Britain shakes off a collective hangover after Black Friday, the most popular night for office Christmas parties and the busiest of the year for drink-related casualties.

Minimum pricing on alcohol will not beat Britain's burgeoning drink problem, the Health Secretary insists, defying medical experts. Andrew Lansley, who is preparing to launch a new year drive aimed at ending the country's binge drinking culture, today warns that deep-rooted drinking habits in some areas mean that boosting the price of booze will do little to curb excess.

This comes as Britain shakes off a collective hangover after Black Friday, the most popular night for office Christmas parties and the busiest of the year for drink-related casualties. Some ambulance services received 999 calls as frequently as every 30 seconds to deal with injured and drunk revellers.

New research from the Department of Health underlines how excess alcohol affects almost every aspect of British life. More than 2.6m children in the UK now live with a parent who drinks at hazardous levels. Mortality rates from liver disease among under-75s rose by 16 per cent between 2001 and 2009, new statistics show. And lost productivity because of hung over staff cost businesses £1.7bn a year.

Britain is the drunk man of Europe. Alcohol consumption in France, Germany and Italy is down by between 37 and 52 per cent since 1980. But in the UK it is up nine per cent, with binge drinkers sinking more booze than ever, putting unprecedented pressure on the NHS, police and social services.

The Scottish government backs the idea of a minimum charge per unit of alcohol, which could see a bottle of wine cost at least £4.50 and a pint of beer around 90p. Experts believe thousands of lives would be saved if "pocket-money prices" were outlawed.

But the Health Secretary says there are "big problems" with the idea, which would penalise the poor, fall foul of EU competition laws, and do little to tackle the kind of dangerous drinking seen in town and city centres on Friday and Saturday nights.

Mr Lansley told The Independent on Sunday: "Are we really saying that because a bottle of vodka isn't £8 but £12.50 they are not going to preload with a bottle of vodka for a night out when they are in clubs where they pay £5 for a drink? That is absurd. They are still going to do this binge drinking because that is a behaviour issue. We have got to do much more to focus on what this means."

Doctors and academics from the Royal College of Physicians, the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing, among others, backed a minimum alcohol price, highlighting that in 2010 it was 44 per cent more affordable than in 1980. "We need to narrow the price gap between alcohol in bars and restaurants and alcohol in supermarkets and off-licences, to make bulk discounts and pocket-money prices a thing of the past," they said in a letter to the coalition in Westminster.

The Health Secretary conceded that higher prices for drink can reduce consumption but added: "It is more likely to have a bigger proportionate impact on responsible drinkers who happen to be low-income households."

His rejection of the idea will lay the Government open to claims that it has sided with big business, but Mr Lansley argues that a minimum price of 50p per unit would hand £600m in extra revenue to drinks firms. He maintains that the causes of binge drinking are too complex to be solved simply by raising prices.

"The cost of alcohol in Britain is the same in different parts," he said. "But we have got lots of women in the North East who are fetching up in critical units with chronic alcohol abuse and liver disease on a regular basis – far more than in Hampshire. There are disparities that are nothing to do with price. We need to be realistic about what it is we are trying to address, which isn't simply if you raise the price all our problems will go away.

"The question is, what is the relationship between price changes and alcohol misuse? Because alcohol consumption and alcohol misuse are not on a straight line to each other."

New figures for 2010-11 reveal marked differences in the number of people hospitalised by alcohol. In Manchester, Middlesbrough, and Liverpool, Sunderland and Tyneside people are treated as inpatients for alcohol-related conditions at a rate of more than 2,800 per 100,000. By contrast, in areas such as Hampshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire the rate is less than half that, at 1,400 per 100,000.

Sir Ian Gilmore, former president of the Royal College of Physicians, has warned that it is now "commonplace" to find young women being treated for liver disease. Mortality rates for liver disease, including cirrhosis, is two-thirds higher among women aged 35 to 64 in the North-east and North-west than the national average.

Admissions to A&E linked to alcohol have doubled in the past eight years, reaching 1.2m in 2010.

