Another perspective on AA. "Mind Control Tactics of Alcoholics Anonymous."
http://www.geocities.com/drugsandalcoholinfo/webpagesandpapers/mindcontroltactics.htm
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
I am a newbie
I forgot to mention that I've never blogged before. Any advice is welcome. I tend to be a trial and error kind of guy. Hopefully I'll get it figured out and something purposefull will result, notwithstanding the grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.
Monday, April 27, 2009
New Beginnings
This Blog is intended to address the need for secular alternatives to 12 step recovery programs, particularly here in Canada. At present, they are few and far between. I am the co-facilitator of a relatively new SOS(Saves Our Selves, Secular Organisations for Sobriety http://www.sossobriety.org/meetings/countrys.htm#Canada) group in Ottawa, our nations capital.
If you check out the above site, scroll down for information on groups and/or contacts in Ottawa. I can only vouch for our group and one that I know is up and running in Toronto with the help of the Centre for Inquiry office there-http://www.centerforinquiry.net/ontario/events/calendar/2009/04/. Meetings in T.O. are listed on this site.
Our group is affiliated at present with Pink Triangle Services, an organisation that provides services for and advocates on behalf of the GLBTTQ(Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Trans, Two Spirited, Queer) community. Because our group is new and smaller we don't have the resources to be completely autonomous. This phenomenon is not uncommon because of the relatively small size of the secular demographic and the medical communities' reliance on traditional 12 step groups. Our association was intiated when Ottawa's GLBTTQ newspaper Capital Extra ran a story about addiction and sexuality and gender issues which mentioned the absence of any alternative for those who aren't comfortable with the "spiritual" aspect of available community support groups. My co-facilitator and I, having struggled with the "higher power" concept for some time, jumped at the chance to work with PTS to form a weekly meeting.
I may go into more detail about our short history later but for now I want to continue to describe where this blog will hopefully go. I would like to attempt to provide a one stop blog spot for all things secular/recovery related. This will include links to other resources that address addiction and different treatment modalities, as well as general links to information and organisations that promote secularism(For more on Secular Humanism go to the Centre for Inquiry site listed above). Ultimately, I'm hoping to get the word out that there are people in Canada who do not desire or require the standard "self-help" approach. Sobriety does not require one to "turn their will over" to a higher power, be it someones myth based, archaic concept of a supernatural deity, a group of people or an inanimate object. Quality sobriety comes from within. Understanding the phenomenon and Self-empowerment are the healthy way learn to live with any form of addictive behavior, in my opinion. More on that later.
The following is a sample draft of a letter we will be sending out to community groups in our city in hope that they will assist us in our endevour to reach out to other secular addicts. Included in it is a brief description of our mission and of the origins of SOS.
Dear ************
As you are likely aware, the link between addictions, and both sexual orientation and gender identity issues, is widely recognized. At PTS we feel that it is time for a new, alternative approach to recovery; one targeted primarily* at the GLBTTQ community, that emphasizes a scientifically oriented, secular approach to understanding and achieving sobriety, and that aims to provide information and support in a respectful and safe environment.
On behalf of PTS, we would like to bring to your attention to our new weekly peer support group, which is modeled on the internationally recognized Save Our Selves (SOS) Addictions Recovery program, with a brief introduction to SOS:
SOS was created by James Christopher in 1985 in an effort to provide an alternative to religiously oriented 12 step programs. The core of the SOS program is the “Sobriety Priority,” which is based on two simple, yet fundamental concepts: Abstinence and self-empowerment.
SOS meetings are peer-led, with a strong focus on an awareness of the disease concept, on personal responsibility and on self-worth. Individuals are encouraged to recognize addiction for what it is-a physiological, psychological and social phenomenon-and to credit themselves with their sobriety, while countering the three debilitating elements of the “Cycle of Addiction” described by Christopher-chemical need, learned habit and denial- by focusing on acknowledgment, acceptance and prioritization.
Our program will explore sobriety using a variety of tools, including SOS literature and other relevant media, as well as the time tested approach of members sharing their experiences, feelings, questions, and alternate ways of finding hope in recovery, all in a respectful and compassionate environment.
The reality that one recovery modality does not fit all has become widely accepted among many professionals in the field. Alternatives to traditional support groups are being sought, developed and embraced successfully all over the world. Unfortunately, by and large, this growing phenomenon has yet to penetrate into Canada, and the absence of options is likely jeopardizing lives in the GLBTTQ community, as well as in the “mainstream” population.
For this reason we are asking you to become a partner in our program, by helping create an awareness of our presence, both within your client base and your professional circle, and by offering our pamphlets and contact information to those interested or in need of an alternative community support group.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Hopefully, the community will come to our aid and our group will grow from the 3 to 7 regulars we get now.
Anyway, I can't include everything in one blog. I had to start somewhere. Contributions of ideas or links are welcome. Hopefully we can get the professional treatment community off its collective stagnating butt and moving toward change. Breakthroughs in scientific knowledge are altering our understanding of the cycle of addiction and it is becoming apparent that Dr. Bob and Bill W's program will not be the answer to everyone's struggle with addictive behavior for ever.
