October 8, 2008 at 5:16 pm ·
Filed under 2 - Movie & Book Reviews
Review: "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand
I read "Atlas Shrugged" almost four decades ago, long before I understood alcoholism. Although I was never enthralled with author Ayn Rand's philosophy of objectivism, her cult-like behaviors or her personal life, I delighted in her understanding of the wealth-enhancing benefits of free markets and grasp of the idea that capitalism's fiercest opponents were often those who only pretended to be capitalists. I knew from Gabriel Kolko's "The Triumph of Conservatism" that businessmen, under the guise of "consumer protection"or similar pretext, frequently seek favors by getting government to impose regulations that are good for them and bad for their competitors. Rand described such crony capitalists in her books, but I couldn't possibly have understood then ...
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October 8, 2008 at 5:14 pm ·
Filed under 3 - Dear Doug...
Offensive friend of boyfriend
Dear Doug:
My boyfriend Jake and I each have friends the other doesn't really like, which is normally ok with both of us. However, the most recently befriended"Tyson"is very offensive. He not only makes comments I find racist and sexist, but also drinks heavily.
Although I've told Jake my feelings, he's hanging out with Tyson more frequently than ever"and worse, Jake seems to be trying to keep up with Tyson's drinking. Jake said I should lighten up and just get to know his friend because he can be a "nice person."What should I do?
Signed,
Jake's"not Tyson's"girl
. . . .
Dear Codependent,
Other columnists (even Carolyn Hax) might suggest that you've made your point and should just wait and watch. They might tell ...
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October 8, 2008 at 5:13 pm ·
Filed under 4 - Alcoholic Myth of the Month
"Non-alcoholics commit plenty of crime!â€
At a recent neighborhood watch meeting, your faithful correspondent responded to complaints about recovery homes in the neighborhood. "You should be concerned about group recovery homes in your midst"but only if the recovering addicts aren't being tested regularly and randomly, because practicing addicts"not recovering ones"are responsible for most crime."The response, "No they're not! Non-alcoholics commit plenty of crime!"was almost deafening. My neighbors truly had no idea that alcohol and other-drug addicts commit at least 80% and probably closer to 90% of crime.
This is important because parole officers don't test every day. There are plenty of hours between tests, during which addicts can relapse. And 12 hours after an alcoholic hits a blood alcohol level of .18 ...
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October 8, 2008 at 5:12 pm ·
Filed under 5 - Amazing Alcoholic Antics
Alcoholic Antic-of-the-Month
Story from "This is True"by Randy Cassingham, with his "tagline:â€
"YOU GONNA DRINK THAT? Juan Briceno, 33, was arrested for drunk driving in Omaha, Neb. As he waited at the police station for a breath test to establish his blood alcohol level, when arresting officer John Neaman stepped out of the room, Briceno picked up a bottle of Wite-Out from the table -- and drank it. The quick act was captured by a video surveillance camera, which then shows an evidence technician pointing out Briceno's ultra-white lips when Neaman returned. Neaman canceled the breath test and took him for a blood test, which came back at .28 percent -- well over the .08 limit. Briceno was convicted of fourth- offense ...
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August 10, 2008 at 9:01 pm ·
Filed under 1 - Top Stories
Bruce Ivins, anthrax suspect. Verdict: alcoholic.
Bruce E. Ivins, PhD, was a leading scientist researching vaccines and cures for anthrax exposure. Until 2006, he was also one of the key members of the team investigating the October 2001 anthrax attacks. About a year ago, he emerged as the prime suspect in the one of the longest and most frustrating government investigations ever. A federal affidavit says he was the "sole custodian"of the unique strain of anthrax that killed five Americans and sickened 17 others. It asserts he was inexplicably working late on the nights before the deadly mailings and had not spent so many late-night hours in his lab "at any time before or after this period."It states he purposely provided ...
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August 10, 2008 at 9:00 pm ·
Filed under 1 - Top Stories
Enablers of the month:
Bruce Ivins' attorney, Paul F. Kemp, said his client's suicide was the result of the government's "relentless pressure of accusation and innuendo."He was disappointed that Ivins "would not have the opportunity to defend his good name and reputation in a court of law."If Kemp understood addiction, he might have said, "Since Ivins was an addict, he was capable of any crime. He may have been guilty, but it's unfortunate he didn't give me the opportunity to defend him and let a jury of his peers decide whether he committed the heinous crime of which he is accused.â€
Social worker Jean Duley's attorney, Mary Drawbaugh, said that under Maryland law "you can't use a prior violation such as driving ...
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August 10, 2008 at 8:58 pm ·
Filed under 1 - Top Stories
Runners-up for top story of the month:
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"actor Shia LaBeouf, 22, busted on suspicion of DUI. After failing to negotiate a turn at around 3 a.m., he crashed his truck into another vehicle and rolled it. It was "immediately apparent"to responding officers that LaBeouf was intoxicated. It's not his first public indication of early-stage alcoholism. He was taken into custody in Chicago last November after security officers made repeated requests that he leave a Walgreens pharmacy. (I can't even imagine what he was doing to merit such attention.) He also had a warrant out for his arrest because he skipped a court hearing over a smoking violation. If the "public policy recommendation"for this ...
