The debate is open…

written by The Alcoholic Blogger \\ tags: AA, alcoholic, alcoholics anonymous, alcoholism, detox, in-patient, rehab, success rate, the big book, the twelve steps, treatment

That’s right! If you’re an alcoholic you have drunk dialed before, admit it!
With so much texting and emailing lately, it’s a whole new ball game!

written by The Alcoholic Blogger \\ tags: CBS, Drinking, drunk dialing, drunk email, drunk texting, embarrassing

Has anyone out there tried Campral, also known as Acamprosate? It is another pill to try and combat alcoholism, and is an “anti-relapse” support medication that you take three times a day. Campral is beneficial for those who plan to seek complete abstinence from alcohol. The drug is designed to work by restoring the natural chemicals of your brain that have been disrupted by heavy alcohol use. It is not a cure, and does not prevent the withdrawal symptoms that people experience in the days following their last drink. However, it does reduce the emotional and physical discomfort that are present when you are in early to mid recovery.

It’s been used in Europe for years before finally being approved by the FDA in the US. It has been fairly successful, and clinical trials suggested that people who took Campral were two or three times more likely to achieve abstinence for a full year verses those who took a placebo.

It’s another option out there for those of us that are still looking for the pieces of the puzzle to finally come together. It kicks in fairly soon for people, usually within five days. I’ve been taking them for a month now, and I can feel a certain level of control over my cravings. Most patients have found Campral quite effective. It is not a habit forming drug, and unlike Antabuse, it doesn’t cause any discomfort or illness if alcohol is consumed when the patient is dosed.

I think It is a excellent alternative to Antabuse, which does not reduce the person’s craving for alcohol, it just makes you severely sick if you happen to slip and take a drink. I personally think Antabuse is ridiculous because it interferes with the metabolism of alcohol, consequently leaving you with extremely unpleasant effects when alcohol is consumed. This can lead to feeling seriously ill, and you might even need to seek medical attention.

I will keep you updated on how I feel after some more long-term exposure to this medication.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear from anyone out there who is currently using Campral, as well as your experiences with another medication out there called Naltrexone.

Please note that Treatment with Campral should be part of a comprehensive program that includes some sort of psychosocial support.

For more information about Campral, visit the site, or give them a call!
http://www.campral.com/ or by calling 800- 678-1605.

written by The Alcoholic Blogger \\ tags: Acamprosate, alcoholic, alcoholism medication, Antabuse, Campral, relapse, sobriety, treatment

If you are looking to search for a substance abuse treatment center in your area, below is the link for the most comprehensive list I’ve found on the Internet. It is a free service from the US Department of Health, which allows you to find the specific program you or a loved one may need. You can easily find a list of programs available, including residential treatment centers, outpatient programs, and hospitals for alcoholism and drug addiction. You can find places for both adults and teens with an addiction to alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and so on.

LOCATE A TREATMENT FACILITY

written by The Alcoholic Blogger \\ tags: drug abuse, find rehab, inpatient, outpatient, treatment