Topic : 03/22 Living on the Edge

I watched this show this week and i could not for the life of me figure out how this woman wasn't dead by now.I mean she is so messed up its not funny.She is going to need alot of therapy for along time.But i didn't like the mother's attitude as if her daughter was a piece of meat she through out for a dog to naw at.She didn't seemed to concerned over her.I saw no feeling of compassion in that womans eyes.Geeze its her daughter for crying out loud.Why didn't she not try to get an intervention  before this .She could probably have gotten one because her daughter obviously was way out of control like Dr.Phil said.Is it to late for her to turn her life around? She got a long road ahead i feel sorry for her in a way.

There is an interesting study that was done with regards to alcoholics.  (And perhaps this applies to any other chemical or addictive behavior.)  The study reported that alcoholics are in the top 5% percentile of perfectionism.  Expectations of perfectionism from themselves and others.  When that perfection is not achieved,  the addictictive behaviors are a method of "self-medicating" from the inability to achieve these expectations.    

  

Also, if alcoholism truly is a disease, and the theory that there is a genetic predisposition to this illness is correct,  there are probably quite a few alcoholics out there who have never taken a drink in their lives.   I have known people who have never touched a drop of alcohol, but they are restless, irritable, and discontent.    

  

AA may not be the perfect solution for everyone.  Especially for agnostics because AA is so spiritually based.   (There is a chapter in the big book called "We Agnostics".)   But, if you can get past that part of it, the 12 steps are really a decent overall blue-print for living life and doing the best you can to make the right decisions relative to those aspects of your over which you can control and letting go of the rest.  Progress, not perfection.   

  

  

I think for Bill W. it came in a very lightening effect way when he was in the hospital and maybe that was the miracle that started AA.  Also, his failure to achieve a business deal when he was out of town, almost put him in the cocktail lounge of the hotel in which he was staying, but he had a decision point and ended up calling a local pastor who put him in touch with Dr. Bob.  These occurrences were maybe the dramatic catalysts that started AA.  For most, the the progress is pretty incremental.  But, that's probably okay. 

I believe it is a place called "La Hacienda", and I believe it is outside of San Antonio, TX

Yes, I was at the Michael and Bridgette last taping as a studio audience member.  There have been so many episodes on those two that I watched on television, that I lost track of which show I actually attended live.  Okay, sorry, this is a deviation from the topic at hand.  Dr. Phil seems to bring back the "live wires" and I think he needs to focus more on topics that are fresh and relevent and let his staff do the follow-up assistance on some of the other guests.  Yes, I'm happy to see a follow-up on an important topic, but not four times.

Last week while I was in the hospital I was the segment on the lady so strung out on alcohol an her mentor which was a nurse who juggled her own addiction with Doctors and addiction classes.  Four weeks prior I had a defibrillator and a pacemaker implanted in my body.  About 2 weeks later I was admitted in the hospital for a slight stroke. I was admitted on a Monday and the following Thursday the Dr. was ready to release me on Friday. Well, sometime, before being release,  on Thursday night,  I totally flipped-out.  I began hallucinating, started acting very violent.  My family did not know what had happened to me, but they definitely knew it was not normal for me.    Wisely enough, after about 36 hours of this bizarre behavior,  they demand a drug screening.  Shockingly the blood work came back with PCP, heroine, cocaine and acid in it.  I have never used an illegal drug in my life.  These hallucinations were terrible.  When I finally came around, I had absolutely no Idea where I was, who I was, birthday, town I was in or anything.  This was awful!!!!!    I am a successful business woman who is in control and is always aware of my surrounds and considers myself very bright and intelligent.   This only happened last week and I still have flashbacks frequently and sit and cry and cry.  The hospital takes no responsibility.  One nurse did level with me though and say that obviously someone switched the "good" drug that the hospital was prescribing to me for a "street drug" so some sick nurse could get her high from the drug prescribed for me!  I am so angry.  Then 3 days later they bring a 67 year old lady in my room with the same hallucinations and symptoms.  Unfortunately, she had no family to demand drug test such as my family did.  This is the worst thing I have been through.   I feel so violated.  The flashback are terrifying.  I do have an apointment with an attorney since I do have records of my blood test for the first 4 days being normal and then the fifth day, totally taited with illegal drugs, with no way of ingestinging them but through the health care providers.  Does anyone have any other advice?

