[Magdalen] More Clergy DWI

[Susan Hagen]

I'm finding this conversation especially interesting since I've recently
seen two articles questioning the effectiveness of AA.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/03/the-irrationality-of-alcoholics-anonymous/386255/
http://aeon.co/magazine/health/the-aa-is-out-of-step-with-research-on-addiction/

I wonder whether more people would be willing to at least try treatment
aimed at moderating their drinking and harm reduction rather than (at least
initially) committing to a complete, lifelong abstinence.  Is anyone
familial with the naltrexone treament described?

Susan


On Fri, Mar 20, 2015 at 10:26 AM, Lynn Ronkainen <houstonklr at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Jim G - I did not realize that your stake in this conversation was based
> on court ordered , or otherwise  mandated AA.  I have no experience with
> that and so my remarks on 12 step groups are based solely on 'the program'
> helping people who want to be there and their experiences, sometimes
> successful, sometimes not.
>
> *Any* court ordered recovery program is only as effective as the person's
> desire to change their behavior, IMO. And that goes from mandated
> 'programs' to prison.
>
> Lynn
>
> My email has changed to: houstonKLR at gmail.com
>
> website: www.ichthysdesigns.com
>
> When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have not
> a single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me."
> attributed to Erma Bombeck
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Jim Guthrie" <jguthrie at pipeline.com>
> Sent: Friday, March 20, 2015 5:43 AM
> To: <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
> Subject: Re: [Magdalen] More Clergy DWI
>
>  If something *works* for one person in 1,000, it is a success for that 1.
>>>
>>
>> Not if the other 999 have been "sentenced" to AA and go out and get drunk
>> and it results in fatalities. Or even one . . .
>>
>> Courts need to supervise, and professionals need to be assigned. I would
>> say that AA is probably good for people who join voluntarily and without
>> criminally-related matters due to their alcohol addiction, but it may well
>> be an utter disaster for those assigned to it from the court system.
>>
>> I also suspect that given America's reliance on the automobile, judges
>> tend to be lenient in DWI cases, where they wouldn't think twice about a
>> long prison sentence v an NA group for illegal drug use.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Jim
>>
>>


-- 
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