Reddit mentions of Intoxication: The Universal Drive for Mind-Altering Substances

The animal drive to pursue altered states of mind is fundamental, right up there after eating and sex-- and often ahead of them. Framing this as a black & white issue requiring absolute abstinence, as 12-step programs do, is misleading, ridiculous and insulting to any thinking person many addicts. The copious usage of caffeine, nicotine and antidepressants among 12 steppers reveals the dishonesty of this approach.

To go on and use charged language like 'clean', and then on top of this implying that someone who's been sober for years but slips up once has been knocked back to square zero, is utterly reprehensible can contribute to setbacks for a lot of folks.

I went to a bunch of 12 step meetings, mostly AA. It puts way too much pressure on people to adopt a zero tolerance perspective which I am convinced absolutely does more harm than good (except perhaps in a small minority of cases that don't come anywhere close to outweighing the harm done to everyone else). The fact that it is treated universally as The Only Way to deal with addiction is disgusting to me.

We are not powerless. [Edit: Not all of us addicts are, anyway.] It is an important part of being a responsible adult to take ownership of your actions. Yeah, it's fucking difficult as hell to do certain things - or resist doing others - but aside from avoiding death from extreme withdrawal, it's not at all impossible.

I have enjoyed more success and happiness in my struggles with depression and substance dependence when I faced them head on and started being brutally honest with myself and my loved ones about what I was doing. Honesty [edit: for me] does not mean telling everyone that I'm a victim of a disease and need to go to pseudo-church meetings all the time now because otherwise my sickness will overwhelm me-- it means admitting that I like to get too fucked up too often and that I have the capacity to change that. There's nothing wrong with asking for help, but not everyone has that option, and trying to do it on your own is clearly at least as effective as building a fantasy where believing your 12-step higher power is making it possible, and I would strongly argue that it's much healthier [edit: for a lot of us].

I've been reducing my dependence gradually. There have been slip-ups, but I see this as far more sustainable than any approach I ever encountered 'in the rooms'. Yeah, sure, moderation is tough as hell for an addict. It's also totally worth it [edit: again, for me]. The feeling of accomplishment is far greater than simply avoiding a drink for months on end, and one slip-up doesn't reset your progress. It used to be that once I started drinking, I was going to have at least a 12 pack, if not twice that. Guess what? I can have a single beer now with a meal, then walk away and not have another for days and be fine. I can also do the same thing with a sugar-free vodka drink when I'm watching calories. AA told me this was impossible. They were wrong.

Edit: I used some pretty strong and possibly unfair language when I first wrote this. The point I'm trying to make is that for me, the struggle against temptation became a lot easier when I began exploring the possibility that AA was incorrect about me never, ever being able to drink 'normally' again. I came to realize that the option to alter my consciousness is a precious, integral part of my existence and it didn't work for me to throw the baby out with the bathwater just because it got out of control for a while. It only made my cravings and my sense of being unable to control them worse. Willpower is like a muscle, it needs exercise. How do you know whether you can develop it if you don't try, repeatedly, over a decent period of time? If you love getting altered but are having trouble controlling that desire, it may be possible for you to achieve better balance with effort. It's not for every addict, of course... but neither is 12 step.

There's a book called "Intoxication: The Universal Drive for Mind-Altering Substances". It talks about animals that intentionally ingest psychoactive substances, including cannabis and alcohol. Fascinating stuff, really. http://amzn.com/1594770697

Intoxication: The Universal Drive for Mind-Altering Substances

Tunnepohjainen suhtautuminen asiaan ei auta. Kuten tässäkin ketjussa on todettu, päihteiden käyttö periytyy meille jo eläinkunnasta. Suhtaudumme siihen tyypillisesti liian mustavalkoisesti. Ehkä syynä on liian laaja kategorisointi ("Mitä hyötyä päihteistä?").

Suosittelen perehtymään Ronald K. Siegelin kirjaan Intoxication: The Universal Drive for Mind-Altering Substances.

> History shows that people have always used intoxicants. In every age, in every part of the world, people have pursued intoxication with plants, alcohol, and other mind-altering substances. In fact, this behavior has so much force and persistence that it functions much like our drives for food, sleep, and sex. This "fourth drive," says psychopharmacologist Ronald K. Siegel, is a natural part of our biology, creating the irrepressible demand for intoxicating substances.

Ronald Siegel has suggested that desire for intoxication is your fourth drive.

http://www.amazon.com/Intoxication-Universal-Drive-Mind-Altering-Substances/dp/1594770697