April A B C in One Post

Addiction is what led me to recovery. My using [which includes the drinking of alcohol] kept getting worse. Never better. 
     Atheism is the end result of my believing. I came into recovery believing. By my second decade, I no longer believe in any sort of capital H Higher capital P Power. This seems to upset some people who insist that since I "talk to trees and nature" that I am "not really an atheist."
          I love Anonymous. Anonymous inspires me to hack my way into a better world. 

Brain Damage happened to me after many years in recovery due to a motor vehicle accident. The other driver was charged and convicted of attempted vehicular manslaughter. The brain I have now I named Briella-- still brilliant but a bit sideways.
     Birding was the first hobby I picked up after I stopped using. 
     Backpacking came soon after.
          My backyard is full of bees and I love them. 

Celebration: I celebrate every day that I am alive.
     I take care of my cats well enough. Toward the end of my run, there was one kitten that I knew was sick. Every day after work, I went out and got blasted instead of taking him to the vet. He died at the end of the week. I'm so sorry Sammy. I failed you. I cannot make that up to you. I can only do better with the cats that are in my life today.
     I went on a three week cross-country trip by myself and that was wonderful.
          Cory Doctorow is one of my favorite authors. He writes stuff that I can relate to. It's hacker-lit for me.

I have always loved dogs. The dog that was with me when I stopped using was ecstatic. I came home every day after work. I took him for regular walks instead of throwing him out the back door. We did stuff together on weekends.
     Dad came down with Lewey Body Dementia. Dementia sucks.
     I started doing digital art after my accident.
          Since my traumatic brain injury, I have learned that it takes courage to dream new dreams.

I used to have a bit of a problem with envy. I learned that anything worth having is worth working for. I no longer feel much envy. I'm too busy going after my goals to think much about what other people have.
     When I am happy, I sing along with my ear-worms.
          An e-reader gave me back the ability to read for more than a half-hour at a time. [After my car accident, I could not read for very long. With the e-reader, I can].

My grands had a dairy farm. I loved it there and I still miss the place.
     I got into having fish in tanks. But I wasn't any good at it. My housemate kept saying, "Don't you think those fish would have been better off if they never met you?"
     I switched to frogs. I love frogs. I have eight frogs right now. I've had up to thirty frogs at one time. 
          From watching Duck Dynasty, I learned the importance of family.
          My t.b.i. eye doc says, "Fatigue is the great enemy." That's true.

I used to manage group homes. I miss the people but not the agency.
     I used to go to the gym but I wasn't exercising enough there for the amount of food that I was eating. I gained a lot of weight during my time there.
          I joined a different gym in January. I now am striving to eat sensibly. I am not gaining weight this time. I do at least five machines and sixty to ninety minutes on the cardio machines five to six days a week. Although I have to nap after the workouts due to my severe fatigue, I like going to the gym.

I love herons and hawks. I've seen some really cool ones too.
     After my accident, I had a constant headache. I had to get blocks put in the back of my head [six needles on three separate occasions] to stop them. I felt so lousy that the needles felt good.
          I love my housemate.
          Hacking has taught me how to approach a problem logically.

Intelligence and intellectual pursuits are cool. I've noticed that there is substantial prejudice against t h i n k i n g expressed by some folks in recovery. I don't feel that way.
     Islands rock. I love islands.

I love jelly beans.
When I was in fifth grade, I discovered Jack London and I read every book of his that I could get my hands on. As a girl, no one was encouraging me. [It was a time when the topic of "electricity" was skipped over in the girls' science classes much to my dismay]. But I loved his writing.
I also read "Death Be Not Proud" a bit later on [John Gunther] when it came out.
     In Spanish class, I learned how to tell jokes.
          I like junk shops and fixing stuff I got for cheap.

We had a few kleptos in my high school class. I was a nervous thief and so I quickly quit that sort of thing. Plus one for anxiety.
     I was klutzy and last to be picked for any teams. 
     I hated kickball. I probably still do.