The alcohol strategy is expected to bolster Mr Lansley's concept of community alcohol partnerships, where police, retailers and trading standards unite to crackdown on underage drinking and booze-fuelled antisocial behaviour. Mr Lansley added: "I think we can do immensely better in terms of preventing sales to youngsters."

In October, the Government banned the sale of alcohol below the rate of duty plus VAT to prevent below-cost sales. Extra duty has been added to super-strength lagers, while a reduced rate is charged on beers below 2.8 per cent. Services to help chronic abusers to "detox" and change their behaviour are also being improved.

However, the rejection of minimum pricing will dismay campaigners who hoped ministers would take a tougher stance. A new study by the University of Illinois at Chicago, published in the Alcohol Research & Health journal, found "price increases can help reduce the risk for adverse consequences of alcohol consumption and abuse, including drinking and driving, alcohol involved crimes, cirrhosis and other alcohol-related mortality, risky sexual behaviour and its consequences, and poor school performance among youth".

Katherine Brown, head of research and communications at the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said: "Raising the price of super-cheap drink sold in supermarkets will not penalise moderate drinkers, it will target those who misuse alcohol, and tackle one of the root causes of what is possibly the nation's biggest health and social problem."

She added that the total cost of alcohol harm to society exceeds £25bn each year. Separate estimates suggest the alcohol industry contributes £15bn in taxes.

In January the Commons science and technology select committee on will publish a major report on guidelines on drinking.

The Government's Responsibility Deal, under which drinks companies and supermarkets are urged to change the way they operate, has sparked accusations of ministers getting too close to the booze industry. Under the deal, Asda became the first supermarket to agree to remove cut price drinks deals from the front of stores.

But the Conservative MP for Totnes, Sarah Wollaston, a former GP, launched a strong attack on the supermarket after finding the chain selling two litres of cider for £1.48 and a four-pack of bitter for 68p. In a Commons debate, Dr Wollaston accused the supermarket of "killing its customers" and causing "carnage".

A spokesperson for Asda said: "The vast majority of our customers drink responsibly and we shouldn't penalise the majority for the actions of the few."

Health

Each year, drink leads to the admission of more than a million people to hospital for treatment of alcohol-related cancers, liver disease, and poisoning. Nearly 1.2 million people in England needed inpatient hospital treatment in 2010-11 – a 9 per cent rise on the previous year. Liver disease is the only major condition that is on the increase in Britain. In some age groups, the rates of cirrhosis have risen tenfold in 30 years. Lawyers and company bosses are at more risk of dying from alcohol as they get older, because they do not realise they are drinking to excess.

Crime

The Home Office estimates that alcohol-fuelled crime cost between £8bn and £13bn in 2007-08. Alcohol played a part in more than a million crimes in 2007-08, and is a factor in almost half of all violent crimes. In England, alcohol was linked to 400,000 crimes in 2010-11, including 6,700 sexual offences. Almost one in four Britons experiences drunk or rowdy behaviour in their neighbourhood, according to the British Crime Survey. Last year, alcohol was blamed for 928,000 violent incidents – almost half of the total – by victims of crime. The charity Alcohol Concern estimates drink plays a part in one in three child abuse cases, as well as in the majority of domestic violence incidents.

Road accidents

Last year, 9,700 people were killed or injured in accidents involving drivers who were over the drink-drive limit. This accounts for five per cent of all road accident victims. Drink-drive accidents resulted in 250 deaths in 2010 – 14 per cent of all road fatalities, according to the latest Department of Transport statistics. Alcohol was blamed for one in 10 fatal motorway crashes in 2009, the latest year for which figures are available.

Work

Up to 17 million working days are lost each year because of alcohol-related sickness. More than one in four adults are regular drinkers. Many will take time off rather than go to work with a hangover. Those who struggle in are more likely to be late, find it difficult to concentrate, and are more likely to make mistakes. The cost to employers of sick days due to drink is estimated at £1.7bn. Loss of productivity is a factor in the damaging cost of alcohol to England, estimated at somewhere between £20bn and £55bn

Drinks industry

The alcohol industry is worth £36bn, and pays £15bn in tax, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association. Britain's nightlife industry employs 1.3 million people. Each week, 15 million people socialise in pubs, which alone employ more than 600,000 people. In the past decade, sales of beer in pubs have fallen by more than a third, but have risen by a quarter in off-licences. Vodka accounts for almost a third of all spirits bought in Britain.

