Rehabilitation Facilities

Definitions of Alcoholism

WikiPedia definition—refers to any condition that results in the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages despite the health problems and negative social consequences it causes.

Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book definition—A spiritual malady. A "malady" is a separation or disconnect. The "real alcoholic" as the Big Book refers to, in my opinion, is someone who logically knows they are like other people in many ways, however they have an extreme condition of not feeling connected, feeling separated not only from the other people in the world, but to this "God" that everyone talks about as the creator and director of everything.

Rehabilitation centers seem to have a significant purpose for those who are not necessarily afflicted with a spiritual malady. They do seem to have a purpose for some of those afflicted with the spiritual condition; however, I believe those effective purposes to be different than the people who are operating these institutions believe they are.

What I believe the advantages for the client who is not suffering from a spiritual condition is as follows:

• A safe environment for the client to be detoxified from whatever chemicals or substances they have been using.
• A safe environment for the client to be protected from the circumstances of life that would otherwise cause an unrealistic amount of fear that might cause them to not be able to conduct themselves safely in society.
• Therapies and medicines to help the client with whatever condition they may be dealing with.

What I believe the advantages for the client who is suffering from a spiritual condition to be is as follows:

• A safe environment for the client to be detoxified from whatever chemicals or substances they have been using.
• A safe environment for the client to be protected from the circumstances of life that would otherwise cause an unrealistic amount of fear that might cause them to not be able to conduct themselves safely in society.

You notice how similar these advantages are. My reason for believing this is because I do not believe it to be effective to express to someone spiritual concepts for living when their physical or mental well-being is compromised. It will only fall on deaf ears. We need to have clients who feel safe and are not under the influence of any mood- or mind-altering substances or behaviors. Then, and only then, can we effectively present them with an alternative way of life based on spiritual principles consisting of love and service.

We need to get them open to the spiritual principles as soon as possible after the physical and mental withdrawal. This is the best chance we have of there willingness to try something that is foreign to them. If we let too much time elapse, they will get too comfortable in their familiar misery and therefore not be willing to try an unfamiliar joy.

The biggest problem, as I see it, with modern scientific therapies is three-fold:

• These professionals usually do not understand the spiritual condition, typically because they haven't experienced it and it is so deep-rooted that it is very difficult to put into words. These are good hearted, well-intended and very educated professionals; however, all of their modern therapies are not only often ineffective; worse than that, they think they have the answer and therefore not open to other possibilities.
• These professionals seem to hand out psychiatric medicines like candy to children. These medicines block people off from their spiritual condition, and suppress the extreme joys and the extreme pains, which tend to be the only factors that motivate someone to take spiritual actions that they don't understand and probably don't believe will work, but are actions that are absolutely vital for the person to get results and therefore believe.
• These professionals almost always direct the client to go into themselves to figure out the problem. The client with the spiritual malady's primary expression of this malady is to be fatally obsessed with self. The last thing he/she needs to do is go deeper into self. Helping others, by sharing their experiences one-on-one with others seems to be the only healthy relief a person with this condition can experience. Consistently engaging in helping others in this fashion removes the problems of "perception" that is killing the client.

Steve F.