Laughter feels good to me.

I've been to Mexico a few times. I used to want to go live there. Now with all the violence from the drug cartels I've decided that Mexico is out for me.  
     I like the Old Quarter in Montreal.
     I've read practically everything that Mercedes Lackey has written. Talking "horses"? Yeah, bring 'em. 
          Monsanto sucks.

I'm a nature child.
     I miss New Orleans the way she used to be.
     I learned how to work on my self-esteem from Nathaniel Branden. 
          I love the ninjem on Twitter (r). Any ninja accounts that I come across, I follow. The ninjem are the ones having all the fun there. Everyone else is serious or fighting or both.

I've been known to over-eat [throughout my life] but I prefer to call myself a "foodie." I don't believe that obesity or addiction are "diseases." I consider them to be behavioral disorders. [I did the work and I am no longer obese].
     I have ocular-motor dysfunction due to traumatic brain injury. That means my eyes don't work well with my brain or with each other.
     O.V.R. was a complete waste of time for me. They've helped lots of [more traditional sorts of] people but not me. I dislike authoritarian approaches in general. They truly didn't "get me."
     I discovered Oliver Sacks and I love his writing. He is a neuro-doc with a heart. I'd love to have tea with him once and just talk about regular stuff but I think that won't ever happen. Drat.
          I am disgusted with the troubled teen industry. No one deserves abuse. Our teens are our future. So it's OpLiberation for me.

The phone phreaks taught me to play with technology.
     I have a "pagan soul" in me but no beliefs in any gods.

I like Quebec City and Queer Nation.

Regrets, yes I have them.
     I miss the magazine "Raw Vision." I like the artwork of the self-taught.

I dream in Spanish.
     I had fun in San Francisco.
     San Diego is a place that I can imagine myself living in. I love it there.
          Self-determination is one of my values. Too bad the recovery industry and the mental hell industry only give lip service to that idea.

I toured the Tuskeegee Institute. I never understood the big deal about Booker T. Washington and the peanuts until I went there and saw it for myself. The people there were real nice to me. If I ever get rich, I'd like to establish a scholarship so kids can go there.
     I love to travel, especially on trains.

I want to learn how to ride a unicycle.

Violets are pretty flowers. I refuse to have a "chemical lawn" because the crap they spray on the lawn kills the violets. Plus there is a bunch of other reasons not to do that. Besides, if you mow it all down once in awhile, it's green anyways. [Actually, I am working on killing the lawn gradually and replacing it with better stuff].

In recovery, I re-discovered the woods. Being in the woods clean is a very different experience from being in the woods blasted.
     Words have always fascinated me.
     Writing is my life.

Some people are xenophobic and some aren't. Xenophobia cannot be attributed to everyone who is against civil rights for all civils. 

I love yarrow.

Zoos are pretty cool. Many zoos are actually on the cutting edge of conservation. One zoo that I've been to, I thought should be shut down. [...Hello Utica Zoo with your plastic playthings for your primates]. The best zoo I've ever been to was in San Diego. Even the herps were happy. 

                        ~ the end for now ~
     

Neurology Court

Court Officer: All rise. The Honorable Judge Flash. Neurology Court is in session.

87 people diagnosed with a variety of neurological diseases and conditions struggle to stand up and then flop back down.

Judge Flash: Being passed to you is an article on "How to Pass for NeuroTypical." Although it was written for autistics, I think the tips apply to all of you. Be sure to read it and practice it at home. I will ask you about it during the next Neurology Court two weeks from today.

87 people have a variety of reactions to the article. Some wad it up and stick it in a pocket. One person begins to eat the paper. Five others sniff it. Three people fold it into paper airplanes. Two people begin creating spitballs from it. A few try to read from the article.

Judge Flash: Line up in alphabetical order. You, Defendant Zee, I told you to learn what 'alphabetical order' means during the last session. I'm sentencing you to jail for the weekend.