Spiritual care is important, too; Doctors recognizing importance of spiritual as well as physical care

Spiritual care is important, too; Doctors recognizing importance of spiritual as well as physical care | Local | The Bulletin

“Doctor, will you pray with me?” Dr. Michel Boileau, a longtime Central Oregon urologist, said patients have asked him that question or something like it many times. Often, it is before surgery. They perhaps felt anxious or scared and wanted comfort from the person giving them care. Boileau had years of medical education and hundreds of hours of practice before becoming a full-fledged doctor. But, he said, he had absolutely no training in how to respond to that question. Medicine and medical training, not just for physicians but for many who work in health care, are typically focused on science. Certainly the complex biology of the human body and disease is crucially important. Yet for many people who have a health problem serious enough to land them in the hospital, the physical ailments may only be a small part of what's troubling them. They are also likely grappling with the emotional toll of their illness and how it may affect them. They may be scared of death, pain, hospitals or any number of things. And many, even those who aren't typically religious, may be looking for spiritual comfort. “Medicine and religion are really the two areas where we grapple with the significant events in our lives,” said Boileau. “It's often the religious world where we go for solace.” The two were long intertwined. St. Charles Bend was founded by nuns, who served as caregivers for many years. Years ago, religious leaders were often physical as well as spiritual healers, and still are in some places. But as Western medicine focused more on the physical causes of disease, the spiritual aspect was often left out. Now, there's a movement to bring it back. “In the last 15 years, we've noticed a big change,” said Richard Groves, founder of the Sacred Art of Living, a local nonprofit that offers courses in using spirituality in secular settings. “Some of the leading medical institutions in this country ~ are now really explicitly talking about the importance of having conversations about spirituality.” As an example, the number of chaplains certified by one of the country's largest certifying agencies has increased 20 percent in the past 10 years, according to Carol Pape, a manager at the Association of Professional Chaplains. Today, there are about 3,100 chaplains certified by the agency. Elk hunting at the hospital Spiritual care is a somewhat nebulous concept, though experts seem to agree that it has, at its core, an aspect of making sure a person feels connected to something outside him- or herself. It's related to an idea gaining traction in health care that hospitals need to treat the whole person, not just the disease. “We're seeing a wonderful resurgence in person-centered care,” said Boileau. “We have begun paying attention to those things that we didn't before, which was to the patient's detriment.” Chaplains have long been used in hospice care and in some hospitals, particularly those founded by religious groups, including St. Charles Bend. The current shift has to do with a growing recognition that this kind of care may also be useful for patients not near the end of life. Bill Danaher, a chaplain at St. Charles Bend, said any patient in emotional pain could benefit. He recalled a patient he went to see one day at a nurse's request. The patient had been a logger but now was sick with cancer. He hadn't spoken much all week and Danaher recalled that he was sent in to check on him. “You're not really churchy, are you?” Danaher said he asked the man. “Nope,” the man replied. Danaher sat down and assured the man he wasn't there to sell him religion. He just wanted to talk. Pretty soon, he asked the man, still short of words, a question: “Given no restrictions, where would you be right now and what would you be doing?” At that, Danaher recalled, the man “took me elk hunting for two solid hours. I didn't say a word and he was sitting on stumps and jumping over fences. When it was done, he apologized profusely for talking my leg off. He asked me to please come back.” This man was in “emotional pain,” Danaher said. By telling his story, “he touched some place within him that ‘This is where I find my peace in life.'” Patients, Danaher said, “need all this biological stuff we are doing here (at the hospital). But it does no good without the spiritual wellness.” Treating the whole person Danaher, who is Catholic, said he's seen more medical professionals, even those who are not religious, accept the idea of spiritual wellness. “I've had atheist surgeons come up to me and say, ‘I want you to go visit a patient.' “And I say, ‘Why? You have no belief in what I do.' And they say, ‘If I have two patients who are otherwise equal and one whose spirits are up and one who are down, the one whose spirits are up is going to do better every single time.'” Research studies support Danaher's anecdotal contention. Most find that people who report a greater sense of spiritual well-being have less pain, less stress and feel better about their lives. In one study, women with metastatic breast cancer who received intensive social support did not live longer, but did say they lived better in their final months than those without it. They reported less pain than the group of women who did not make such strong connections. Another study found that this type of support, particularly through “spiritual activities” correlated with better medication adherence in AIDS patients. This month a study from researchers at Brigham Young University found lower blood pressure and other markers of heart health were better in people who scored higher on tests of spiritual well-being. Beyond the physical symptoms, a chaplain or other spiritual care provider can provide a shoulder or be an advocate. Chaplains will often sit in on family meetings, said Kit Hall, another chaplain at St. Charles Bend. These meetings, which typically take place when a patient is in very serious condition, often leave the family in shock, Hall said. He will sometimes stay with a family after the medical team leaves, to listen, help guide discussion or pray with a family, if that's what they want. “They are trying to make sense of what's going on,” Hall said. “Ours is not to help them answer that question, but to support them.” Praying with patients Chaplains have explicit training in how to care for the emotional and spiritual needs of patients, but they are by no means the only people in the health care system called on to do so. Groves, through the Sacred Art of Living, has trained health care workers all over the country in aspects of spiritual care. At first, he said, most of his trainings were done with people working in hospice. Now they come from all areas of health care. The idea behind his program, he said, is to make caregivers aware of spiritual issues and how they can affect a patient's overall well-being. “If someone can show up and start talking about that ~ everything else that's going on in the health care system is going to benefit. The medications are going to work better, the therapies are going to work better. The person is going to be able to take care of themselves better.” Of course, some people are going to be naturally more comfortable with this aspect of care than others, due to their own belief systems. Dr. Heather West, an oncologist at Bend Memorial Clinic, said that when physicians are not spiritual or religious, it can be hard to talk about that subject with patients. “You want your input to be meaningful,” she said. “If you are not very religious, then your input is not going to be helpful.” West, who said she is spiritual but not religious, said she doesn't see spiritual issues brought up often until the end of life. Sometimes that's by patient choice. “I've had people say, ‘Oh, I'm not ready for that yet,' because they think that you're calling a priest to give them last rites.” Like Boileau, she has had people ask her to pray with them. She doesn't feel comfortable saying a prayer, she said, but will be there with them to pray. Boileau, too, said he always prays with people who ask. He described himself as spiritual though not religious, and said he sees it as part of his role as a caregiver. “I realized how important it is to people, and exercising their belief is comforting to them. I would fully support that.”

