For Discordian Alchoholics

[eighteen buddha strike]

A couple nights ago I drank a hell of a lot more than usual.I had intended, when I was still good and smashed, to write about the event after getting home from the party, which was noteworthy for the sole purpose that it actually provided me with the opprotunity to utter the words "shut the fuck up about myspace!". Also, that it also led to my room-mate being called a fag in an argument about how he didnt like morrissey.

Anyway, the point of this is that for the last few days I've been experiencing some of the negative side effects of alchohol detoxification, and this prompts me to do some research about them (because, if you dont know, the DT's are rather unpleasant. ) The problem I'm running into, however, is that most of what I'm finding are websites for detox centers... and well, they piss me off a great deal.

"Some people think rehab is a form of brain washing. While it is not, professionals nationwide tend to agree that most of the brains addicts and alcoholics bring into rehab with them, could use a good washing. Many of the belief systems addicts or alcoholics depend upon have created exactly what they have today. Through educational classes, lectures and reviewing recovery literature, you will begin to replace old ideas with new ones, designed towards achieving and maintaining a long term recovery. Don't worry; you will still be able to have fun!!"

http://www.recoveryconnection.org/faq/

I dont really think I need to express the myriad of reasons I find the above paragraph insulting, but a big part of it has to do with the fact that it reads much more congruently if you remove the words 'while it is not'.

After a lot more reading, and several hours of occupying the living room, I've pretty much concluded that I've been really paranoid about this... which makes sense, thinking about it more lucidly, because insomnia tends to lead me to paranoia (I havent been awake long enough to experience any of those pesky peripheral hallucinations, nor do I intend to, I need to sleep at least a little bit before I go to work.) Smoking the peace pipe (yes, I have a peace pipe) has helped me a little bit with gathering my thoughts, so I think that sleep seems more likely for me.

Anyway, I've long felt this way about the attitude of western medecine towards alcoholism. Detox clinics and the like are no doubt an excellent resource for recovery from severe dependency (understanding the way large quantities of alchohol effect the brain help in understanding the ways  to treat the dependency itself) however I cant help but feel that these groups often eschew constructive methods of treatment in favor of programming. I can understand why this would come about, because it would largely be the most reliable method for producing an alchohol dependent to non-alchohol dependent change in a persons psyche, by instilling in them a drive to prostelyze and convert a cause is instilled in them that takes the place of a prior dependency. However, this is not to completely eschew the role of psychological support in any kind of recovery, its just to say that its best to be aware of the motives behind that kind of conditioning.

As a discordian, I should not willingly subject myself to psychological conditioning.
As a bartender, I should never admit to being an alchoholic.
As an adult human, I should probably quit drinking for a while in the better interest of my health. (at least until I move out of this house, the stress levels are too high.)

Actually, to be completely honest, a large part of the reason I now feel motived to quit drinking are as follows: My tolerance is high enough that I now find it very difficult to enjoy moderate drinking, so until my tolerance goes down (probably after a year or so, it takes a while to deliberately alter your body chemistry) I'm going to want to quit.

Also, I'm starting to think that regular drinking has had a major effect on the way my body handles marijuana, which I dont smoke often at all... but when I do I'd at least like to enjoy it.

It also deserves to be mentioned that alchoholism has been linked to a vitamin B defiency... and that vitamin supplements (Niacin or B3) have been shown to reduce cravings for alcohol.

I'll ask the audience to forgive grammar errors, run on sentances and the like, considering the nature of the article. Mostly I just wanted to express my distaste for western medecine in yet another area, not that it isnt good for getting the job done when necessary, just that in a lot of aspects it is a fear-mongering monster of suffocating dependency.

I think starting a Discordian AA group would be a good idea. I mean, if other religious groups can use this as a vehicle to push their party line, so can we... right?

[LMNO]

I was about to say, "Discordian Alcoholic?  That's redundant," but then I read the post, and I see you're serious.

So.


Exactly how much are you drinking, and what sort of DT's are you feeling?


As far as an Erisian AA, I would say a thourough re-reading of "Quantum Psychology", "Prometheus Rising", and "Undoing Yourself" would be in order.

In the end, it's all brainwashing.  But somehow, it feels better when you do it to yourself.


Feel free to PM me if you want to take this offline.



LMNO
-compassionate.