Defendant Zee: But I just got a job. At the supermarket--

Judge Flash: That's your problem. Have your staff contact your job coach so she can call your employer. Go with the sheriff now.

Defendant Zee: I didn't do nothing wrong. Fuck off, Your Honor. 

Judge Flash ignores Defendant Zee. He is handcuffed and escorted into the waiting jail van outside.

Judge Flash: Defendant Bee. I have a report here from your neurologist. You are refusing to take your dementia meds again. Why is that? Speak up please. I can't hear you.

Defendant Bee: They are making me throw up.

Judge Flash: Please communicate that to your neurologist and your case manager. If you continue to refuse the meds, I will be forced to remand you to jail.

Defendant Bee gives Judge Flash the finger as he stumbles back to his seat, nearly tripping on his walker.

Judge Flash: Defendant Cee. You are attending the sheltered workshop now. You made it in on time every day last week. Very good. I'm proud of you.

Defendant Cee: Thank-you Sir.

Judge Flash: You can go now. Back to your seat.

Defendant Cee: Thank-you Sir.

Defendant Cee makes several curtsies at the judge but makes no movement to leave the area.

Judge Flash to Court Officer: Please have Defendant Cee's staff paged.

Court Officer: Very well, your honor.

Two staff people rush in smelling like tobacco smoke. They view Defendant Cee with alarm. They grab her and perform a two-person escort, forcing her to walk with them back to her seat.

The two people who were making spitballs now proceed to spit them at each other. The judge does not see this. But several other people do. They smile at the spit-ballers, using the articles to hide their smiles from the judge.

Judge Flash: Defendant Dee. You are also a participant at the sheltered workshop. How is that going for you?

Defendant Dee: They don't pay me enough. It's slave labor.

Judge Flash: If you co-operate, they may put you on a work team. You might want to be on the cleaning team or the mowing lawn team. 

Defendant Dee: I don't want that. I like to take pictures with my camera.

Judge Flash: Your best bet is to do the best you can at the sheltered workshop. It's better than sitting at home.

Defendant Dee stares at the flag to the right of the judge. 

Judge Flash: Is there anything else you want to say? No? Hang in there.

Defendant Dee runs back to her seat. Once there, she retrieves the article from her coat pocket along with a pen. She begins to draw a caricature of the judge on the back of the article.

Judge Flash: Defendant Gee. Your residential staff tell me that you are refusing to use the stand box.

Defendant Gee: It hurts.

Judge Flash: You don't want to be stuck in that wheelchair. Be good and use the stand box.

Defendant Gee: It hurts. The surgeon didn't get all of the glia out of my brain, Judge. I'm gonna die.

Judge Flash: I'll let your case manager know that you need a referral to counseling.

Defendant Gee: Can I have some medical marijuana for the pain?

Judge Flash: You know we don't allow you to use illicit drugs for as long as you are a participant of Neurology Court. 

Defendant Gee: I'm gonna die. The pain meds from the doctors don't work.

Judge Flash: Try the stand box. That will help you. Next.

Defendant Jay staggers to the judge's desk and runs into it. 

Defendant Jay: Ouch!

Judge Flash: Defendant Jay. How is the physical therapy going?

Defendant Jay: Not helping. I hurt my elbow.

Judge Flash: You aren't wearing your braces.

Defendant Jay: Too heavy.

Judge Flash: Defendant Jay, when you appear in this courtroom, you are to wear your braces. Understood? I want you to write me an essay for next time. The title is "why I think I don't have to follow the rules."

Defendant Jay: Can't write. 

Judge Flash: Get your staff to help you with it. You have to help yourself Defendant Jay. Show me that you want to help yourself.

Defendant Jay collapses to the floor. The court officer helps him up and returns him to his seat.

Judge Flash: Defendant Kay. Defendant Kay? Where is she? Court Officer, issue a bench warrant for Defendant Kay. Defendant Pee? You're next, Defendant Pee.