Yikes!  If it happened exactly as you say it did, then I think you did the right thing in consulting an attorney. 

  

However, parts of your story don't ring true to me.  I'm  not saying you are misrepresenting anything; you could just be repeating what you've been told. 

  

But any nurse so addicted to drugs that she'd risk jail and her career to steal them would not be likely to give you street drugs.  For one thing, it makes much more sense to substitute something harmless - either via IV or pill - that would go undetected!  This is practically begging to get caught. 

  

The other issue is that addicts never give up drugs in their possession - she would either trade them for what she really wanted, or take them herself.   

  

I suspect there's something else going on, but I have no clue what that would be. 

AA may not be the perfect solution for everyone.  Especially for agnostics because AA is so spiritually based.   (There is a chapter in the big book called "We Agnostics".)   But, if you can get past that part of it, the 12 steps are really a decent overall blue-print for living life and doing the best you can to make the right decisions relative to those aspects of your over which you can control and letting go of the rest.   

  

I agree with all of this.   

  

The other thing is that this notion of  "AA makes you believe in God, so I won't try it!" is almost always a cop-out.  In the meetings I've attended over the last 15 years, it's often brought up by new folks, and is always completely and thoroughly explained to them.  The ones who stay are serious about getting sober; the ones who leave do so not because they're worried about spirituality -- they're simply not ready yet and this makes as good a reason as any.  Hell, even atheists can exist in the 12 step program! 

  

There is a spiritual component, of course, but the pointis simply to accept that there is a power out there greater than yourself.  You do have to be a bit more creative if you don't believe in God, but you're also allowed as much leeway as you need in identifying that higher power.   

  

PS - I also agree that AA isn't for everyone, but I tend to have more faith in people who attack it for valid reasons.  I've seen way too many cases where AA is misrepresented and that, of course, makes me suspect the agenda of whoever is doing the misrepresenting.  And this whole area of spirituality is taking more than its share of hits lately! 

  

  

  

My brothers and sisters and I have just been through an incredibly bad ordeal with my 70 year old father who drank daily for over 50 years.  It started with what we thought was demetia, but we found out that there is a name for it.  When we started to research Wernicke's syndrome, the symptoms mirror what we saw in my father.  Drinking causes the body to not absorb thiamine and the demetia, ataxia (falling down) and depression was caused by malnutrition and a vitamin deficiency. My stepmother just decided to just sit back and watch while he became worse and worse.  By the time she let his kids know (we live about an hour away) it was almost too late.  The subject of my stepmother's behavior through all of this would take up a whole show by itself so I will not get into that. 

  

We forced him into a hospital where the detox was horrible.  DT's, tremors, hallucinations etc.  We also found out that the malnutrition had caused some  brain damage.  One doctor told us that is was reversible.  We looked at him like he was crazy because at this point he was like a stroke victim.  We moved him to a nursing home and he got stronger with physical therapy, but mentally was in his own world.  The all of the sudden he was back mentally   And I do mean suddenly.  It was like a light going on in his head! I could not beleive that we could once again have a sane conversation based on what we had seen for six weeks. 

  

He has decided to go back to his wife  (still crazy in that regard) and we still have a long way to go as far as alcohol treatment and rehab, but I cannot belive that he is back mentally (there is some permanent brain damage though).  For anyone with an elderly parent or alcoholic in their lives, research this syndrome.  It mimics drunkeness so we would not have known the difference if the doctor had not mentioned it, but if caught and treated, it is reversible to an extent by administering thiamine.  Also, we were told that the hospital should have never just cold turkey detoxed him.  It almost killed him and sent his body into such a shock that what we saw for 6 weeks was excrutiating.  As I stated, it seemed like a stroke.  Please find a doctor who is familiar with detox.  Elderly alcoholics are difficult to deal with and set in their ways, but there is hope for physical recovery.  My dad was the highest functioning alcoholic I have ever met, this was his bottom after 70 years so keeping him away from it may be hard, but at least we get a chance to try.  (If my stepmother doesn't kill him first though!)