Archive for June, 2007
A reader asks where patients being treated for substance abuse should have privacy protections.
In a word, no.
Alcohol and other-drug addicts, particularly in the early stages of their disease, often commit great harm to others. They also are likely responsible for at least 25% of society's medical costs, and possibly much more when we include peripheral diseases and disorders. Addicts don't want to stop using (for a variety of reasons involving a sense of power, which I can explain if you'd like) and must always be coerced into abstinence. Violating their purported right to privacy would increase the odds of such coercion being imposed by others.
All too often, close persons haven't a clue that a friend, co-worker or even family ...
What causes extreme violence?
A reader asks about an epidemic of extreme violence among youth and what might be some of the causes of this kind of violence.
The cause of extreme violence is almost always early-stage alcohol or other-drug addiction.
I discussed this issue in the May edition of my online www.AddictionReport.com. In the top story, on mass murderer Cho, I used columnist Bob Unruh's misplaced blame on anti-depressants as a classic example of failing to identify the source the problem. I wrote: "he misses the boat in omitting the fact that of 20 school shooters listed in his article, at least eight were heavy alcohol users (i.e., alcoholics--and not mentioned by him) or on Xanax or Valium (alcohol in pill form for the alcoholic). ...
Jail for young adults
A reader asks about young adults who get into trouble and go to jail, and how not to let that screw up the rest of their lives?
One key to not letting jail screw up the rest of a life is to explain and emphasize that the person can never, ever drink or use other drugs again. To increase the odds of this, regular testing is never a bad thing.
Early in my 12 years of research and writing on alcoholism I was particularly struck by two comments in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. One was a lifer explaining he was in the pen because whiskey made him feel like he was God. Another said, if AA could be in every ...
Does rehab really work?
A query that has been weighing on my mind recently is does rehab really work, given the amount of recidivism currently seen among today's celebrities and non-celebrities alike?
I'm beginning to think that most rehabs are not designed to work. They make money by attendance. So, if they can get the addict sober but fail to instill in the addict a need to _stay_ sober, they might get a repeat customer.
While not all rehabs operate under this principle, some obviously do from the anecdotes, particularly of celebrities. And privately some in the field have told me statistics ballied about are wrong. One rehab that claims an 85% success may have long-term success of only 10%. Perhaps it's a ...
Meth addicts will try anything
A journalist asked about meth abuse and the extreme lengths an addict will go for a meth high.
I responded: Addicts do anything to get high. The question of what they use hinges on availability. In Russia, addicts use rocket fuel and toothpaste. Meth addicts, if they can't get their meth, will use any substitute that works.
Meth itself is extreme. Consider what it consists of: red phosphorus, crystal iodine, hydrochloric acid, ephedrin and pure ethanol. Now ask yourself, would any rational person in his right mind ingest such substances? No. It takes a brain-damaged individual--often someone who is already addicted to another drug such as alcohol. Because alcoholics think they are invincible and that they can control their use ...
Anne Heche
Anne Heche claims she was abused by her father, who died of AIDS. Someone's an alcoholic--if the abuse if true, her father; if not true, her (false accusations are an all-but-certain indication of alcoholism). She admits to using Ecstasy in her autobiography and her husband details several incidents in which he claims she was drunk and belligerent. She was found under the influence in 2001 on a farm near Fresno, obviously confused, thinking aliens were coming to take her to heaven.
She's likely an alcoholic. Like Patty Duke, it may have triggered what appear to be Personality Disorders, but the alcoholism almost always comes first.
Doctors, bankruptcy and alcoholism
A journalist asks about the financial and investment decisions causing physicians to file for bankruptcy. How could highly educated doctors succumb to such financial devastation?
My first book, "Drunks, Drugs & Debits: How to Recognize Addicts and Avoid Financial Abuse", details story after story of financial abuse by alcohol and other-drug addicts. I'm well qualified to have analyzed such stories, since I'm an Enrolled Agent (tax pro), Certified Financial Planner and addiction researcher. I found that almost every instance of financial disarray in my clients' lives over the years resulted from alcohol/other-drug addiction either in the client or in a person who financially abused my client.
Unfortunately, most doctors seem to think they need a CPA to do their tax work, ...
Unlicensed drivers
A journalist asks whether unlicensed drivers are more likely to cause an accident than someone with a license. My response:
Of course. They are more likely alcoholics and, therefore, more likely than others to drive while under the influence and, therefore, more likely to cause accidents. To give an idea of the gravity of the problem, consider the fact that only 10% of Americans (and, one might safely assume, drivers) are alcoholics, who drive while under the influence maybe 20% of the time (2% of total road miles) and cause at least 40% of fatalities. Wow.
BTW, how do we know that unlicensed drivers have a higher probability of addiction than the overall population? Because it's just one more way by which ...
Road rage
A journalist asks about causes and remedies of road rage. I respond:
The cause of road rage is likely no different from that which causes rage in general--alcohol or other drug addiction.
The closest proof of this is a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study in which driving behaviors were linked to likelihood of DUI. There were, apparently, not enough road rage incidents to glean reliable statistics for that particular misbehavior, but there were enough incidents in which obscene gestures were made (often a precursor to rage). The study found the likelihood of DUI in someone making such a gesture was 60%. I anecdotally suggest that most of the other 40% were addicts between drinking/using episodes.
Another study from which we might logically ...