[Cain]

I think LMNO hit the nail on the head.  All I'll add is should you want a copy of Prometheus Rising, I have a pdf I will gladly email.  I do agree many of these sort of places have an unhealthy attitude (in my opinion) towards recovery, as they replace it with a belief system while at the same time helping you.  Your brain automatically links the two together, when often there is little correlation.

[LMNO]

New meme:  



"Build your own crutches."



Whaddaya think?

[Cain]

Works for me.

Cain
not only builds his own crutches, but purposely destroys others and lends his out.

[B23.77]

My Dad's a chemical dependency counselor and my Mom's an AA elder, so I've had lots of experience with the recovery culture.  Discordian Alcoholic is a reduntant term.  I've always been a bit confused by the twelve steps, and didn't agree well with them.  The first step claims that I should admit that I'm powerless over alcohol.  Is that any way to quit drinking?  I thought the point was to quit being an alcoholic.  The rest of the steps get into a bunch of religious spiritual mumbo jumbo about getting God to make me quit drinking.  Honestly, I'd rather do it myself, if I so choose.

[eighteen buddha strike]

Well, I havent been a serious drinker long enough for Delerium Tremens to be descriptive of my experience, harsh withdrawl from near alcohol poisoning maybe (That'll teach me to double fist White Russians and IPA all night long.)

The symptoms are pretty much the typical laundry list. Day 1 was nausea, insomnia, paranoia, increased nervious reaction (y'know where your motor reflexes are wound so tight that almost everything is a ninja thats going to attack you.) Muscle twitching, mild chestpain, and I'm guessing increased blood pressure (my arm had that weird ache.) MOST of those have abated by now, and from what I can tell a lot of the symptoms of withrdawl are due to the malnutrition experienced after a bender.

The problem lies in the fact that I was also experiencing the symptoms of sleep deprivation, as I'd been awake for about twenty six hours at the time of the post.

The symptoms of withdrawl and Delerium Tremens are nearly identical. The only differences are severity.

I'm pretty sure that I'm fine, i've been hypochondriatic about this thing before, and as far as not drinking goes... I barely have time for it these days anyway, I'll just have to tell my room-mate to quit buying whole cases of oldstyle.

I was serious about the Discordian AA though, I think that it would be the perfect vehicle for spreading an erisian meme.

-
18 Buddha: has always built his own crutches.

[LMNO]

harsh withdrawl from near alcohol poisoning

That sounds more like an extreme hangover form a night of binge drinking.


I think you'll be fine.  Just don't drink as much, next time.


I have a sneaking suspicion you're not an alcoholic yet, you just have a few bad habits.

[eighteen buddha strike]

harsh withdrawl from near alcohol poisoning

That sounds more like an extreme hangover form a night of binge drinking.


I think you'll be fine.  Just don't drink as much, next time.


I have a sneaking suspicion you're not an alcoholic yet, you just have a few bad habits.

Thats pretty much how I feel about it too, amongst my bad habits is the one where I look up information about this sort of thing on the internet when I havent slept in a couple days.

That, coupled with the experience where I helped a friend of mine with severe alchoholism about a year ago. (the dude ended up going in and out of psychiatric institutions... he figured out that legally, if you try and convince a cop to kill you, than the state is obligated to pay for your psychiatric stay. Oddly enough, it actually worked.)

I've been drinking for years, but I never really drank heavily until I moved into this house, and this is the second time I've ever actually experienced symptoms on a level that worry me. (The first time was after the bachellorette party. (vanilla vodka infused gummy bears, many beers, a quadro shot of jagermeister, and a number of screwdrivers, over the period of about twelve hours... wearing a cocktail dress. ) That one put me down for almost a week afterwards, but mostly from the damage all that jagermeister did to my stomach lining.

Anyway, my Finnish Friend just suggested to me this book:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_and_margarita

I'm fairly excited to track down a copy.

[LMNO]

That is one of my favorite books, ever.

As you might be able to tell from my sig, of course.

[eighteen buddha strike]

I invented a drink.

Pearl makes a Pomegranate vodka.
So... you take that, and blend it with pomegranate juice, and if you want you can sprinkle some powdered sugar ontop to help counteract the tartness of it and bring out more of the sweet. You can even serve it inside a hollowed out pomegranate.

It tastes good, like pomegranate.