For a case and point, see the following article on the rise of Atheism in the U.S.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/us/27atheist.html?th&emc=th
For a very in depth look at the history and questionably effecacy of AA, see the following:
http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-effectiveness.html
If you check out the above site, scroll down for information on groups and/or contacts in Ottawa. I can only vouch for our group and one that I know is up and running in Toronto with the help of the Centre for Inquiry office there-http://www.centerforinquiry.net/ontario/events/calendar/2009/04/. Meetings in T.O. are listed on this site.
Our group is affiliated at present with Pink Triangle Services, an organisation that provides services for and advocates on behalf of the GLBTTQ(Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Trans, Two Spirited, Queer) community. Because our group is new and smaller we don't have the resources to be completely autonomous. This phenomenon is not uncommon because of the relatively small size of the secular demographic and the medical communities' reliance on traditional 12 step groups. Our association was intiated when Ottawa's GLBTTQ newspaper Capital Extra ran a story about addiction and sexuality and gender issues which mentioned the absence of any alternative for those who aren't comfortable with the "spiritual" aspect of available community support groups. My co-facilitator and I, having struggled with the "higher power" concept for some time, jumped at the chance to work with PTS to form a weekly meeting.
I may go into more detail about our short history later but for now I want to continue to describe where this blog will hopefully go. I would like to attempt to provide a one stop blog spot for all things secular/recovery related. This will include links to other resources that address addiction and different treatment modalities, as well as general links to information and organisations that promote secularism(For more on Secular Humanism go to the Centre for Inquiry site listed above). Ultimately, I'm hoping to get the word out that there are people in Canada who do not desire or require the standard "self-help" approach. Sobriety does not require one to "turn their will over" to a higher power, be it someones myth based, archaic concept of a supernatural deity, a group of people or an inanimate object. Quality sobriety comes from within. Understanding the phenomenon and Self-empowerment are the healthy way learn to live with any form of addictive behavior, in my opinion. More on that later.
The following is a sample draft of a letter we will be sending out to community groups in our city in hope that they will assist us in our endevour to reach out to other secular addicts. Included in it is a brief description of our mission and of the origins of SOS.
Dear ************
As you are likely aware, the link between addictions, and both sexual orientation and gender identity issues, is widely recognized. At PTS we feel that it is time for a new, alternative approach to recovery; one targeted primarily* at the GLBTTQ community, that emphasizes a scientifically oriented, secular approach to understanding and achieving sobriety, and that aims to provide information and support in a respectful and safe environment.
On behalf of PTS, we would like to bring to your attention to our new weekly peer support group, which is modeled on the internationally recognized Save Our Selves (SOS) Addictions Recovery program, with a brief introduction to SOS:
SOS was created by James Christopher in 1985 in an effort to provide an alternative to religiously oriented 12 step programs. The core of the SOS program is the “Sobriety Priority,” which is based on two simple, yet fundamental concepts: Abstinence and self-empowerment.
SOS meetings are peer-led, with a strong focus on an awareness of the disease concept, on personal responsibility and on self-worth. Individuals are encouraged to recognize addiction for what it is-a physiological, psychological and social phenomenon-and to credit themselves with their sobriety, while countering the three debilitating elements of the “Cycle of Addiction” described by Christopher-chemical need, learned habit and denial- by focusing on acknowledgment, acceptance and prioritization.
Our program will explore sobriety using a variety of tools, including SOS literature and other relevant media, as well as the time tested approach of members sharing their experiences, feelings, questions, and alternate ways of finding hope in recovery, all in a respectful and compassionate environment.
The reality that one recovery modality does not fit all has become widely accepted among many professionals in the field. Alternatives to traditional support groups are being sought, developed and embraced successfully all over the world. Unfortunately, by and large, this growing phenomenon has yet to penetrate into Canada, and the absence of options is likely jeopardizing lives in the GLBTTQ community, as well as in the “mainstream” population.
For this reason we are asking you to become a partner in our program, by helping create an awareness of our presence, both within your client base and your professional circle, and by offering our pamphlets and contact information to those interested or in need of an alternative community support group.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Hopefully, the community will come to our aid and our group will grow from the 3 to 7 regulars we get now.
Anyway, I can't include everything in one blog. I had to start somewhere. Contributions of ideas or links are welcome. Hopefully we can get the professional treatment community off its collective stagnating butt and moving toward change. Breakthroughs in scientific knowledge are altering our understanding of the cycle of addiction and it is becoming apparent that Dr. Bob and Bill W's program will not be the answer to everyone's struggle with addictive behavior for ever.
For a case and point, see the following article on the rise of Atheism in the U.S.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/us/27atheist.html?th&emc=th
For a very in depth look at the history and questionably effecacy of AA, see the following:
http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-effectiveness.html
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