Salon | Letters to the editor

_______________ BEYOND MONSTERS, ADDICTS AND SUBHUMANS BY JOSHUA WOLF SHENK (03/30/98)

Thank you for the enlightening interview with Bill Moyers, who approaches the subject of addiction in the same manner he approached mythology, poetry, the book of Genesis and healing -- with a Zen Bhuddist's "beginner's mind" -- shorn of preconceptions or prejudices, unafraid to ask innocent questions that consistently elicit penetrating and heartfelt responses.
I must say, however, that I was surprised to hear Moyers say that "we also don't have a cultural network, a support system for people in this early recovery stage." That support system, Alcoholics Anonymous (and its later arriving brother and sister groups, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, etc.), has been in existence for more than 50 years. There are hundreds of free meetings EVERY DAY in my hometown of Los Angeles and tens of thousands of meetings every day throughout the world. Without AA, people emerging from treatment homes, or their own unassisted withdrawal from drugs and alcohol, wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of staying sober and helping other alcoholics achieve sobriety.
Thanks to AA, there are millions of grateful recovering alcoholics who have found meaning and purpose in their lives that their non-alcoholic (or "normie") friends often come to envy. As Bill Moyers' son also feels, sobriety is indeed "a kick."
What we don't have in our cultural network is sufficient housing, job training, child care and other support systems that allow people to reenter (or enter) the economy either BEFORE seeking treatment for alcohol or drug abuse (which would help raise their self-esteem sufficiently to deem themselves worthy of treatment) or AFTER becoming sober (which would help, along with the support of Alcoholics Anonymous, to prevent relapse).
Perhaps most importantly, instead of bringing programs into our schools that attempt to teach our children to say "no" to drugs, we need to teach our children how to say "yes" to life -- so that even those of us who are predisposed to alcoholic or addictive behavior can learn what we eventually learn in recovery -- emotional intelligence -- how to delay gratification, how to consider the rights and well-being of others, how to form and sustain loving and intimate relationships, how to be of service to the community, how to take responsibility for our own defeats and pride in our own successes, and how to achieve "the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the COURAGE to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference."
Is this too much to ask of society? I think not. If we do not challenge ourselves to address the emotional needs of our children in a society that all but requires both parents to spend nearly all of their daily energy in the work force, we will reap the whirlwind. If we do rise to the challenge, we have some hope of achieving what Moyers and his interviewees all but despair of -- a sober society.
-- Vickie P.
A grateful alcoholic and addict
in recovery for four years
Just a note to tell you that I enjoyed your interview with Bill Moyers regarding his "Addiction: Close to Home" series. This is exactly the type of dialogue and information which is sorely needed to nudge American drug policy out of the dark ages.
-- Craig Schroer
Austin, Texas

_______________ MICROSOFT THROWS IN THE TOWEL A SALON STAFF REPORT (04/01/98)

Thanks for the great article. I believed it completely and quickly checked a computer press Web site expecting a major headline, then remembered, "Oh yeah, it's April Fool's Day." Before releasing Windows 95 they came out with T-shirts at the Mac Expo that read, "Windows 95 ... sucks less." This article was reminiscent of that kind of genius.
-- Brett Nelson

21st today was GREAT! I'm going to make sure that all of my friends read it and see how far they get before they realize what it is. It's also a great test of seeing how much people believe just because it's on the Web. Thanks for a very funny start to my April 1.
-- Frank Papa
SALON | April 2, 1998

R E C E N T L Y+| FLUX RULES BY LAURA MILLER

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_______________ BEYOND MONSTERS, ADDICTS AND SUBHUMANS BY JOSHUA WOLF SHENK (03/30/98)
	Thank you for the enlightening interview with Bill Moyers, who approaches the subject of addiction in the same manner he approached mythology, poetry, the book of Genesis and healing -- with a Zen Bhuddist's "beginner's mind" -- shorn of preconceptions or prejudices, unafraid to ask innocent questions that consistently elicit penetrating and heartfelt responses. I must say, however, that I was surprised to hear Moyers say that "we also don't have a cultural network, a support system for people in this early recovery stage." That support system, Alcoholics Anonymous (and its later arriving brother and sister groups, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, etc.), has been in existence for more than 50 years. There are hundreds of free meetings EVERY DAY in my hometown of Los Angeles and tens of thousands of meetings every day throughout the world. Without AA, people emerging from treatment homes, or their own unassisted withdrawal from drugs and alcohol, wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of staying sober and helping other alcoholics achieve sobriety. Thanks to AA, there are millions of grateful recovering alcoholics who have found meaning and purpose in their lives that their non-alcoholic (or "normie") friends often come to envy. As Bill Moyers' son also feels, sobriety is indeed "a kick." What we don't have in our cultural network is sufficient housing, job training, child care and other support systems that allow people to reenter (or enter) the economy either BEFORE seeking treatment for alcohol or drug abuse (which would help raise their self-esteem sufficiently to deem themselves worthy of treatment) or AFTER becoming sober (which would help, along with the support of Alcoholics Anonymous, to prevent relapse). Perhaps most importantly, instead of bringing programs into our schools that attempt to teach our children to say "no" to drugs, we need to teach our children how to say "yes" to life -- so that even those of us who are predisposed to alcoholic or addictive behavior can learn what we eventually learn in recovery -- emotional intelligence -- how to delay gratification, how to consider the rights and well-being of others, how to form and sustain loving and intimate relationships, how to be of service to the community, how to take responsibility for our own defeats and pride in our own successes, and how to achieve "the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the COURAGE to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference." Is this too much to ask of society? I think not. If we do not challenge ourselves to address the emotional needs of our children in a society that all but requires both parents to spend nearly all of their daily energy in the work force, we will reap the whirlwind. If we do rise to the challenge, we have some hope of achieving what Moyers and his interviewees all but despair of -- a sober society. -- Vickie P. A grateful alcoholic and addict in recovery for four years Just a note to tell you that I enjoyed your interview with Bill Moyers regarding his "Addiction: Close to Home" series. This is exactly the type of dialogue and information which is sorely needed to nudge American drug policy out of the dark ages. -- Craig Schroer Austin, Texas
_______________ MICROSOFT THROWS IN THE TOWEL A SALON STAFF REPORT (04/01/98)
	Thanks for the great article. I believed it completely and quickly checked a computer press Web site expecting a major headline, then remembered, "Oh yeah, it's April Fool's Day." Before releasing Windows 95 they came out with T-shirts at the Mac Expo that read, "Windows 95 ... sucks less." This article was reminiscent of that kind of genius. -- Brett Nelson 21st today was GREAT! I'm going to make sure that all of my friends read it and see how far they get before they realize what it is. It's also a great test of seeing how much people believe just because it's on the Web. Thanks for a very funny start to my April 1. -- Frank Papa SALON \| April 2, 1998