Mental health care practitioners manipulate for Money - It's a SCAM

a reply to: boymonkey74

It's a very reasonable hypothesis.

However, I began praying to be able to feel what it was like to be in the skin of Navajo drunks on the street corner when I was in Jr High. I was shocked and humbled when those prayers were powerfully answered.

Those with alcohol problems that I worked with in my PhD internships characterized my empathy as better than anyone else's they'd experienced.

I wouldn't claim it was perfect by any means. But it was, by God's Grace, well above average. It was at least sufficient that the individuals with alcohol problems felt heard and understood better than any other counselors and typically better than by their spouses.

Personally, I tend to have your perspective. I like to learn from folks 'who've been there' and wallowed in the nitty gritty of life.

Nevertheless, I didn't shrink back from offering what I could. And those who tried my inputs changed their lives for the better in lasting ways. That was rather gratifying.

And, frankly, what is there that's all that mysterious and complex about being drunk? The bulk of one's awareness has been anesthetized. One's thought processes are dulled, slowed, incomplete, and often incoherent and irrational.

Most of us have had moments of feeling irrational . . . been so stressed that we thought slowly and incompletely, . . . have felt dulled by traumatic situations.

Some tend to feel and act funny when drunk.
Others become motormouths.
Others tend to be sleepy and passive.
Others tend to be angry, argumentative, contrary to the max.

Those feelings tend to arise out of emotional psycho-dynamics from deeper within the person than the areas dulled by alcohol.

Trouble is . . . trying to talk with a drunk about the origins of their distress is futile. It's a bit like trying to carry on a conversation with someone undergoing open heart surgery--except--as though they could still talk totally anesthetized.

That's why, when the woman alcoholic showed up at an 'emergency' 0200 session at the Baptist counseling center . . . after assuring me somewhat convincingly she was not drunk . . . I was suspicious but somewhat convinced . . . seeing her at the center totally falling down drunk, I was furious that she'd drug me out of bed in the middle of the night for an exercise in futility. That's when I found myself ordering her in the name of Jesus to sober up immediately. We were both totally shocked, when she did.

Those were the days . . . LOL. . . . memories.

a reply to: BO XIAN

You have told that tale before. Didn't believe then don't believe it now.
Anyhow enjoy the thread.

a reply to: hydeman11

Attending AA or another support group meetings regularly is often court ordered by our justice system. Since AA makes up the vast majority, with maybe a handful of church based groups here and there, the court order essentially forces a person to go to AA meetings.

I think a great argument can be made this a blatant violation of Church and State, since all(90%+) support group meeting for alcohol are faith based.

The alcohol counselors who consider themselves 'recovering addicts' are not much better because they tend to think everyone who the counsel has the same or similar problem they had with alcohol and are quick to label another person 'dependent'.

a reply to: JohnPhoenix

They design these drugs to eventually create other diagnosis in their victims and make it a nightmare to quit taking the drug$. What this world really really needs is another dinosaur killer event but 100 times greater. Nothing survives not even bacteria or viruses. Its a workable solution....ask the ones monitoring this post in real time.


Care for a sertraline, hydroxyzine, or how bout a seroquel or trazodone

a reply to: boymonkey74

I know . . . LOL. You don't believe a lot of true things. LOL.

It was part of the triggered memory dump from that period of my life and training in alcohol treatment.

I think you may well eventually be privy to that scene as though you were there at the time. We shall see.

. . . anyway--please be safe. You're a kick to have around.

originally posted by: BO XIAN
a reply to: JohnPhoenix


3,4,5 - How do you figure? I said I rarely drink more than a 6 pack in a days time.. and I don't drink every week. My body can handle a 6 pack in a day under normal circumstances. It was 8 beers under abnormal circumstances that led to my trouble. I never pretended 8 beers a day was not a problem. You now like the wacky shrink is putting words into my mouth. But lets continue.

6,7 & 8 Again, nope, I never said 8 beers in my weakened state was Not a problem. Yes, Granted Alcohol Impairs.. thats what it is designed to do. Most people drink it because it impairs because they want a buzz.

9, Of course, and so is anyone else at this same risk - as stated, Alcohol impairs.This is Known and no one is pretending alcohol does not impair.

10 No need to.. we already know Alcohol impairs.. why beat a dead horse?

11- 19 IMO you seem to have been indoctrinated with AA type beliefs about alcohol - Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic, one Must admit they are powerless over alcohol and therefore need a "program" (I call it a crutch)

Did your Priest need such a program - was He an "Alcoholic" Hell NO. He drank 3 times in his life each to the point of impairment and did stupid things. You see, it's a catch 22. If you drink to impairment you are going to have problems because of the impairment. That doesn't mean your are physically or mentally dependent on Alcohol at all, nor does it mean you are an alcoholic.

I am Sure you will disagree with this because of your er.. training (indoctrination) But you must realize these ideas about alcohol are Only ONE way of looking at alcohol use and they are not rules that are set in stone - they do Not apply to everyone who gets drunk and stupid - catch 22 again, you could use this against me and say again that i am in denial - LOL of course you would.. you would then be falling back on training that is black and white -

You know why they want to make cookie cutter black and white rules about alcohol? Because that way they can diagnose you with a problem they can then charge to treat you for - a prime example of what this thread is about.

This is why those folks love AA because AA keeps you down making you believe you have no power of your own to stop drinking - again a catch 22 - If I dont drink for 20 years then have a few beers to the point of impairment you will say due to your training that I always was an alcoholic - i say BS, this is only one way of looking at the situation.

Granted some do need such draconian tactics to keep off of alcohol. I have actually gone for years without drinking because i choose to, not because i needed to or someone told me i had to. i know Me, you do not.

Wouldn't the community be better served for all the shrinks to campaign to outlaw alcohol instead of blaming the person who is a victim of the effects of alcohol? Of course it would but they do not because the system is designed to make money off of peoples problems. If you cannot see any of my points have validity, then you my friend are in denial and are in need of serious help LOL

Edit: I had a problem with the formatting of this post.. non of my text would show up.. only BO XIAN's text. I had quoted BO XIAN in the original but have thus shortened this to make the post work. ( the Preview button doesn't seem to work and that's a problem)