Defendant Pee doesn't move from his place in line. The court officer extends a hand. Defendant Pee shakes it. He shuffles over to the judge.

Defendant Pee: Your Honor.

Judge Flash: Yes Defendant Pee.

Defendant Pee: I swore at the bus driver yesterday. She was yelling because my feet got stuck and I couldn't go any faster. I'm sorry, Your Honor.

Judge Flash: Thank you for telling me this, Defendant Pee. Because you were honest, I won't sentence you to jail this time. 

Defendant Pee: Thank you Your Honor.

Defendant Dee: Suck up!

Judge Flash: The sheriff's office will now escort Defendant Dee to the jail van. One week, Defendant Dee. A week to think about your attitude. We don't allow bad words in Neurology Court.

Defendant Dee glares at the judge who ignores her. She allows herself to be handcuffed and then marches out of the courtroom.

Defendant Pee: Bad words are bad Your Honor. I'll be good.

Judge Flash: I appreciate that, Defendant Pee. Last up is Defendant Que.

Defendant Que wheels himself through the gate.

Judge Flash: Defendant Que, how are you?

Defendant Que: I got a new wheelchair.

Judge Flash: Yes you did. Are you taking your medicine?

Defendant Que: I got a new wheelchair.

Judge Flash: I have a note here that you are adjusting well to your new living situation--

Defendant Que: Nursing Home.

Judge Flash: We say "Long Term Care" here.

Defendant Que: Nursing Home. I got a new wheelchair. I take my pills. The food is good. I have a new friend.

Judge Flash: Very good, Defendant Que.

Defendant Que: How much longer do I have to come to Neurology Court? I paid my fine.

Judge Flash: What was it that you did?

Defendant Que: I emptied my urinary catheter in the park. It was too full. I paid my fine.

Judge Flash: You understand that was a crime?

Defendant Que: The bag was going to bust.

Judge Flash: You still have to come here until you gain insight into your crime.

Defendant Que: The bag was full. I can't go to the park now. I am getting worse.

Judge Flash: See you in two weeks.

Defendant Que wheels himself back to his seat.

Judge Flash: Okay everyone. Remember your homework. Do good. Be respectful. Be polite. Blend in. I'll see you all in two weeks.

Court Officer: All rise.

The judge exits.




sapphoq on the hunt for coffee says: We now have drug courts, mental health courts, vet courts, homelessness courts, family courts and more. Flash incarceration-- the practice of sentencing "court participants" [or more accurately, defendants] to short stints in jail for a variety of infractions [some of which are not illegal in and of themselves such as being late for treatment, failure to show for treatment even if physically ill, taking medicine prescribed by a physician without clearing it with court staff first]-- is one of the ways that defendants can be punished. Yet the punishment is supposed to be thought of as therapeutic. 

Those in drug court are viewed as being addicts and/or alcoholics. They are told that they have a "disease" which cannot be cured. In addiction to being convicted felons, they are expected to endorse the idea that they are "sick." Those who do not care for some aspect of their treatment or treatment plan may be accused of "writing their own treatment plan."

In drug court as in all of the other courts mentioned above, the emphasis is heavily on conformity. Do what we tell you. Do what everyone else tells you to do also. Participate in your groups. Follow all of the rules. Make sure that the judge, the court staff, your probation officer, the treatment staff, residential staff [if you are ordered to supervised living], and the entire community that you live in are happy. [People from the community can and do call into the court staff to complain about the behavior of any of the defendants.] If you conformed, the judge offers praise. If you did not, jail time is one possible sanction. Living in a fishbowl is stressful.

I picked Neurology Court as an evolving possibility. Folks with neurological diseases or conditions are faced with real problems which may include progression and or fatality, somewhat like the drug court defendants are told that their "disease" of addiction is "progressive" and "fatal."

Yes, people can and do become dependent upon alcohol and other drugs. Some percentage of folks can learn to moderate their intake. Others cannot. The disease concept came about so insurance companies would pay for people to go to rehabs and detoxes and other forms of treatment. There is no hard evidence that alcoholism or any other addiction "is a disease." I view addiction as a condition or a behavioral disorder.  