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August 10, 2008 at 8:56 pm ·
Filed under 1 - Top Stories
Shooter Jim Adkisson, 58, charged with first-degree murder after killing two and injuring seven at a Unitarian Church in Knoxville, TN. Police claimed he was motivated by his frustration over being unable to get a job and his "hatred for the liberal movement"and especially for gay people. Neighbors said Adkisson kept to himself and that he was "just a really, really nice guy."Oh, the only criminal record authorities found shows two instances of DUI"one in California "a number of years ago"and one "more recently"in Tennessee. This is just another case supporting the theme in this month's "public policy recommendation of the month,"which suggests elevating DUIs as the key for "broken window policing."It's also another instance supporting the idea that alcoholics ...
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August 10, 2008 at 8:55 pm ·
Filed under 1 - Top Stories
Under watch:
Helen Golay, 77, and Olga Rutterschmidt, 75, sentenced to life in prison for murdering two indigent men for financial gain. The "black widows"befriended the homeless men, took out insurance policies on their lives, let a couple of years run and then drugged and ran over them to collect the insurance proceeds. As mentioned in the April-May 2008 issue assuming that addiction explains their horrific behaviors, instead of having been offered the opportunity to get clean and sober a few decades ago, they get to live out their golden years behind bars.
Actor Omar Sharif, 76, announcing through his attorney that he will never pay a dime of a $449,000 award to a valet, Juan Ochoa Anderson, 50, for assault and ...
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August 10, 2008 at 8:53 pm ·
Filed under 1 - Top Stories
Co-Dependents of the Month:
Actress Evelyn Keyes, who played Scarlett O'Hara's younger sister Suellen in "Gone with the Wind"and was involved with some, shall we say, very interesting men, dead at 91. Her first marriage to the "heavy drinking"Englishman Barton Bainbridge ended when he committed suicide. She married film director Charles Vidor in 1943 and divorced him two years later. Vidor was married four times. Her marriage to director John Huston in 1946 ended in 1950. Huston was married five times. She was, apparently, devastated and sought analysis, concluding that she "was always looking for the same man: a strong father figure."She lived with the "flamboyant"(aka alcoholic) producer Mike Todd for three years before her last marriage, to bandleader Artie Shaw ...
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August 10, 2008 at 8:52 pm ·
Filed under 1 - Top Stories
Disenabler of the Month:
Sarasota, Florida landlord Ace Holland, offering 25% off the monthly rent for those willing to be drug-tested, explaining he got "fed up with druggies…telling me they couldn't pay their rent."At least one prospective tenant, who laughed when she first saw Holland's sign offering the discount, said "this is a place I want to rent"because she knows there won't be any drug use. As mentioned in "Drunks, Drugs & Debits," tenants who don't keep their promise to pay rent or even vandalize the property are virtually always alcohol and other-drug addicts. While he may miss screening out a few objectionable types (nothing in the news item suggests he'll test for addiction to the drug alcohol), I've a hunch ...
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August 10, 2008 at 8:51 pm ·
Filed under 1 - Top Stories
Sometimes, it takes an addict:
Boxer Mando Ramos, who won the lightweight title at 20, dead at age 59. Ramos turned pro at age 17 and was living in cars by the time he was 25. While according to his own testimony he "never really trained,"he went to the gym every day and the bar every night and still managed a career 37-11 record with 23 knockouts. After losing two brothers to heroin overdoses, he checked himself in to rehab in the early ‘80s and remained sober for the last 25 years of his life. He ended up helping a lot of inner-city kids by starting the Boxing Against Alcohol and Drugs program. After partying hard and developing diabetes, he was ...
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August 10, 2008 at 8:49 pm ·
Filed under 6 - Public Policy Recommendations
"Broken Windows"theory suggests that we should aggressively go after DUIs
Law enforcers have long observed that a broken window creates a tendency among vandals to bust a few more windows, eventually break into a building and even become squatters or arsonists. In the same vein, it theorized that litter, if not quickly picked up, accumulates. The idea suggests that if we fix the window and clean up the trash"in other words, attack low-level offenses"more serious ones will be prevented.
When Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton implemented a version of this as head of the New York Transit Police in 1990, he adopted a zero-tolerance policy for fare dodging, made arrestee processing easier and required background checks on all those arrested. ...
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August 10, 2008 at 8:46 pm ·
Filed under 3 - Dear Doug...
Dad's girlfriend younger than daughter
Dear Doug:
My mother suffers from Alzheimer's and was placed in a home about five years ago. My dad, 75, regularly visits her, despite becoming involved with a 40-year old woman a few years ago. I understand his need for companionship, but the age difference is troubling and, worse, he gives her money. She claims she has had numerous cancers and other ailments, yet has no visible scars. My siblings and I think this woman may be using my dad to pay for cosmetic surgeries and that she is cheating on dad. What advice can you offer short of hiring a private detective?
Signed,
Older than would-be step-mom
. . . .
Dear Codependent,
Other columnists might suggest that if dad is ...
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August 10, 2008 at 8:45 pm ·
Filed under 3 - Dear Doug...
Is it ADD or alcoholism?
Dear Doug:
My husband of 25 years has never worked more than one job at a time. After our third daughter was born, he was unemployed for three years and refused to care for the children while I worked as many as two jobs at a time. I deal with collection agency calls, shop at thrift stores and pay as many of the bills as I am able. I hate to be a whiner, but am at my wits' end and would like to keep my marriage a happy one. What should I do to instill financial responsibility in him and teach my children about staying out of debt?
Signed,
Loaded with debt
. . . .
Dear Codependent,
Other columnists might ...
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