Mike,

The central point of the global warming piece is that addictive disease is also an article of faith, promoted by politically-driven science, aimed at exploitation and control of the masses. Global warming is probably the greatest scam in human history, a plot to literally extinguish the flame of human freedom in a pretend end-of-the-world panic induced by the likes of Gore, Obama, using university based political science. Already, an entire generation of youth have been brainwashed into radical, anti-social, anti-family attitudes using sentimental images of sad-eyed creatures suffering from imaginary evils. Worse, the climate scam threatens the cradle of the free world, the United States of America.

I maintain that the addictive disease scam is the greatest public health catastrophe in history, as measured by finances and body count, not to mention human suffering and depletion of the human spirit. I hope to see truth prevail over the recoveryism syndicates which cripple addicted people and burden their families with chronic addiction.

The Harry_Read_Me.txt files only emphasize what has been obvious for years, which is that neo-liberal politics has coalesced into the same axis of evil which threatens the free world. Both scams are sociopathic juggernauts with no respect for truth, making science their whores. We saw the same misuse of science in the Third Reich and in the Soviet Union, where science and medicine were recruited to support tyranny of medical abuse in special hospitals and camps.

I said “neo-” liberal, above, because liberalism has a noble history in the Enlightenment, and was a major influence in the founding of the USA. The liberalism of today has nothing to do with the liberalism of America. Young Americans have become hostile toward traditional, American values, family values, or any other source of public morality. AVRT is simply a working model of a working, moral conscience, returning one to his native beliefs and original family values, which are the foundation for political discourse.

Jack Trimpey

Linda,

Congratulations on defeating your addiction! AVRT-based recovery restores you to your original, better self, as you were before slipping into the swampland of addictive pleasures. You can be proud that your original family values were not dysfunctional but the foundation of your adult identity.

You have great certainty about global warming, while others aren’t so sure about politically-inspired weather forecasts. This article, however, is about how the global warming movement exactly mimics the way the disease concept of addiction has been carried forward by the recovery group movement, using bad science, suppression of dissent, political invective, and righteous certainty. I did acknowledge some problems that exist with human stewardship of the environment, but I simply find the political intrigue and sci-fi fantasy surrounding the green movement revolting. Likewise, although substance abuse is a serious social problem, I find the bad science and bad religion surrounding the recovery group movement revolting.
Jack Trimpey

Don’t drink and post.

During the 1980’s and 1990’s I was steeped in the ACOA, Alanon, and AA philosophy. I’ll share two of the many insights I’ve gained through the years. One, this philosophy/religion of AA and its spin-offs can destroy families. My first introduction to this world was through ACOA. I ended up alienated from my mother, as my sponsor said I needed to “let the dead bury the dead”. Otherwise, my “disease” would worsen and I would be caught in the role as “enabler”. My mother was left alone by all her children; she died alone. Yeah, she had several cocktails a day. She was blind and physically disabled. I’d gone to ACOA with a friend who’d asked for support. ACOA convinced me my mother was an alcoholic. Oh, and because I liked to get drunk on weekends, so was I. It’s inherited, you know.

So, I waltzed into an AA meeting and I learned how to relapse. I decided to quit drinking altogether in 1984. That lasted until 1999, not long after my mother died. My AV, with great stealth, asked if maybe a drink would help quell that nasty grief (guilt) that was making me feel so bad. That worked out real well for the consoling beast.  When I returned to AA (still had that belief system in my head), I looked around and saw a room full of victims. Victims of what? Our own choices. Our own immorality.

They called this a disease. I gave into the relapse myth and spent several years on that merry-go-round of a couple days sober, several days not. Why not? I liked the way booze made me feel. Although, I didn’t like it so much the next day.

Now, the second insight is this: I hate being a victim of anything or anyone. I do not believe anyone can be a victim unless he or she is a dead one. It’s not what happens to me, but how I deal with it that determines if I’ll be a victim. I knew what I was doing was wrong, wrong, wrong. Then, I began to understand I was a victim of my stealth decision to go on ahead, buy a bottle. In or out of AA, I was still a victim.
Oddly, I felt so calm and happy when I realized I was going to go on ahead and buy a bottle. The only way I could quit being a victim was just to quit drinking! I did not trust myself though and struggled with fear of “relapsing” and doubt in my resolve. I found RR on the internet, bought the book and I am now the only statistic I’m interested in. That AV beast can bugger off and die. I’m not its victim any more. I’ll never drink again or darken the doors of any AA group or one of its bastard offspring recovery groups.