While judicial supervision may help some people get their lives together, the concept is flawed in that there is a heavy emphasis on coerced treatment rather than voluntary. The heavy use of authoritarianism is also a concern. The judge becomes a parent on the judicial stage. Some adults respond to this favorably in spite of loss of self-determination. Others do not. These new social ills/problem solving courts put more people under judicial supervision in the guise of keeping them out of prison. The defendant faced with prison time versus supervisory court may pick the latter. Still, this cannot be said to be an expression of true volition.

Although I myself cannot use safely, I believe that marijuana ought to be legalized. Part of the problem is our antiquated drug laws. The rest of it is cookie cutter treatment. Cookie cutter treatment when court-ordered is still cookie cutter treatment. We need more research and more options that truly are individualized. 

Gossiping Our Way Through Recovery

     I celebrate everyone who finds recovery through the drug court system. In the rooms of recovery, it ought not to matter who we are or how we got here. All of us were mandated. I was mandated by a dog who did not like me staying away from home for twenty two hours at a time. Other people were mandated by drug courts, family courts, husbands, wives, lovers, children, and others.

     None of us came into recovery smiling and full of grace. All of us were worn and ragged about the edges. We too could not sit still, fidgeted, talked during the meetings to those sitting next to us, got up to go to the bathroom or roam around. There are a few folks still alive who remember when I first ventured into a meeting. And I remember when most of the rest of us in our area first came in. None of us were looking too good. Nor were we good actors.

African Grey Parrot on a ladder with head down, caption reads "bad bird."

      In our area, there has been a division. There are folks who will no longer attend the meetings being held at a local outpatient treatment program strictly because "so many drug court people are there." That is their choice. 

"Emily has cooties" chalked on old tarmac.

     Of those with time who do attend the meetings where there has been an influx of people who are legally mandated, there are some of us who run our mouths off. And we have no business doing that. Even worse, there are a few who report back to legal officials who was at a particular meeting and what they talked about. This is wrong.

Halloween zombie half buried in the snow with a long tongue sticking out. Caption reads "GOSSIP is UGLY."

     When people have paper over their heads, a few misplaced words could land them into jail or prison. If you have a beef with someone who is in the legal system, you have no right to call someone up and say things like "This one has a bad attitude" or "That one does not sit still at meetings."

     It is the fault of counselors, probation and parole officers, and drug court officials who listen to your crap. But it is also your fault. Clean your own house.

Up close of dustballs with caption "Do your housework. Dustballs evolve."

     ~ where's that coffee? ~  

p.s. Pictures are captioned with description for low vision readers. If you want any of them, right-click to save to your computer. You can also use them in social media, although I don't know why you would want to. 
      For the Big Hollywood idiots: I took and altered these photos myself with my legally obtained cheap digital camera and software. So go away. 

The Fast Food Wars and Exactly Who Is Responsible When We Eat Too Much

N.B.: The words "drug addiction" in this post will include the drug alcohol, as well as street drugs and those prescription drugs that people become addicted to.

     Some time ago, the insurance companies balked at paying for in-patient rehabs for people who were declared by professionals to be in need of treatment for their drug addiction. I viewed this as partly the fault of the rehabs themselves because everyone who was admitted got a twenty eight day program automatically. It was easier to convince staff that one needed an "extension" [a longer stay at the institution] than it was to convince staff that one was ready to be sprung before the scheduled time was up. It was not surprising when the H.M.O.s clamped down. In spite of the protests and tears generated by overly concerned paid professional helpers and profit-driven administrators, list of patients were gone through at treatment team meetings and a few folks were discharged early. Staff became devious skilled with their charting. Notes indicated that their people needed to stay the full twenty eight. Written signs of progress were no longer recorded. [N.B. I worked at a rehab. I saw this with my own eyes]. Staff by and large became concern trolls who were terrified at the prospects of anyone on their caseload being sent out into the cold, cruel world before readiness could be clinically established. There was no criteria for discharge. 