Doctor, will you pray with me?

“Doctor, will you pray with me?”

Dr. Michel Boileau, a longtime Central Oregon urologist, said patients have asked him that question or something like it many times. Often, it is before surgery.

They perhaps felt anxious or scared and wanted comfort from the person giving them care.

Boileau had years of medical education and hundreds of hours of practice before becoming a full-fledged doctor. But, he said, he had absolutely no training in how to respond to that question.

Medicine and medical training, not just for physicians but for many who work in health care, are typically focused on science. Certainly the complex biology of the human body and disease is crucially important.

Yet for many people who have a health problem serious enough to land them in the hospital, the physical ailments may only be a small part of what's troubling them. They are also likely grappling with the emotional toll of their illness and how it may affect them. They may be scared of death, pain, hospitals or any number of things. And many, even those who aren't typically religious, may be looking for spiritual comfort.

“Medicine and religion are really the two areas where we grapple with the significant events in our lives,” said Boileau. “It's often the religious world where we go for solace.”

The two were long intertwined. St. Charles Bend was founded by nuns, who served as caregivers for many years. Years ago, religious leaders were often physical as well as spiritual healers, and still are in some places.

But as Western medicine focused more on the physical causes of disease, the spiritual aspect was often left out. Now, there's a movement to bring it back.

