Re: How to handle 'Uncle Al' aka "Alan Schwartz" <uncleal0@ix.netcom.com>

From: Tom McDonald (tmcdonald2672_at_nohormelcharter.net)
Date: 07/29/04 

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 17:08:14 -0500

Dr_Postman wrote:

> On Thu, 29 Jul 2004 08:41:32 -0700, House Widdershins
> <sinistre@liripipe.com> wrote:
>
>
>>X-No-Archive:Yes
>>On Thu, 29 Jul 2004 07:35:30 GMT, Dr_Postman <Looky@mysig.foremail>
>>wrote:
>>
>>
>>>On Thu, 29 Jul 2004 06:14:56 GMT, usenet@mantra.com (Dr. Jai Maharaj)
>>>wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>In article <sthgg05sp7p2dma51dtc1afaspo94g2kr2@4ax.com>,
>>>>jamie eckles (aka dr.postman) <jamieemps@mindspring.com>
>>>> Look@mysig.foremail posted:
>>>>
>>>>>[...]
>>>>
>>>>Why did you drop out of your recovery in Narcotics Anonymous?
>>>>Go back to alt.recovery.na where you can actualy help yourself.
>>>
>>>You have no clue about arna. It's a flame group, you moron.
>>>Come visit my home group this September and watch me
>>>celebrate 17 years. You see, I'm not the slightest bit
>>>embarrassed about being a member of NA. This attempt
>>>to mess with me backfired on you, dumbass. Just 6
>>>days ago someone brought up na.org and I responded
>>>about my recovery. So your skills at looking up people
>>>on the net suck pretty hard.
>>
>>Wow! Seventeen years. You go, Postman. You rock!
>>
>
>
> Just a day at a time deal. I'll celebrate at Positive Image
> Group on the 4th Saturday of September with the other folks
> who are celebrating that month. Anyone in the neighborhood
> of Memphis are welcome to drop by at 1399 Airways. We put
> on a pretty good pot luck for our birthday night.

Doc P,

        I wish you well. Hope the party is a great time for you.

        I took a little different route. After a one-month outpatient
program, I spent the next year going to frequent AA meetings
(several per week); followed by about a year of once-a-week
meetings; and then a couple of years of check-up meetings.
After that, I've found no need for me to attend meetings,
although it is a comfort to know they're their if I need them.

        After I got sober, I went to grad school to get a master's
degree in AODA therapy, with an emphasis on family therapy. I
worked for about 6 years in that field before becoming disabled,
and have referred many people to AA/NA/etcA.

        My view is that folks get in trouble with chemicals in many
ways, and while not every person will respond to one specific
recovery method, everyone has at least one recovery method that
will work for them. My education equipped me to help folks find
their best way back to life. I found it was very liberating for
clients that they weren't in a win or lose, make or break
situation. If the first thing they decided to try didn't work,
we would analyse what they learned from the experience, and made
a plan to try another way.

        Sorry for the long version, but I wanted to second your
statement that NA, and AA, don't claim that their way is the
only way (although some professionals, and a few folks in the
programs, do say that). The point is to present a situation for
the sufferer whereby there is always hope, always something new
to try.

        BTW, I've been clean and sober for about 18 or 19 years (I
don't keep track any more). I had one, one-day relapse that was
the best thing that could have happened to me. The relapse made
it crystal clear that holding on to the idea that 'if things get
bad enough, I can always go back to drinking to numb myself' was
pretty silly, and entirely false. 

-- 
Tom McDonald

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