     In the time before there were rehabs and treatment facilities sprinkled all over America, the insurance companies did not want to pay for treatment for drunks, never mind those addicts who admitted to using street drugs. Politics happened and alcoholism was officially declared to be 'a disease' by the American Medical Association in 1956 so that physicians and treatment providers could be paid by the medical insurance companies. [see this: http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol/Controversies/Is-Alcoholism-a-Disease.html#.Uv2Is_ldXfI for one such view which also quotes the A.M.A. website in full. Also there, see footnote number 28]. Twelve step programs all over jumped on the disease bandwagon. 

     In 2013, The A.M.A. declared obesity to be a disease. [In 1998, the National Institutes of Health did so. [See this article for more: http://www.amednews.com/article/20130701/house/130709952/1/]. I have recently been 'treated' to a television commercial that staunchly maintained that obesity is indeed 'a disease.' My best guess informs me that this was done for similar reasons-- so that those providing treatment [including but not limited to surgical procedures such as lap bands, sleeves, and gastric bypasses] can be paid by the medical insurance companies.

     Frankly, I maintain with vigor that any sort of addiction or habituation is not in and of itself 'a disease.' I view all addictions as being conditions which may or may not have a disease process. This allows for a certain percentage of people who discover that they can indeed engage in their special hobby socially and safely at some time after their exposure to the addiction industry. Those people do exist, in spite of protestations otherwise. I suspect that usually by the time that someone comes to the attention of law enforcement personnel or medical personnel due to the effects of his or her special hobby-- be it over-eating, over-drinking, over-drugging, over-gambling, over-sexing, or any other overage-- it is most probably too late for that patient to moderate. That is only my opinion which means that I may be wrong.

     Addictions by their very nature have multiple and varying etiologies. Some folks started doing something too much because there is an obsessive side to their nature. Others report that their home lives were miserable or that they lacked the tools to effectively deal with some sort of major challenge presented to them so their special hobby raged out of control. There may be a genetic link to addictions in some people but we do not know that yet. [In an extremely general way, the younger someone is when a chronic condition develops, the more likely it is that a genetic component exists.] I've heard people identifying peer pressure, abuse, poverty, an un-diagnosed psych condition, grief, traumatic brain injury, a desire to fit in, genetics, and environment as various causes of their particular addiction. Any of these things may be causative, or they may be triggers [rather than causative] which pushed them beyond the point of social acceptability.

     When I was in my heyday of prolific partying, absolutely no one forced me to ingest any substance that I did not want to ingest. No one forced me to drink or use other drugs. I did that to myself. I did not wake up one day and declare to myself that I was going to strive to become addicted. I did enough of the stuff that I was doing to cause my body to warp out and I became physically addicted. At first, I was relieved to be deprived of the responsibility of what I had done to myself. I was told that I did not "do this" to myself. I was encouraged to believe that if my addiction did not happen as young as it did, it would have happened at any time that I started to drink or use socially later on in life. There was no way out of this being an addict. I was a victim of biology, or perhaps of a neurological process that demanded that I destroy myself through chemicals. I was slated to be trapped in addiction and that was the way of it. 

     I have a problem with that sort of excuse-making now. Anyone who used as much alcohol, pot, hash, pills, and other stuff as I did was bound to have problems. My using became just another problem on a long list of problems that I had. I suspect that had I not been in such a rush to alter my state of being with substances outside of myself, perhaps I would not have become an addict. I still think that if I had the gumption to directly address the problems that I was having as a young adult, perhaps my story would have had a different ending. But I didn't and my history is what it is.

     There was no return to social using for me. The moment I got my hands on as much as I wanted to drink or drug, I was off to the races. I tried to moderate my intake. I was not successful, period. 