“In the last 15 years, we've noticed a big change,” said Richard Groves, founder of the Sacred Art of Living, a local nonprofit that offers courses in using spirituality in secular settings. “Some of the leading medical institutions in this country ~ are now really explicitly talking about the importance of having conversations about spirituality.”

As an example, the number of chaplains certified by one of the country's largest certifying agencies has increased 20 percent in the past 10 years, according to Carol Pape, a manager at the Association of Professional Chaplains. Today, there are about 3,100 chaplains certified by the agency.

Elk hunting at the hospital

 

 

 

Spiritual care is a somewhat nebulous concept, though experts seem to agree that it has, at its core, an aspect of making sure a person feels connected to something outside him- or herself.

It's related to an idea gaining traction in health care that hospitals need to treat the whole person, not just the disease.

“We're seeing a wonderful resurgence in person-centered care,” said Boileau. “We have begun paying attention to those things that we didn't before, which was to the patient's detriment.”

Chaplains have long been used in hospice care and in some hospitals, particularly those founded by religious groups, including St. Charles Bend. The current shift has to do with a growing recognition that this kind of care may also be useful for patients not near the end of life.

Bill Danaher, a chaplain at St. Charles Bend, said any patient in emotional pain could benefit.

He recalled a patient he went to see one day at a nurse's request. The patient had been a logger but now was sick with cancer. He hadn't spoken much all week and Danaher recalled that he was sent in to check on him.

“You're not really churchy, are you?” Danaher said he asked the man.

“Nope,” the man replied.

Danaher sat down and assured the man he wasn't there to sell him religion. He just wanted to talk. Pretty soon, he asked the man, still short of words, a question: “Given no restrictions, where would you be right now and what would you be doing?”

At that, Danaher recalled, the man “took me elk hunting for two solid hours. I didn't say a word and he was sitting on stumps and jumping over fences. When it was done, he apologized profusely for talking my leg off. He asked me to please come back.”

This man was in “emotional pain,” Danaher said. By telling his story, “he touched some place within him that ‘This is where I find my peace in life.'”

Patients, Danaher said, “need all this biological stuff we are doing here (at the hospital). But it does no good without the spiritual wellness.”

Treating the whole person

 

 

 

Danaher, who is Catholic, said he's seen more medical professionals, even those who are not religious, accept the idea of spiritual wellness. “I've had atheist surgeons come up to me and say, ‘I want you to go visit a patient.'

“And I say, ‘Why? You have no belief in what I do.' And they say, ‘If I have two patients who are otherwise equal and one whose spirits are up and one who are down, the one whose spirits are up is going to do better every single time.'”

Research studies support Danaher's anecdotal contention. Most find that people who report a greater sense of spiritual well-being have less pain, less stress and feel better about their lives.

In one study, women with metastatic breast cancer who received intensive social support did not live longer, but did say they lived better in their final months than those without it. They reported less pain than the group of women who did not make such strong connections.

Another study found that this type of support, particularly through “spiritual activities” correlated with better medication adherence in AIDS patients.

This month a study from researchers at Brigham Young University found lower blood pressure and other markers of heart health were better in people who scored higher on tests of spiritual well-being.

Beyond the physical symptoms, a chaplain or other spiritual care provider can provide a shoulder or be an advocate.

Chaplains will often sit in on family meetings, said Kit Hall, another chaplain at St. Charles Bend. These meetings, which typically take place when a patient is in very serious condition, often leave the family in shock, Hall said. He will sometimes stay with a family after the medical team leaves, to listen, help guide discussion or pray with a family, if that's what they want.

“They are trying to make sense of what's going on,” Hall said. “Ours is not to help them answer that question, but to support them.”

Praying with patients

 

Chaplains have explicit training in how to care for the emotional and spiritual needs of patients, but they are by no means the only people in the health care system called on to do so.

Groves, through the Sacred Art of Living, has trained health care workers all over the country in aspects of spiritual care. At first, he said, most of his trainings were done with people working in hospice. Now they come from all areas of health care.