The issue of global warming dovetails beautifully with Jack’s observations about our American society’s passivity, much influenced by the religion of AA. We are being asked to believe in something in totality with consequences we cannot predict, like government control of our every move and purchase. I was young, immature and “open-minded” when I walked into that very first ACOA meeting. I regret a lot, but not ever enough today or any day to pick up and use again. Carry on! Ann

Ann,

You are a living example of recovery group disorder and independent recovery through your own native beliefs and original family values. You have also documented the anti-family nature of 12-step recoveryism, and the dismissive attitude of recovery groups toward their own flesh and blood. The disease concept of addiction is an attack on one’s biological origins, and the dysfunctional family doctrines make destruction of the family tree fairly complete. That simplifies the outrageous claim of recovery groups to be “your new family,” and of course, their condescension toward religious traditions is nothing more than raw fear of moral injunction, which you finally discovered is the only antidote for substance addiction. By taking responsibility for your personal conduct, you no longer must struggle to “be good” every day for fear that you’ll lie, cheat, and steal.

Recoveryism is worse than racism because it uses implied markers rather than what can be seen. Take pride in your family and your ancestors, and never surrender to authorities who would suggest you are genetically defective in a way affects your honor, your freedom, and your identity.

Jack Trimpey

What the heck is wrong with you people? Has this man not helped you; has he not zeroed in on a simple, powerful truth that you can use to change your life and presented it to you free of charge?

Ingrates.

God Bless,
Tom C

Thiggy,

Interesting comments about the idea that I should provide the benefits of AVRT® at my own expense, without any compensation for my efforts. That is a fundamental belief of AA, complete with the parable of the errant Bill W whose error was simply thinking about earning money by using AA. Mr. W was chastened by his inner circle so that now AA is a “self-supporting, non-profit organization,” which of course is an oxymoronic description of an impossible entity, sort of like Dr. Seuss’s push-me-pull-you.

For decades, I have received an endless stream of hate mail from 12-steppers who confer the Curse of AA upon me, i.e., that I am a greedy, money-grubber who exploits the sick, the weak, and the disabled. They insist that I should exist for the sake of serving “alcoholics” and other substance abusers, and to be grateful for the privilege of doing so. The arrogance of addiction is boundless, as seen in irresolute substance abusers’ demands for free stuff.
However, none of them notice that the essentials of AVRT-based recovery are posted free of charge in the form of programmed instruction. Nor do they care that my professional services not only lead to immediate total recovery,  but cost about 10% as much as ineffective 12-step oriented programs that amount to a very expensive introduction to life in recovery.

Charity for substance abusers is about as upside-down as an idea can get, but through the magic of steptalk, it has become a popular idea. Who could be less entitled to charity than those who pursue pleasure at the expense of their families, or who expect their own families to live under the uncertainty of one-day-at-a-time sobriety?

Jack Trimpey

I tend to lean toward your politics rather than Jack’s, and I thought you made one or two good points about the conversation with Cynthia.

However, one-quarter of the way through your post, you digress with “Some other questions and observations” and go off on a very, very long tangent that nitpicks at Jack and his way of conducting his work. Many of your charges could have been answered ahead of time by a little research. I admit I could not drag myself completely through it, but I did skim and see that you were quibbling about levels of subscription, etc.

Frankly, I miss the good old days when Jack’s forum was free; I loved reading it. Even then, however, Jack expressed concern that the forum might devolve into entertainment and a form of recovery-groupism. If charging a fee will weed out all but the serious and committed, those who need to be there, I won’t argue with that.

Furthermore, it really pisses me off when people carp at Jack for charging quite reasonable and modest prices for extra help (and not being Mother Teresa), when he does offer enough for free to help a truly open person “get it.”

Throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Jack really blunted your point and lessened your credibility.

This is not the first time I have disagreed with things Jack has said on this blog — but fundamentally, I believe deeply in his main message that we humans have free will and are not diseased. This is a life-changing and life-affirming message.