     Most people are not addicted. The vast majority of people are not addicted to drugs, gambling, sex, food, or any other sort of physical thing or process. That is one thing that we do know. And just because I cannot safely do something, it does not follow that no one should do it. Thus, I am in favor of legalizing marijuana [especially since the drug cartels in Mexico stand to lose significant amounts of American cash if pot is legalized] and I am strongly against regulating what we eat via anti-obesity laws or fat taxes.

     During the times in my life that I have been overweight, I was the one who chose to eat more and exercise less if at all. No one forced me to consume massive quantities of food, period. There is not a commercial written that was capable of compelling me to go down to the local fast food shop and super-sizing everything that I ordered if I did not want to do so. I had to have the desire first. A commercial [maybe] might have struck a sympathetic chord in me which 'made me' crave something laden in salt, sugar, and fat. If I didn't have it in me to over-eat, no one or nothing could have forced me to do so. At the times in my life when I wanted to mess up my body via over-consumption of food, I did not care about the consequences.

     When someone like me is determined to give in to stuffing myself with something [alcohol, other drugs, or food], I don't think things like "I'll lose my health, my relationships, and life as I know it now if I do so." A fat tax will not stop me from consuming junk if I want to do that to myself. The law means nothing to me when I want to get f'd up. What stops me is me.

     Any changes that any of us make-- in order to be long-lasting changes-- are fueled with our desire to have something better or different or other than what we have now. We are not hapless victims of our environment. We are not incapable of taking care of ourselves. As adults, we have rights and responsibilities. When we do not take responsibility for our own lives, we become proficient in the language of victimology. To be sure, some of us had been victims of crimes committed against us. Part of recovery is to move beyond the state of victimhood into survivor mode and then into the state of thriving. Being stuck in the role of a victim limits us from experiencing the wonders of living. [Note: And we also become boring to others when we cannot successfully integrate and then move beyond the trauma.] When we refuse self-responsibility, we invite others to dictate to us how we ought to live. By necessity, that dictation is not self-affirming.

     By anecdotal evidence only, there were times when I wondered if treatment staff were collectively suffering from a group form of oppositional-defiant disorder. A mental health client wants a therapist of one gender and is automatically assigned a therapist of the other. An in-patient at the local hospital or addictions treatment center wants to go home and is pressured into entering a halfway house-- or a community residence if there is a 'serious behavioral health diagnosis'-- instead. Someone decides to return to school for pre-med. He or she wants to be a shrink. Oh no, you cannot handle that. Here's a job at a factory putting together urinary catheter bags. Fascinating stuff really. Take that job. You can start next week. I've seen things like this happen over and over again. I hope it's just my geographical location where helping professionals are like this but I don't think so.

     Now we have the increasing presence of a Spy Nation. First, build a huge facility to store all of the meta-data being collected on each one of us. Then carefully explain that it's really nothing. First, disarm as many citizens as possible. Then keep vast records on those who have guns. First, mess up the Internet. Then tell us that the censorship is really for our own good. First, make fast food the bogeyman. Then pass laws dictating what and how much we should eat. It didn't work during Prohibition. It's not going to work now.

     We live in a place that does not distinguish between hunger and over-eating. Here's a clue. I did not over-eat out of hunger. Most fat people also do not over-eat due to hunger or even due to concerns about when and where the next meal will come from. I did not come from an over-eating family. [I don't know what percentage of foodies do.] We are not so utterly powerless over our impulses that we are victimized by the advertisement budgets of the fast food restaurants in our neighborhood. No amount of laws or fat taxes is going to make a dent into the 'obesity epidemic' that we are facing in the United States. 