The idea behind his program, he said, is to make caregivers aware of spiritual issues and how they can affect a patient's overall well-being. “If someone can show up and start talking about that ~ everything else that's going on in the health care system is going to benefit. The medications are going to work better, the therapies are going to work better. The person is going to be able to take care of themselves better.”

Of course, some people are going to be naturally more comfortable with this aspect of care than others, due to their own belief systems.

Dr. Heather West, an oncologist at Bend Memorial Clinic, said that when physicians are not spiritual or religious, it can be hard to talk about that subject with patients. “You want your input to be meaningful,” she said. “If you are not very religious, then your input is not going to be helpful.”

West, who said she is spiritual but not religious, said she doesn't see spiritual issues brought up often until the end of life. Sometimes that's by patient choice. “I've had people say, ‘Oh, I'm not ready for that yet,' because they think that you're calling a priest to give them last rites.”

Like Boileau, she has had people ask her to pray with them. She doesn't feel comfortable saying a prayer, she said, but will be there with them to pray.

Boileau, too, said he always prays with people who ask. He described himself as spiritual though not religious, and said he sees it as part of his role as a caregiver. “I realized how important it is to people, and exercising their belief is comforting to them. I would fully support that.”

Here are seven steps that caused you or those you love to develop self-destructive behavior

 

There is a subpersonality within each person that has a self-destruct theme. This is not unnatural because it can be found all over the animal kingdom. A scorpion surrounded by flames will sting itself in the back and kill itself rather than be burned to death. Human beings will do likewise in their own way if they sense that the alternative to dying at their own hands is much more painful. Humans readily choose death for political reasons, for principles, for values, or to save the lives of others. In most people, this perfectly natural self-destruct subpersonality sleeps unless extreme conditions call it forth to influence events. In people with control problems, the self-destructive personality has garnered this subpersonality for its own twisted purposes. Your challenge is to set this subpersonality free to act in a normal way and to drive out the self-destruction dragon. Here are seven steps that caused you or those you love to develop self-destructive behavior, and seven steps to conquer the problem once and for all. The Seven Steps of Development for Self-Destructive Behavior Step One: The children are abandoned. Step Two: The abandonment results in loss of structure. Step Three: Emotional and physical abuse occurs. Step Four: The children turn against themselves. Step Five: The children fear loss of control. Step Six: The children learn that gaining control is vital to survival. Step Seven: The children no longer value life. Death seems better. Seven Weapons to Slay Self-Destruction Weapon One: Realize that life is sacred and has ultimate meaning. Weapon Two: Admit you are out of control and ask for help. Weapon Three: Admit that being in control is the big issue. Weapon Four: Set your sights on realistic goals. Weapon Five: Clean up the messes in your life. Weapon Six: Admit and face your abuse of yourself and others. Weapon Seven: Admit and face the issue of abandonment.

BACK TO BASICS FOR ADDICTS

The Muckers say A.A. has lost its course.

"Up there," says James, a slim, muscular Bay Street executive in his early 40s, as he points to a gleaming office tower in Toronto's financial district. "That's where I work. Up on the 50th floor." On a noon-hour stroll through a downtown park, James admits that he is lucky to still hold a job anywhere. For years, he confides quietly, he was addicted to cocaine, a problem he kept concealed from his blue chip employer. At the height of his addiction, he confesses, he routinely blew $1,000 a weekend on the potent white powder. By Monday morning, he was exhausted, often unable to work. But a year ago, after numerous attempts to quit, James turned to a small but growing self-help organization called The Muckers Anonymous Inc. "My cravings went away and never returned," he says. "It was like someone with terminal cancer waking up one day to discover the disease was gone. It was remarkable."

There is, however, nothing remarkable about the Muckers' technique. According to a 52 year old recovered alcoholic named Jim who helped start the Toronto-based group in early 1995, the Muckers rely on intense study of the 57-year -old book Alcoholics Anonymous, known to A.A. adherents as the Big Book, and the Twelve Step approach outlined in the first 103 pages. Nevertheless, the group has become embroiled in a dispute with A.A. and several other self-help groups that resembles a battle between fundamentalists and mainstream Christians. Among other things, those groups say that the Muckers, so named because they frequently muck up the Big Book by underlining key passages and phrases, have a zealous approach to recovery from addiction that excludes anything but the twelve step method. "There's a huge backlash from the established groups," says James.

