avogadno's blog

"Pioneer of non 12 step recovery model Dr. Akikiur Mohammad encourages public to research treatment options thoroughly."

"[Dr. Akikur Mohammad] announced today that the overwhelming surge in popularity of Inspire Malibu is due to his team's focus on treating the disease of addiction with evidence-based protocol, a pure respect for the science of addiction and a truly individualized, holistic approach to addressing the critical therapeutic needs of their clients."

I have good news.

Since the only requirement alcoholics anonymous is a desire to stop drinking (and the only requirement for narcotics anonymous is a desire to stop using drugs), I've decided to do H&I service work and speak at these institutions to share my experience strength and hope as a recovering person with substantial clean time.

My first speak will be next Thursday evening :=)

I just sent this to my personal counselor and thought I'd share it here. I am copy/pasting it from the Orange Papers. Am I correct, this is a newsletter from AA in Illinois?

"Along the same lines, the Northern Illinois Area Service Newsletter gave us this sneering piece of anti-intellectual propaganda that tells us that an ordinary A.A. sponsor is much better than a professional therapist:"

Twelve Ways to Tell the Difference Between Your Sponsor and Your Therapist.

1. Your sponsor isn't all that interested in the "reasons" you drank.

I LOVE this article (Ad)! Especially the first few sentences. It appears as if more people are FINALLY starting to notice that 12 Step is NOT the only or best way to treat addictions.

"Prominence Treatment Center is now offering personalized and unique treatments for those that would like to steer clear of catch-all therapy programs."

I find all aspects to recover from addiction interesting, and regardless of how good or bad medications to treat addiction turn out to be, I am happy to see that there are scientific approaches to treated this illness taking place. I am NOT advocating any medications by posting this article.

"Scientists have for the first time developed a pill that makes alcoholics want to drink less, bringing fresh hope to those who struggle with addiction.

HE WAS a former alcoholic who had turned his life around to become a full-time volunteer, bike builder and environmentalist.

But John Foss, a ''brilliantly funny, crazy bon vivant'' who moved from Sydney to the mid-north coast six years ago, allegedly still fell victim to the tragic effects of the addiction on people.

A member of Alcoholics Anonymous driving a white van allegedly mowed down Mr Foss, an AA volunteer, as he rode his motorised bicycle along Coolamon Scenic Drive in Mullumbimby on Tuesday.

For those that remember Bob Ryder (the AA that allegedly murdered a female (possible) prostitute) last fall, you may be interested to know that his trial starts this coming May.

Man Denied Liver Transplant for Using Prescribed Marijuana: “Probably Too Late for Me”
Friday, March 02, 2012

Norman Smith (photo: Americans for Safe Access)

Norman B. Smith, the 63-year-old cancer patient at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles who was denied a liver transplant because he used medical marijuana, says in a new interview that it’s probably too late for him to make a recovery even if he could get the surgery he needs.

By STEVE HUNTER
Kent Reporter Courts, government reporter
January 26, 2012 · 12:21 PM

Kent Police arrested a woman for investigation of harassment after she reportedly interrupted an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting Jan. 17 in the 300 block of Third Avenue South.

An officer heard a female yelling from just south of the Kent Police Station and went with another officer to investigate, according to the police report.

I thought I'd start discussions on this "chapter" of the Orange Papers. Since we've been disussing different aspects of this recently I won't go in order that Orange has them listed.

"A.A. flat-out lies when it says it is a program of rigorous honesty; it is just the opposite — a program of rigorous dishonesty":

http://orange-papers.org/orange-secrets.html

I don't want to appear as if I was am not supportive of other views concerning religion or God(s) or a higher power. Deep down, I don't think it matters unless someone is being hurt as a direct result of your belief. That was how I was brought up and that is what I still think today.

Tatum O' Neal 'voluntarily returns to rehab after cocaine relapse'

"Tatum allegedly made the decision to voluntarily check into rehab after having a relapse about a month ago when she began using cocaine again,' a source told Radaronline.

However, Tatum is at a rehab facility that doesn't follow the 12 step AA model, which doesn't bode well for her success, according to the source.

Here is an interesting story about a young man (David H. McCarthy, 27) of Naperville, IL who after working his 9th step, was arrested for the 2008 hit and run death of a young women (Melissa Lech, 20).

Your Brain Doesn’t Know the Difference Between Ice Cream and Crack

We all joke about being addicted to dessert or salt or various other vices, but in the case of ice cream, one new study has shown that it actually does share some characteristics with drugs. It sets off the pleasure centers of our brain in the same way, but it's also now clear that when you eat a lot of ice cream, you become desensitized to its pleasures—just like you do with drugs, or so I have heard.

Karen Lee Burger went missing last July in Florida. As it turns out, her Father reported that his last during hi contact with her she told him she was going to get together with a man that she met at an AA meeting.

I just want to remind anyone that cares that she is still missing and that it has also been reported that her daughter, SIL, and grandson are missing as well.

Comment remvoed as I said I would do.

Here is a rather long article on the disease theory but it's a good read:

Submitted by Baldwin Research Institute Fri 01/27/2006. Addiction Info.

"In 1976, the writer Ivan Illich warned in a book, Limits to Medicine, that 'the medical establishment has become a major threat to health'. At the time, he was dismissed as a maverick, but a quarter of a century later, even the medical establishment is prepared to admit that he may well be right. (Anthony Browne, April 14, 2002, the Observer)"

AA and the Salvation Army have had strong ties since the early days of AA’s founding. The SA is known for its strong Christian roots and began in the later 1800’s by an evangelical minister named William Booth. Booth’s first Christian converts were thieves, prostitutes, and drunks. He promised them salvation through Christ and gave hope to those in the most need.

In each place that the word God is printed in the big book, let's insert the word "Allah" instead.

Also, a more minor chage for meetings. Instead of closing with the Lord's Prayer (Catholic version), close with a Salat (traditional prayer of the muslim faith).

How many would join this group and claim it is spiritual and not religious?

Besides some initial physical illness, I found that the more I blogged and read, researched, and wrote letters, the more depressed I came. I decided to take an extended break. Occasionally I do check back in and read a bit but I start to get angry again nearly right away. It is definitely a struggle because I think that if former members don't fight for what we think is important, things in the so called "recovery world" won't change. Being new at sobriety is a difficult time anyway. Adding the weight of a fight has stopped helping me and has caused me more frustration.