     If you want me to change, you have to give me some good reasons why I ought to change. You have to convince me to change. You have to get my attention. If your message is dull, I won't listen to you. If you take away my ability to order a large soft drink, I will find a way to drink as much of that soft drink if I want to. If you complain about the calories in a coffee-flavored drink with whipped cream available at a fast food chain but say nothing about the calories in a similar drink offered at the local upscale Starpukes, I will laugh at you and call you a hypocrite. Figuring that I should eat a diet chock-full of legumes, veggies, selected carbs, chicken and fish ignores the fact that I am allergic to fish and the fact that I have to eat beef three times a week in order to hold iron deficient anemia at bay. If you endeavor to tell me what to eat, I will ignore you and mock you. If you endeavor to tell me what to think, I will inform you that this is my life and not yours.


           


References:

my three favorites among the stuff I read:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/07/how-junk-food-can-end-obesity/309396/?single_page=true

http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2013/09/23/the-problem-is-obesity-not-hunger-thoughts-on-the-food-stamps-debate/

http://www.iwf.org/files/ab250f06f05ee349a5c2347d6c5a926b.pdf



the rest:

http://money.howstuffworks.com/fat-tax.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/05/americans-obesity-rate/1684507/

http://www.nber.org/bah/2009no1/w14721.html

http://www.debate.org/opinions/do-you-think-fast-food-restaurants-are-responsible-for-child-obesity

http://watchdog.org/100330/have-at-it-would-a-fast-food-tax-help-or-hurt-the-poor/

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2010/11/09/cbs-government-needed-stop-fast-food-industry-wants-get-kids-hooked

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101322761


and the worst of the bunch that I read, i.m.o.:

https://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/02/11-8

http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/320/the-obesity-epidemic-in-america-and-the-responsibility-of-big-food-manufacturers

http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/sites/default/files/resources/slowing_down_fast_food_corporateaccountabilityinternational.pdf

http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/07/usda-bans-junk-food-schools-help-fight-obesity.html

http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/22/6/207.full

http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/why-are-low-income-and-food-insecure-people-vulnerable-to-obesity/

http://www.foodispower.org/fast-food/

Beating People Into "Recovery"

    I've been to many different meetings for people in recovery in many different places. The formats and the routines may be different. The message is the same: We can and do get healthier as we stop our self-destructive behaviors and/or addictions provided we are willing to do some work.

     The unfortunate reality observed in a subset of professional treatment providers and also in a subset of people who have an absolute belief in what has been been termed as "old-fashioned recovery" is the tendency to browbeat people into a mold. The perceived actions of what a vigorous recovery looks like to this outspoken minority is what is imposed upon the individuals newly abstinent. It is truly a small percentage of addictions counselors and a small percentage of the work-the-steps-immediately crowd of which I speak.

     When a counselor demands that a client profess belief in a higher power in a certain way, that is overstepping certain boundaries that should be in place. No one gets to dictate what form recovery will take for an individual. Yet, I have seen this happen more than once. A lack of belief in any gods, dogmas, or spirituality ought not be treated as a weakness to be re-mediated by a treatment plan. The counselor's beloved higher power and sincerely held belief system may not be appropriate to the client or the client may not be ready for it.

     When a visitor from out of town returns to a prior home group with stories of how much "better" recovery is where that visitor is living now, it is difficult to welcome the visitor back with open arms. The difficulty increases when that visitor takes a vigorous stand against drug courts. It gets worse when that visitor berates an anxiety-filled newcomer for not having a sponsor and not working the steps. 

     We know that voluntary treatment works. We know that people who are given the option of drug court over jail or prison time are motivated to choose drug court. We know that because of drug courts, folks do get funneled into the meetings and many of those folks stay even after they are no longer on paper. And some of those who don't stay come back after experimenting some more. [And a few die.]

sapphoq itching for a coffee says: If you believe that you are not 'god,' then how about taking a break from pretending to be the be all and end all of recovery. We used to say, "Bring the body and the mind will follow." We are similar enough to recognize each other as human beings and different enough to retain our individuality. So give yourself a break and resign from the divinity post. Remember that some of us may not be ready for your version of spirituality or it may not be appropriate for some of us. Have you no trust in the process?  Recovery and treatment plans ought not to be cookie-cutter in form and substance. Thank you.