Last fall, A.A. representatives in Toronto removed the Muckers from their list of approved groups after discovering that their meetings covered various kinds of addictions, rather than just alcoholism. In May, A.A. ousted two members from elected positions as co-ordinators of treatment center meetings because they had been espousing the Muckers' philosophy. Representatives of A.A. are reluctant to comment on the Muckers or to discuss the relative merits of their approaches. "The Big Book hasn't changed," said Ron, a high-ranking official for eastern and central Ontario. "Its worked for almost sixty years."

Some treatment centers have also rejected the Muckers. Alpha House Inc., a rehabilitation facility treating various addictions, has instructed staff and residents to avoid the Muckers. "The bottom line is that Muckers seem to be obsessed with their way being the only way," stated a memo to employees. On the other hand, the Donwood Institute, a well established, Toronto recovery facility, has allowed the Muckers to hold weekly meetings, which Donwood clients can attend. "Some of them found it quite helpful," says Dennis James, vice-president of the Donwood health recovery program.

The Muckers contend that they are maintaining the original traditions of A.A. They charge that A.A. has drifted away from the Big Book and the 12-step approach that its founders, Bill Wilson, a New York City stockbroker, and Bob Smith, a physician from Ohio, developed in the mid-1930s to cope with their own alcoholism. According to the Muckers, many A.A. groups pay lip service to the sanctity of the Big Book but no longer insist that a recovering alcoholic must use it. "A.A.'s message has become broader and diluted," says John, a 35-year- old alcoholic, drug addict and staunch Mucker. "We stick to the original text."

The cornerstone of the Mucker approach is called "booking," in which a member of the group works one-on-one with a recovering alcoholic or addict. They spend up to three hours a day, usually over a two-to-three-week period, studying the Big Book, line by line and phrase by phrase. Among other things, the recovering addict must admit personal failings and weaknesses and make amends to people he has harmed through his addiction. Some Muckers who belonged to A.A. say they became disenchanted by that organization's move away from its original policy of one-on-one therapy in favour of personal or group study. And some longtime A.A. members confirm the trend. "You just don't see a lot of people going through the book one-on-one anymore," said Gord, who has belonged to A.A. for 35 years.

The Muckers have been booking about 100 people a month, according to Jim, and the fellowship now has about 2,000 members, almost all in the Toronto area. Some recently recovered addicts say they have experienced moments of profound spiritual contentment while being booked. "I had this sense of absolute peace," recalls Tory, a film-maker in his mid-30s who was battling alcoholism and heroin addiction. "I couldn't see anything or hear anything. It was almost like the first few seconds of a drug overdose." Since then, Tory says, he has not been tormented by his old cravings. And for that, he is both relieved and grateful.:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

There are times when we simply do not know what to do,

 

There are times when we simply do not know what to do, or where to go, next. Sometimes these periods are brief, sometimes lingering. We can get through these times. We can rely on our program and the disciplines of recovery. We can cope by using our faith, other people, and our resources. Accept uncertainty. We do not always have to know what to do or where to go next. We do not always have clear direction. Refusing to accept the inaction and limbo makes things worse. It is okay to temporarily be without direction. Say, "I don't know," and be comfortable with that. We do not have to try to force wisdom, knowledge, or clarity when there is none. While waiting for direction, we do not have to put our life on hold. Let go of anxiety and enjoy life. Relax. Do something fun. Enjoy the love and beauty in your life. Accomplish small tasks. They may have nothing to do with solving the problem, or finding direction, but this is what we can do in the interim. Clarity will come. The next step will present itself. Indecision, inactivity, and lack of direction will not last forever. Today, I will accept my circumstances even if I lack direction and insight. I will remember to do things that make myself and others feel good during those times. I will trust that clarity will come of its own accord.

