A
wildly imaginative dianoetic rambling concerning the the “basic
text” of Alcoholics Anonymous (viz. the Big Book) (our comments in
red print)
The Doctor's Opinion (pp.
xxv-xxvii)
We
of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that the reader will be interested in
the medical estimate [ie.
an opinion] of the plan of recovery described in this
book. Convincing testimony must surely come from medical men who have
had experience with the sufferings of our members and have witnessed
our return to health. A well-known doctor, chief physician at a nationally prominent hospital specializing in alcoholic
and drug addiction, gave Alcoholics Anonymous this letter:
To
Whom It May Concern:
I
have specialized in the treatment of alcoholism for many years.
In
late 1934 I attended a patient [Bill Wilson] who, though he had been
a competent businessman of good earning capacity, was an alcoholic of
a type I had come to regard as hopeless. [which
implies there are 'other' types]
In
the course of his third treatment he acquired certain ideas
concerning a possible means [ie. not the
sole means] of recovery. As part of his rehabilitation
he commenced to present his conceptions to other alcoholics,
impressing upon them that they must do likewise with still others.
This has become the basis of a rapidly growing fellowship of these
men and their families. This man and over one hundred others appear
to have recovered. [a properly cautious
assessment]
I
personally know scores of cases who were of the type [see
above] with whom other methods had failed completely.
These
facts appear to be of extreme medical importance; because of the
extraordinary possibilities of rapid growth inherent in this group
they may mark a new epoch in the annals of alcoholism. These men may
well have a remedy for thousands of such situations.
You
may rely absolutely on anything they say about themselves.
Very
truly yours,
The
physician who, at our request, gave us this letter, has been kind
enough to enlarge upon his views in another statement which follows.
In this statement he confirms what we who have suffered alcoholic
torture must believe—that the body of the alcoholic is quite as
abnormal as his mind. It did not satisfy us to be told that we
could not control our drinking just because we were maladjusted to
life, that we were in full flight from reality, or were outright
mental defectives. These things were true to some extent, in
fact, to a considerable extent with some of us. But we are
sure that our bodies were sickened as well. In our belief, any picture
of the alcoholic which leaves out this physical factor is incomplete.
The
doctor’s theory that we have an allergy
to alcohol interests us. As laymen, our opinion as to its soundness
may, of course, mean little. But as ex-problem drinkers, we can say
that his explanation makes good sense. It explains many things for
which we cannot otherwise account.
Though
we work out our solution on the spiritual as well as an altruistic
plane, we favour hospitalization [ie.
medical care should be left to the professionals] for
the alcoholic who is very jittery or befogged. More often than
not, it is imperative that a man’s brain be cleared before he is
approached, as he has then a better chance of understanding and
accepting what we have to offer.” [which
would suggest that newcomers should not be introduced to the
programme before they are ready to grasp at least some its
implications]
(our
emphases)
Coming
next –
The Doctor's Opinion (contd)
Cheerio
The
Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
Caution:
This curse (sorry!!) COURSE is not to be taken as AUTHORITATIVE nor
is it to be regarded as DEFINITIVE in any way. Anyone found to be
according it any undue status will be reported to the appropriate
authorities (ie. GSO York or whoever) who will then do ….
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! (quite rightly too we say!). Moreover any person
discovered to be quoting from the aforementioned course will be
TERMINATED with extreme prejudice!
No comments:
Post a Comment