Do You Know Someone Who's Received a DUI / DWI (Driving Under Influence)?

I am well aware of your excellent insights about 12 step programs. I was addressing
the schism between the social and institutional sanctioning and funds this cult receives
and the huge number of people who have had first hand exposure and of course found
it to be ridiculous and insane (you don't need advanced degrees in psych. to figure
that out.) I attribute this discrepancy to the self absorbsion and moral and intellectual
lazyness of this culture. One thing I feel makes 12 steps more harmful than most
realize is it doesn't just impact those who engage with it. It informs the entire society
about drug and alcohol use (this has been presented and is taken as medical fact)
as well as creating the social and moral attitudes the public has about drugs and alcohol. Even those opposed to the program who work to expose and debunk it
use the same language and operate within the same framework AA has created
(the exception is Stanton Peele but he uses the term alcoholic.) He and Jack
Trimpey along with a small handful of others have spoken out against AA and
created alternative treatment models. Peele has shown the real clinical data about
the in patient treatment model. It doesn't work, is psychologically damaging and
is not needed as most people who stop or moderate do so with no treatment
(it's very costly too) but goes on to say and here's my treatment program. We must
stop defining the success and happiness of a life on abstanance vs: use and we
must stop moralizing about drugs and alcohol. These are false constructs. I've
heard %s from 93-97 for 12 step based rehab in the states but 95 is the most common.
As there are now the non 12 step alternatives I mentioned which may not be
available in the UK this may explain why you are still at 98%. The 12 step programs
have their roots in the temperence and prohibition movements of late 19th and early
20th century so the moral and psychological underpinnings of 12 steps resonates
with the American psyche because of our cultural and social history so you sure do
have America to thank for 12 steps infiltrating your society. Back to all those who have seen first hand what 12 steps really are, if someone were selling poisonous (and
make no mistake 12 steps are poisonous) snake oil door to door in your town and you
knew this would you just say no thanks close the door forget about it and get on
with your business or would you warn others and maybe call someone in a position
and with the authority to do something. Mac you are the only one amongst all the
avid 12 step opponents who have studied this issue extensively and in many cases
dedicated their careers to this cause not to use the term alcoholic. Though the
medical industry has adopted it it was invented by prohibitionists in the 1890s for political purposes. As I said it's meant to shock and stigmatize (the hard cees have a
very harsh sound.) Many people identify drinking as their problem because they
are told it is their problem when their problems are their problems drinking is a symptom

This is exactly what I mean about the fixation on use vs: abstanance being a
totally false construct and this is a direct result of the gross misinformation
about drugs and alcohol 12 steps have spread through the society. People
who take to the 12 steps for any length of time are either vulnerable and naive
(these people end up very hurt and psychologically damaged as a result of
their involvement) or sick punitive meanspirited abusive bullies who relish the
power they have over others having been essentially given the role of mental
health care provider. This is the most irresponsible model of health care I have
ever seen. The organization hides behind its " Anonymity" to avoid any
accountability (a therapist with the suicide rates of AA that are directly linked to
AA would be under serious investigation.) Those with any kind of psychological
and or intellectual development can't really mesh with the nonsense that is 12
steps. The disease model that attributes all of the behavior and psychology
of anyone with substance abuse issues soley to the substances informs
society's understanding of and reaction to drugs and alcohol. Not only is this
factually very incorrect I take moral and philosophical issue with it. First of all
it obviously precludes healing and insight for the underlying psychological
and life issues. It is fascist, puritanical and repressed and cheapens the
human condition and experience. 12 steps do more damage than what can
be seen on the surface (and that looks outrageously horrible too.)

First of all this needs to be outlawed in our health care systems. There
is more than ample evidence and a huge body of clinical research and
data that clearly shows the real effects of 12 steps. Anyone who tried
to peddle this totally unscientific scam in any other area of health care
would be in jail. It's outrageous that the medical establishment has
sanctioned this and that billions of dollars of our health care resources
have been co-opted. The medical establishment (and US courts) should
be ashamed of themselves. US courts have almost unanimously ruled
forced 12 step attendance is a violation of our 1st amendment right to
religious freedom finding the programs to be overtly religious despite
the organizations claims that the program is spiritual not religious.
They have outlawed forced 12 step attendance but continue to see the programs as well intentioned, effective and helpful to many people.
Unfortunately I have a case of involuntary commitment (72 hr. observational hold thanks mom, the hospital refused to contact the 2
PHD psychologists for whom I offered contact info but wanted to call my
mother as they knew she would tell them I belonged there, I am in my mid
40s and have no history of psychiatric hospitalization) the crux of which
(and of course my civil rights were violated the federal government
considers involuntary commitment de facto incarceration there have
been many fines and sanctions leveled against hospitals and a congressional investigation in the early 90s found people were essentially
being kidnapped and given treatment they didn't want or need) shows
that 12 steps are not real treatment (the "treatment" was virtually all 12
step meetings I refused all psychiatric meds while I was there.) I was
locked up and given 12 steps as treatment (I also told them I didn't
believe in 12 steps.) We need a court examination of the programs
and a ruling that this is not real mental health care. I begged Stanton
Peele who is the guy to do this (he is a psychologist and a lawyer and
has been researching and writing about addiction since the late 70s)
to step up his presence in the public via mainstream media and get the
truth out. That hasn't happened. We need a massive public education
campaign about the lies 12 steps have told and presented as proven
medical fact and the real clinical findings (these are the conclusions of
every study and there are many)about drug and alcohol use and abuse.
There are finally people publically speaking out against 12 steps but
they still use the loaded12 step language and operate within the same
framework. So abstinence is still the goal and the substances are still
the issue and problem but 12 steps are not the way to get "clean and sober." The public has gone from it's the only way(the 12 step assertion)
to it's not for everyone(it's not for anyone) but it works for a lot of people.
This is probably the largest scale case of medical fraud (that's what it is,
fraud and we have laws against that) in US history. I will send you
Dr. Peele's e-mail address and the details of my 72 hr. observational
hold (if this is a fatal disease locking someone up against their will also
becomes justified,our teens are now being targeted.)This is truely evil.