BACK TO BASICS FOR ADDICTS

 

BACK TO BASICS FOR ADDICTS The Muckers say A.A. has lost its course. "Up there," says James, a slim, muscular Bay Street executive in his early 40s, as he points to a gleaming office tower in Toronto's financial district. "That's where I work. Up on the 50th floor." On a noon-hour stroll through a downtown park, James admits that he is lucky to still hold a job anywhere. For years, he confides quietly, he was addicted to cocaine, a problem he kept concealed from his blue chip employer. At the height of his addiction, he confesses, he routinely blew $1,000 a weekend on the potent white powder. By Monday morning, he was exhausted, often unable to work. But a year ago, after numerous attempts to quit, James turned to a small but growing self-help organization called The Muckers Anonymous Inc. "My cravings went away and never returned," he says. "It was like someone with terminal cancer waking up one day to discover the disease was gone. It was remarkable." There is, however, nothing remarkable about the Muckers' technique. According to a 52 year old recovered alcoholic named Jim who helped start the Toronto-based group in early 1995, the Muckers rely on intense study of the 57-year -old book Alcoholics Anonymous, known to A.A. adherents as the Big Book, and the Twelve Step approach outlined in the first 103 pages. Nevertheless, the group has become embroiled in a dispute with A.A. and several other self-help groups that resembles a battle between fundamentalists and mainstream Christians. Among other things, those groups say that the Muckers, so named because they frequently muck up the Big Book by underlining key passages and phrases, have a zealous approach to recovery from addiction that excludes anything but the twelve step method. "There's a huge backlash from the established groups," says James. Last fall, A.A. representatives in Toronto removed the Muckers from their list of approved groups after discovering that their meetings covered various kinds of addictions, rather than just alcoholism. In May, A.A. ousted two members from elected positions as co-ordinators of treatment center meetings because they had been espousing the Muckers' philosophy. Representatives of A.A. are reluctant to comment on the Muckers or to discuss the relative merits of their approaches. "The Big Book hasn't changed," said Ron, a high-ranking official for eastern and central Ontario. "Its worked for almost sixty years." Some treatment centers have also rejected the Muckers. Alpha House Inc., a rehabilitation facility treating various addictions, has instructed staff and residents to avoid the Muckers. "The bottom line is that Muckers seem to be obsessed with their way being the only way," stated a memo to employees. On the other hand, the Donwood Institute, a well established, Toronto recovery facility, has allowed the Muckers to hold weekly meetings, which Donwood clients can attend. "Some of them found it quite helpful," says Dennis James, vice-president of the Donwood health recovery program. The Muckers contend that they are maintaining the original traditions of A.A. They charge that A.A. has drifted away from the Big Book and the 12-step approach that its founders, Bill Wilson, a New York City stockbroker, and Bob Smith, a physician from Ohio, developed in the mid-1930s to cope with their own alcoholism. According to the Muckers, many A.A. groups pay lip service to the sanctity of the Big Book but no longer insist that a recovering alcoholic must use it. "A.A.'s message has become broader and diluted," says John, a 35-year- old alcoholic, drug addict and staunch Mucker. "We stick to the original text." The cornerstone of the Mucker approach is called "booking," in which a member of the group works one-on-one with a recovering alcoholic or addict. They spend up to three hours a day, usually over a two-to-three-week period, studying the Big Book, line by line and phrase by phrase. Among other things, the recovering addict must admit personal failings and weaknesses and make amends to people he has harmed through his addiction. Some Muckers who belonged to A.A. say they became disenchanted by that organization's move away from its original policy of one-on-one therapy in favour of personal or group study. And some longtime A.A. members confirm the trend. "You just don't see a lot of people going through the book one-on-one anymore," said Gord, who has belonged to A.A. for 35 years. The Muckers have been booking about 100 people a month, according to Jim, and the fellowship now has about 2,000 members, almost all in the Toronto area. Some recently recovered addicts say they have experienced moments of profound spiritual contentment while being booked. "I had this sense of absolute peace," recalls Tory, a film-maker in his mid-30s who was battling alcoholism and heroin addiction. "I couldn't see anything or hear anything. It was almost like the first few seconds of a drug overdose." Since then, Tory says, he has not been tormented by his old cravings. And for that, he is both relieved and grateful.